Kainan's defenses have been completely breached.
Nobunaga Kiyota was repeatedly tormented by Kaede Rukawa and Kawamoto on both offense and defense, and his mentality began to lose balance.
During one defensive play, he was easily beaten by Kaede Rukawa's simple crossover, and could only watch as Kaede Rukawa hit another mid-range shot.
36:54!
Shohoku's offensive is unstoppable.
Kawamoto has completely transformed into an offensive engine and a defensive sweeper.
With his precise passes, well-timed screens, unpredictable help defense, and steals, he created a constant stream of opportunities for the entire Shohoku team, especially for Kaede Rukawa, who was now fully unleashed.
Kaede Rukawa was completely enraged, unleashing a barrage of mid-range shots, drives, dunks, and three-pointers.
Under Kawamoto's tutelage, he became virtually invincible, defeating every player on the Kainan field.
Kawamoto once again used Akagi's screen to get rid of Maki, drawing two defenders before making a bounce pass to Kaede Rukawa, who was cutting to the basket.
When the latter easily scored a layup, the scoreboard number became:
Shohoku 62:40 Kainan.
There was very little time left in the first half.
From a 34-34 tie to a 62-40 lead, they took a 22-point advantage.
Shohoku unleashed a 28-6 offensive surge!
This climax began when Maki successfully disrupted Kawamoto's three-point shot.
That interference was what Kainan thought was Pandora's box to secure victory in the competition.
Upon opening it, I discovered that it contained the key to activate Kawamoto.
Kawamoto, with his top-notch help defense, steals, off-ball movement, and passing vision, personally ignited Kaede Rukawa's fox-like fire, turning the latter into an unstoppable scoring machine.
Kainan's ever-victorious flag seems to have stopped flying in the face of Shohoku's youthful storm.
Maki braced himself on his knees with both hands, sweat dripping down his face.
He looked at the scoreboard, then at Kawamoto, and at number 11 next to him, whose cold eyes were constantly scoring.
These two first-year monsters have teamed up.
Coach Riki Takato's face was ashen, and the paper fan he was holding was slightly deformed.
His meticulously planned tactics were shattered by the sudden chemistry between the two rising stars on the opposing team.
Meanwhile, the Shohoku bench had already become a sea of joy.
The area Ryonan was completely silent.
When the scoreboard jumped to 62:40, Ryonan's initial smugness was already frozen.
Hiroaki Koshino's smile froze.
Tomoyuki Uekusa's fingers trembled slightly.
Kiccho Fukuda's fists clenched until they turned white.
Jun Uozumi's breathing became heavy, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Moichi Taoka's eyes widened as he stared intently at the red number 15.
An exclamation erupted from the audience. "My God—is Shohoku's number 15 a monster?"
" Ryonan's 51-point victory over Takezato is nothing, Shohoku is going to crush Kainan too!"
"It seems like Kanagawa belongs to Shohoku this year----"
"Even Sendoh probably can't restrain Kawamoto."
"Is that not certain? Is there anyone as strong as Mu in the Sendoh?"
These sounds pierced the ears of everyone in Ryonan like needles.
Everyone turned their attention to the Sendoh.
Akira Sendoh watched quietly for a few seconds, then said softly, "As for Maki, I might still be able to give it a try."
He paused, then looked at the red number 15 on the field. " Kawamoto —maybe we should just forget about it."
He paused, then added, "I feel fishing is more interesting."
Shohoku's final attack saw Miyagi hastily attempt a shot that missed.
Beep--!
The whistle blowing at the end of the first half was almost a relief for the players from Kainan.
The score of 62:40 on the scoreboard is like a bleeding wound, branded on the heart of every champion.
A 20-point gap is an unimaginable disgrace in the history of the Kanagawa champions.
Second only to the match against Sannoh last year.
It's worth noting that last year, when facing Sannoh, Sannoh was only leading by ten points with 4:13 left in the second half.
It wasn't a tactical mistake, nor was it a lack of skill; it was the suffocating despair that came with the monster's slightest seriousness.
The moment the locker room door closed, the outside noise was shut out, leaving only heavy breathing.
"Coach----"
Maki covered his head with a towel, his voice hoarse as he said, "Second half—let me play one-on-one. Kiyota, go and hold off Kawamoto, we still have a chance."
"Shepherd."
Riki Takato's voice rang out, lacking its usual composure, replaced by a deep weariness and a chillingly cruel tone:
Kiyota can't hold Kawamoto back. He never has.
Maki abruptly ripped off the towel, his face still wet with sweat and resentment. Riki Takato's words were like ice water, extinguishing his last shred of hope.
"Now I understand that at the beginning, Kawamoto was merely observing, adapting, and even—saving his energy."
"What you perceive as a restriction is an illusion he tacitly approves of."
"From the moment you interfered with his three-point shot and he opened his eyes, you experienced it firsthand, didn't you?"
Maki's body stiffened, and the image of those half-closed eyes opening completely, their cold, razor-sharp gaze flashing through his mind, followed by that absolute high three-pointer that rendered all his defensive efforts a joke.
The overwhelming sense of pressure I felt when facing him personally, and even that unfathomable calmness, are now playing out clearly in my mind.
Yes, he was no match for Kiyota, completely outmatched. How could Kiyota possibly hold out?
"Is there really no other way?"
He was used to solving problems through his strong personal abilities.
But this time, he ran into an unshakeable iron wall.
Riki Takato walked to the tactics board, but did not draw any tactics.
He simply pressed the tip of his pen heavily onto the red magnet representing Kawamoto Kazuki.
"Mu, our previous playing style in Kainan was based on your unstoppable offensive strategy."
Riki Takato's voice echoed in the locker room, every word striking a chord in the players' hearts. "The opponent has to double-team you, then you use your vision to pass the ball and create opportunities. If they don't double-team you, you can score easily. This makes us invincible."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over all the dejected team members before finally settling on Maki's face. "Now, you should understand what it feels like to have a monster like Shinichi Maki as your opponent in a match, right?"
Maki's pupils contracted slightly.
Riki Takato, his tone almost cruel. "And you're facing a completely enhanced version of Shinichi Maki."
"On offense, you can't match his three-point range and consistency. You can't match his face-up driving skills and versatility. You've never even seen him use his post-up game, but I have no doubt he has it. His passing vision and playmaking ability, as seen in his performance in the first half that activated Kaede Rukawa, are clearly on par with top point guards."
"On the defensive end, his height, wingspan, speed, defensive coverage, help defense awareness, and anticipation of steals—he can cover a huge area from the three-point line to the paint all by himself. Getting past him is harder than climbing to heaven, and trying to easily pass the ball over him is wishful thinking."
"His stamina—the level of commitment he put into both offense and defense in the first half would probably leave you breathless by now, but he? His breathing hasn't even gotten out of control."
With each word Riki Takato spoke, the Kainan team members' faces paled a little more.
This dissects their hidden fears in the most straightforward way.
This is just Kawamoto alone.
Riki Takato away and stroked across the other parts of Shohoku.