In that brief moment when Akagi's attention wandered.
Uozumi moved!
He keenly caught that instant of hesitation from Akagi!
There were no unnecessary feints, just overwhelming strength.
Dribbling, he drove his back hard into Akagi, using an explosive burst of full-body strength to force him half a step back.
Then he immediately pivoted on his right foot, turning toward the baseline with incredible speed!
"Not good!"
Akagi reacted and hurriedly shifted his weight to contest, but he was already half a beat too late.
Uozumi seized that fleeting opening and shot.
The basketball sailed over Akagi's outstretched fingertips as he strained to block it, tracing a short, precise arc.
Swish!
Nothing but net!
33:40!
"Roar!"
After scoring, Uozumi pounded his chest and roared at Akagi, venting all his frustration at being suppressed earlier.
The Ryonan bench erupted in cheers!
Coach Taoka's clenched fists loosened slightly too.
On the next possession, Ryonan came charging back.
Sendoh and Uozumi executed a beautiful pick-and-roll, with Sendoh drawing the defense before passing to Uozumi as he rolled to the basket.
Uozumi caught the ball and faced Hanamichi Sakuragi, who had switched onto him.
He did not even attempt any skillful feints, simply using his absolute advantage in height and technique to shoulder Sakuragi aside.
He jumped easily and laid the ball into the basket again!
33:42!
The gap was back to nine points!
"Hmph, did you see that, Akagi? That's the difference between us!"
As Uozumi passed Akagi on his way back on defense, he left him with those cold words.
In the past, if an opponent scored repeatedly in the paint he guarded.
Especially with his longtime rival humiliating him like this, Takenori Akagi would already have lost his composure.
He would have fallen into a vicious cycle of impatience and reckless isolation plays.
But this time, Akagi merely took a deep breath and gave Uozumi a look filled with mixed feelings.
Then he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the back of that silent number 15 before quietly running upcourt to get ready for offense.
Inside him, an unprecedented clarity was replacing his old impatience.
Because he understood better than anyone that the true gap and the heights to reach were not defined by these one or two exchanges with Uozumi.
The guy who seemed to stand outside the team's system was the yardstick by which everything was measured.
What he needed to do now was not win a momentary battle of pride, but figure out how to truly help his team win this game.
It had to be said that Kawamoto Kazuki's presence had begun to bring small changes to the Shohoku basketball captain's mentality.
Uozumi's consecutive successful isolation plays and deliberate provocations did not ignite Takenori Akagi's anger as expected.
Instead, they sank without a trace.
On Shohoku's possession, Akagi once again established position in the low post and held out his hand for the ball.
His gaze was focused and calm as he watched his teammate with the ball, completely ignoring the stream of trash talk coming from Uozumi behind him.
Kogure's pass arrived at just the right moment.
Akagi caught the ball with his back to the basket, feeling the powerful pressure Uozumi exerted on him.
This time, he did not choose to muscle his way in.
Instead, he dribbled at a steady rhythm, using his solid footwork and broad shoulders as a shield while patiently searching for an opportunity.
He feinted left, and after sensing a slight shift in Uozumi's balance.
He immediately spun quickly to the right, cleverly using his off hand to create a sliver of space before releasing a short hook shot.
The movement was fluid and full of confidence!
The basketball slipped neatly through the net again!
35:42!
After scoring, Akagi did not throw back his head and roar. He simply hurried back on defense without expression, exchanging high fives with his teammates while keeping his eyes fixed on the opposing team's offensive formation.
This calm, efficient play, so utterly unlike his old self, left Coach Moichi Taoka on the sidelines bewildered and uncertain.
"Something's wrong..."
Coach Taoka folded his arms, keenly sensing that something was off.
As a longtime rival who had studied Shohoku and Akagi for years, he knew Takenori Akagi's weaknesses all too well.
Though this pillar of Shohoku possessed considerable ability, his mental state was easily shaken, and handling pressure had always been his greatest weakness.
In past games, applying enough pressure to Akagi or gaining the upper hand in a matchup against him could easily make him impatient.
That, in turn, would throw off his technique and could even spread his frustration to the entire team.
Ultimately, Shohoku would descend into leaderless chaos.
That was precisely why Shohoku had always been criticized as a one-man team built around Akagi.
Yet the Akagi before him had not lost control under Uozumi's repeated blows and provocations.
Instead, he was playing with even greater stability and resolve!
This sudden composure felt unfamiliar to Taoka and put him on guard.
How could his mentality have matured so much over a single break?
Coach Taoka thought rapidly.
No...
Perhaps it was not a leap in his own mental maturity.
Could it be because of Kaede Rukawa's presence?
Taoka's tactical ability was not limited to the technical aspects of team play.
He was equally outstanding at analyzing his opponents' psychology.
His gaze shifted to Shohoku's silent first-year with astonishing offensive power.
Yes, that had to be it!
Akagi had realized that even if he suffered a temporary setback under the basket, his team still had a powerful perimeter scoring option to rely on.
He no longer needed to shoulder the enormous pressure of having to carry the entire team alone.
Was that precisely why Akagi could play with such composure?
At that thought, a sharp gleam flashed through Coach Taoka's eyes, and he swiftly made a tactical adjustment.
He called a timeout during a dead ball.
"Sendoh, stop thinking about running the offense for now. Take Rukawa one-on-one more often and teach him what star-level ability really looks like!"
"Ikegami, you'll guard Kogure. You don't need to defend him too intensely. Kiminobu Kogure is a very inconsistent player, so moderate defensive pressure will do."
"While keeping Kogure in check, watch for chances to help defend Rukawa."
His strategy was very clear.
Since Akagi's composure might stem from his reliance on Kaede Rukawa.
Then all they needed to do was shut down Rukawa, that major threat, and bring Shohoku's perimeter offense to a standstill too.
The immense pressure would inevitably fall on Akagi again.
It would force him back onto his old path, unable to carry the team alone and losing his mental balance!
Once Akagi became ineffective at center.
Then Uozumi could dominate the paint, control every rebound, and score over Akagi again and again.
Then victory in this game would surely belong to Ryonan.
"Yes!"
"Don't worry, Coach Taoka."
Akira Sendoh and Ikegami understood what Coach Taoka intended.
On Shohoku's side, Coach Anzai was very pleased with the composure Akagi had shown.
He did not make a point of drawing up any new tactics.
The players from both teams returned to the court.
Once on the floor, Sendoh moved up to match up against Kaede Rukawa.
After switching to small forward, Sendoh immediately stepped up his physical play and became more aggressive.
Ryoji Ikegami also began deliberately moving toward Rukawa's side, ready to double-team him at any moment.
Coach Taoka's adjustment was intended to shift the battle to the perimeter, aiming to suppress Kaede Rukawa while once again shaking the mentality of Shohoku's pillar in the paint.