Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure froze at his words.
Coach Anzai was usually quite laid-back and rarely pointed out his players' shortcomings during a game.
It seemed their performances really had left him very dissatisfied.
"Sorry, Coach Anzai."
Akagi and Kogure bowed in apology.
Coach Anzai remained firmly seated.
His calm gaze swept over everyone, lingering briefly on Akagi and Kawamoto Kazuki.
"Heh heh heh... Ryonan's teamwork really is excellent."
He said slowly, "In the second half, we need to play more decisively inside. Akagi, you're the team's pillar."
Akagi abruptly raised his head and looked at the coach.
A pillar?
In the first half, Uozumi had practically torn this pillar down!
"Be more focused on defense and more patient on offense."
Coach Anzai said little, but his intent was clear.
They needed to open things up inside.
He glanced at Kawamoto Kazuki again.
"Kawamoto, keep up your first-half performance."
Kawamoto's expression remained calm, and he understood.
The coach's instructions hadn't changed.
Keep observing and conceal his strength.
The whistle sounded for the second half, and both teams returned to the court.
Ryonan was riding high, and Jun Uozumi in particular looked at Akagi with undisguised provocation.
Shohoku launched its first possession of the second half.
Kogure brought the ball across half court and tried to find Kaede Rukawa, but Ryoji Ikegami was guarding him very tightly.
They moved the ball around several times without finding a good opportunity.
With little time left on the shot clock, Kogure lobbed the ball to Akagi in the low post.
"Come on, Akagi! Show me what you've got!"
Uozumi growled, pressing all his strength against Akagi's back.
Akagi caught the ball, feeling the immense pressure behind him, and the frustration of the first half instantly turned to fury.
Without further hesitation, he dribbled and backed down with all his strength!
One shove!
Two!
The dull thuds of colliding muscles echoed through the gym.
This time, Akagi drove harder and more decisively!
Uozumi was forced half a step back, leaving a little space!
Akagi seized that fleeting opening and quickly spun right.
A simple little hook shot!
"No way!"
Uozumi hurried over to contest.
The basketball dropped through the net.
Swish!
The shot was good!
At the same time, the referee's whistle sounded.
Uozumi had fouled him on the arm!
29-38!
"Raaagh!"
After landing, Akagi threw his head back and roared, pounding his chest hard!
That and-one was a huge boost!
Uozumi's face turned livid. He hadn't expected Akagi to come out so aggressively right at the start of the second half.
Akagi composed himself and sank the extra free throw too.
30-38!
The gap was back down to eight.
Ryonan's possession.
Akira Sendoh tried to run another pick-and-roll with Uozumi, but this time Akagi switched with exceptional decisiveness.
He stepped out early, cutting off Sendoh's driving route.
Sendoh passed to Uozumi on the roll, and Uozumi caught the ball and tried to power up.
Akagi quickly recovered and leaped high, his long arm fully extended!
Smack!
A resounding block!
The basketball was swatted out of bounds!
"Akagi! Great defense!"
Shohoku's bench erupted.
That successful defensive play gave their morale an enormous boost.
Back at the other end, Shohoku attacked.
After drawing a double-team, Kaede Rukawa passed to Kawamoto Kazuki at the top of the arc.
Facing Kawamoto was Hiroaki Koshino, a relatively weak defender.
It was a good isolation opportunity.
But Kawamoto only threw a fake, getting Koshino off his feet before immediately feeding Akagi, who was calling for the ball in the low post again!
He kept the coach's instructions firmly in mind and would never casually reveal his individual scoring ability.
He could only play a background role, occasionally linking up the team and getting the interior offense going.
Akagi caught the ball again!
Uozumi gritted his teeth and pressed against him on defense.
Akagi didn't force his way in.
He could feel Uozumi's determination to stop him on this possession.
He faked a layup, and Uozumi reacted slightly.
Akagi immediately sent a bounce pass to Hanamichi Sakuragi, who was cutting into the paint.
Sakuragi caught the ball. Although his layup motion was still awkward, his regular practice allowed him to put it in the basket!
32-38!
Akagi delivered another assist.
"Nice pass, Gorilla!"
Sakuragi shouted excitedly.
The consecutive successes on both ends got Shohoku's momentum going.
Ryonan grew impatient on offense.
Sendoh's pass was actually disrupted by Kogure, whom Coach Anzai had fired up, sending the ball out of bounds.
Shohoku's ball.
Akagi came up to the high post to set a screen for Kogure, then rolled inside.
With Sendoh coming over to help, Kogure passed straight back to Akagi.
Akagi caught the ball and went up hard against Uozumi, drawing another foul!
Uozumi had committed this foul deliberately.
Shohoku had built momentum, Akagi in particular, and he couldn't let them keep shooting so hot.
He would rather use up a foul to break Akagi's mounting momentum.
Besides, Akagi wasn't all that accurate from the free-throw line.
Sure enough, it went just as Uozumi had expected.
Akagi made only one of two.
33-38!
Even so, in those brief three minutes, Takenori Akagi had dominated both ends like an awakened lion!
He scored four straight points, delivered an assist and a block, and almost single-handedly cut the deficit to five.
Every basket he scored and every successful defensive play gave the whole team's morale an enormous lift.
That was the value of Shohoku's spiritual pillar.
Coach Taoka could no longer stay seated. He stood and shouted, "Stay steady! Go inside! Uozumi, answer him!"
Ryonan once again fed Uozumi in the low post.
Uozumi was seething too. He forced his way backward against Akagi and turned for a jumper!
Akagi jumped with all his strength to contest!
Clang!
The ball struck the rim and bounced out!
Akagi and Uozumi jumped for the rebound at the same time.
This time, Akagi had the better position and firmly secured the ball in midair.
He protected the rebound and immediately handed it to Kogure, and Shohoku launched a fast break.
Four and a half minutes into the second half, the score was 33-38.
Led by Akagi, Shohoku had put together a 6-0 run, completely reversing its slump at the start of the second half.
On the sidelines, Coach Anzai wore a gratified smile.
Kawamoto Kazuki silently watched Akagi's roaring figure.
Akira Sendoh dribbled across half court, his expression no longer relaxed.
He gave his teammates a clear instruction: steady the pace and go inside!
After several quick passes, the basketball once again reached Jun Uozumi, who was calling for it deep in the low post.
This time, Uozumi caught the ball deeper than before, closer to the basket.
He established position with his massive frame, pinning Takenori Akagi firmly behind him.
"Akagi!"
Uozumi growled, his voice carrying undisguised provocation. "The warm-up's over! Now I'll show you who Kanagawa's real number one center is!"
Normally, with Akagi's fierce, explosive temper, such a direct challenge would surely have filled him with rage.
He would have answered with fiercer post-ups and more violent dunks, roaring, "Then let's settle this!"
But now...
Hearing Uozumi's boast, Akagi felt surprisingly little stir in his heart.
He even felt a trace of indescribable absurdity.
His gaze instinctively flicked toward the wing, near the three-point line.
Toward Kawamoto Kazuki, who seemed to be occupying the defense.
Kanagawa's number one center?
Akagi silently repeated the title he had once desired so desperately and spent years fighting for.
Now, it only grated unbearably on his ears.
Uozumi, you're too naive.
You probably don't know that above the two of us...
That insurmountable mountain stands quietly right there.
In front of him, who would have the nerve to call himself number one?
Forget calling yourself number one. Even telling him you play center would take tremendous courage...