On the next possession, the Kainan Team attacked, and Shinichi Maki easily beat his man off the dribble and drove into Ryonan's paint.
When Jun Uozumi came over to help, Shinichi Maki passed to Kazuma Takasago, who laid the ball in.
Even after scoring, Kazuma Takasago's expression did not change at all. His face looked as sour as a bitter melon, making him particularly uncomfortable to look at.
In the stands, Ryota Kudo could not help complaining to Kiminobu Kogure beside him. "Why does Kazuma Takasago always wear that expression when he plays? He looks like someone owes him ten million yen."
Kiminobu Kogure burst out laughing. He was very familiar with Kanagawa's centers. "It's not just Kazuma Takasago. Of Kanagawa's four great centers, everyone except Toru Hanagata looks pretty unpleasant when they play."
Takenori Akagi, sitting beside them, glanced at Kiminobu Kogure without saying anything.
Takenori Akagi did not care at all that he was not good-looking. Basketball was not a beauty contest.
As long as his little sister, Haruko Akagi, was pretty, that was enough. His own looks did not matter.
The game continued down on the court. Unlike the expectation that Kainan would dominate Ryonan throughout, it was actually Ryonan that kept the lead.
Akira Sendoh was not Ryonan's leading scorer, either. He focused primarily on organizing the offense and linking the team together.
Instead, the main force on offense was Ryonan's "problem child," Kiccho Fukuda, who displayed astonishing offensive talent.
Although he could not shoot from long range, Kiccho Fukuda shot an extremely high percentage, whether driving to the rim or using his offensive moves inside.
The first half ended at 39-29. Ryonan had held the upper hand over Kainan throughout the half and headed into the second half with a ten-point lead.
Before leaving the