When the incredibly thin and frail-looking Yoshinori Miyamasu, who was only 160 centimeters tall, replaced the mediocre-performing Tadashi Muto.
The audience erupted in uproar.
"Is that short guy also a formal player for Kainan?"
"That height is enough to compete in the county finals? Are you kidding me?"
"Is Kainan out of talent? Why send such a short guy like this?"
Ryota Miyagi felt displeased as he looked at Yoshinori Miyamasu, who was now facing him.
Maki doesn't come to face him, and he doesn't complain.
Couldn't they at least send a normal person? What's with this short guy with glasses?
He had been playing basketball for several years, and this was the first time he had experienced the feeling of being superior to others.
"Did they send in this shorter guy to exploit my speed and agility? Did they think I was too short, so they sent in someone shorter and faster to break through?"
Miyagi immediately lowered his defensive focus, preparing to counter any potential speed attacks from his opponent.
He believes his speed and stealing ability are on par with any guard of similar height.
The game continues, with Kainan on the offensive.
Maki calmly observed the ball while controlling it.
After several passes, the ball reached Yoshinori Miyamasu's hands.
Miyagi followed closely, pressing himself almost to the ground, a cold smile playing on his lips, "Come on, let's see if your speed is faster than my reaction time!"
However, Miyamasu's next move completely surprised Miyagi and overturned his defensive preparations.
Miyamasu received the ball a step and a half from the three-point line, showing no sign of breaking through.
Instead, he bends his knees, jumps, and flicks his wrist with astonishing speed!
"What! Directly submit?"
The Miyagi was greatly alarmed.
All his attention was focused on preventing a breakthrough, and his center of gravity was too low. By the time he realized that his opponent was going to take a long-range pull-up jumper and tried to jump with all his might to interfere, his body rhythm was completely out of sync.
He already lacked the height and awareness to block shots, and now he was even more helpless, only able to reach out in vain and watch the basketball fly high above his fingertips.
The basketball traced an extremely high arc in the air.
"Whoosh!"
Hollow-core netting!
25:25!
flat!
Miyagi stood frozen in place, his expression frozen, his mind blank.
This guy isn't a speed-type dribbler—is he some kind of pure long-range artillery? And he dared to throw from that far? And it went in!
The sense of defeat caused by the huge tactical miscalculation instantly overwhelmed me.
"Well done, Miyamasu!"
Maki stepped forward and patted Miyamasu on the back, but didn't dare to use force.
This seemingly insignificant surprise weapon responded to the coach's trust in the purest and most lethal way, and also dealt a solid blow to Shohoku.
Riki Takato nodded slightly on the sidelines.
The Miyamasu was based on the fact that Miyagi's defense was somewhat weak.
They excel at battling and stealing the ball, but lack sufficient vigilance and ability to disrupt fast three-pointers that are caught and shot without regard for defense.
This was a precise tactical maneuver.
Shohoku's offense still aimed to break through Kawamoto's defense.
However, Kainan not only tied the score with Miyamasu's unexpected three-pointer, but also dealt a heavy blow to Shohoku, especially to Miyagi, who was responsible for his matchup.
Yoshinori Miyamasu's third three-pointer was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, silencing the Shohoku bench.
31:31, Kainan tied the score again.
This unexpected hero, standing only 160 centimeters tall, punished Miyagi's defensive vulnerabilities in the most lethal way.
"Hateful!"
Miyagi stared intently at the small, thin figure silently returning to defend, his teeth clenched.
"It's alright, Miyagi!"
Akagi growled, " Kawamoto will return it!"
Miyamasu the commotion from Miyamasu's game-tying three-pointer had completely subsided, Shohoku's offense surged in again like a tidal wave.
Ryota Miyagi dribbled past half-court, his gaze sweeping across the entire court before finally settling on the left side at a 45-degree angle.
There, Kawamoto Kazuki, having just shaken off Maki's entanglement with Rukawa's cover, raised his hand to ask for the ball.
Maki moved with lightning speed, almost instantly blocking Kawamoto's path the moment he caught the ball.
The air between the two suddenly became still and pressurized.
Kawamoto receives the ball, stands with his feet parallel, in a standard triple threat stance.
Maki lowered his shoulders and center of gravity, stood with his feet apart, knees slightly bent, and arms outstretched like wings, blocking all possible breakthroughs and shooting angles.
His eyes were sharp, fixed on Kawamoto's shoulders, waist, and the hand holding the ball.
All muscles tense up, entering a state of maximum alert.
One second, two seconds.
Kawamoto a move.
He swiftly thrust his left foot forward and to the left, causing his body to tilt to the left.
Maki immediately made a subtle and precise adjustment to his defensive footwork, shifting his weight slightly to the left.
In that subtle, almost imperceptible shift of weight, Kawamoto pulled his left foot back and took a big step forward with his right!
At the same time, he quickly raised the ball upwards with both hands, as if to catch it.
The head, shoulders, and even the entire upper body are accompanied by an extremely realistic and explosive upward shooting motion.
Maki's pupils contracted instantly!
The threat posed by Kawamoto's previous pull-up three-pointer, which ignored the defense, is still fresh in my mind.
The immense threat of the shot, combined with the incredibly realistic feint, instantly overwhelmed his rational judgment, triggering his body's instinctive defensive reaction.
"Don't even think about it!"
Maki let out a low growl, pushed off the ground with all his might, and leaped vertically upwards.
He stretched his arm out into the air, trying to block the basketball that he imagined was about to shoot.
However, the moment he jumped, what he saw in his field of vision was Kawamoto's calm, almost cold eyes, and his composed retraction of his right foot, and his deft adjustment as he dribbled the ball in place.
He was completely knocked out.
It wasn't interference, it wasn't a loss of position; it was being completely fooled by a convincing feint, causing him to lose his ground and his entire defensive position.
Before Kawamoto lay a vast open space.
Maki's airborne body became the most magnificent backdrop for his perfect feint.
Jump and shoot.
The movements were as smooth as during training.
The basketball left my fingertips, spinning as it flew toward the basket.
Maki turned his head in vain in mid-air, his gaze following the orange streak, a chill running through his heart.
Upon landing, I could even hear the heavy thud of my heels hitting the floor, followed by a crisp "whoosh!"
The netting rippled.
31:34.
Kainan offensive.
Maki controlled the ball and advanced, his expression returning to calm, as if the moment he was sent flying by a spike had never happened.
All personnel in Kainan have taken their positions and are beginning to patiently communicate their findings.
Like a tireless ghost, Soichiro Jin repeatedly darted between the baseline and the flanks, Yoko the double cover provided by Takasago and Kiyota to slip from the strong side to the weak side once again.
Mitsui tried his best to catch up, but Takasago's wall was too thick, and he missed the fatal moment.
In that split second, Maki's pass, like a precise cannonball, cut through the crowd and found Jin, who had just been positioned in the weak-side corner.
Bend your knees, jump, and release the ball.
Jin's movements were fast, steady, and accurate.
Mitsui's attempt to seal the breach came a step too late.
"Whoosh--!"
Another three-pointer!
34:34.
Jin, with his unstoppable off-the-ball movement and consistent shooting skills, once again leveled the score for Kainan.
Shohoku launches an attack.
The ball was passed to Kawamoto again.
Maki immediately stepped forward.
This time, his gaze was more focused, his posture was slightly adjusted, and his center of gravity seemed more stable than before.
Kawamoto receives the ball in the same position, facing Maki.
Without much hesitation, he made almost the exact same fake Shammgod bowing gesture as before.
Step forward with your right foot, quickly raise both hands, and move your body upwards.
However, this time, Maki did not jump.