There were 11 minutes and 41 seconds left in the game. Aiwa Academy trailed by 29 points, 27-56, but their star player, Dai Moroboshi, was back.
Over the next stretch, Moroboshi treated Ryota Kudo to an offensive feast. Three-pointers, midrange shots, drives, playmaking-he could do it all.
With his handsome looks on top of that, it was no wonder Moroboshi was called the "Aichi Star."
However, Moroboshi had little time left, and the gap between the two teams was a bit too large.
In the final 11 minutes, Aiwa Academy poured in 41 points, cutting the deficit to just six.
With two seconds remaining, Moroboshi dragged his injured leg through a sharp change of direction and launched a midrange shot.
But after playing at full tilt for over ten minutes without any rest, he was running out of stamina, and his final shot missed.
Even if it had gone in, it would not have mattered. Aiwa Academy was still down by six.
74-68. Meihou Industrial High School ultimately won the game and became the champions of Aichi Prefecture.
However, Aiwa Academy had not been eliminated. Like Kanagawa Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture was a traditional basketball powerhouse with two qualifying spots.
Second-place Aiwa Academy also advanced to the National Tournament. This game had actually been a contest for prestige.
After the game, Moroboshi did his best to persuade Shinichi Maki and Ryota Kudo to stay, hoping they would give him a chance to play host.
However, Moroboshi had to head to the hospital for treatment as soon as he came off the court, so Maki and Kudo naturally would not let him distract himself with hosting them.
Politely declining Moroboshi's invitation, Maki and Kudo boarded a train back to Kanagawa Prefecture that same day.
That was perfectly normal, though. With the National