The entire arena was set ablaze, Shohoku's roar surging like a tsunami.
Cheers of "Mitsui! Mitsui!" "Kudo! Kudo!" and "Sakuragi! Sakuragi!" mingled together.
"Beautiful! Ryota Kudo with a pinpoint full-court pass, and Hisashi Mitsui hits the transition three! Shohoku takes the lead!" the commentator roared excitedly.
"Ryota Kudo has complete control of the tempo! He's like the brain on the court, directing this Shohoku machine missing crucial parts and drawing astonishing energy out of it."
Daiei Academy immediately called a timeout, and Jun Tsuchiya's expression turned more grave than ever before.
He looked at the scoreboard, then at Ryota Kudo across from him, who radiated danger. Alarm bells rang in his mind.
Shohoku's offense had come alive, and in a way they had never anticipated.
After the timeout, Daiei Academy noticeably ramped up its offensive firepower, trying to keep the score close.
Jun Tsuchiya also took on more of the scoring duties, using his all-around skills to drive and dish or pull up for jumpers, working hard for points.
But Shohoku had already built unstoppable momentum.
Ryota Kudo's composed direction had brought the entire team to life. He always found the teammate in the best position to attack:
Under the basket, Hanamichi Sakuragi used the threat of his leaping ability and midrange shot to occupy much of Hiroshi Nakamura's attention, while grabbing crucial offensive rebounds in succession to earn Shohoku precious second-chance opportunities.
Kaede Rukawa no longer insisted on going it alone. Under Kudo's direction, his off-ball cuts and catch-and-shoot jumpers became even deadlier and highly efficient.
Ryota Miyagi used his lightning speed to keep tearing at Daiei's perimeter defense, creating chaos.
Most moving of all, however, was the eruption from third-year senior Hisashi Mitsui.
When Daiei Academy tried to close the gap through Sho Sato's individual ability, Hisashi Mitsui