Ryota Kudo silently watched Sawakita's back as he walked toward the Players' Tunnel, then looked at Shinichi Maki, who stood on the court like a solitary peak.
He knew that the real storm was about to arrive in the second half.
The most frightening thing about Sannoh Industrial High School was not even their strength on paper, but their Full-Court Press.
Many teams that could otherwise have put up a fight collapsed outright once Sannoh Industrial High School unleashed their Full-Court Press.
But Shinichi Maki would not give up easily. The emperor would burn until the very last moment, while the champions... perhaps they were only just preparing to reveal their true edge.
The brief break ended, and the decisive second half began.
Just as everyone had expected, Sannoh Industrial High School displayed their dominance as champions in the second half, their defensive intensity rising sharply.
Kazunari Fukatsu's pressure on Shinichi Maki became suffocating. He constantly wore down Maki's stamina with physical contact and subtle fouls, while his elite anticipation and quick hands brought him close to stealing the ball several times.
Satoshi Ichinokura's defense on Soichiro Jin became even more relentless. He stuck to him like a shadow, using every possible means to disrupt his catches and shots. Soichiro Jin was almost invisible in the second half.
Masashi Kawata fully unleashed his power beneath the basket. His footwork, strength, and technique meshed perfectly. Whether he posted up or drove facing the basket, Kainan's interior duo of Takasago and Nataka struggled to stop him, repeatedly conceding and-ones.
Masahiro Nobe, meanwhile, was like a rebounding vacuum, firmly controlling the boards at both ends.
And Eiji Sawakita... he remained composed, but every touch became deadlier.
When Kainan tried to contain him with double-teams, he sliced their defense apart again and again with