Shinichi Maki was suddenly sandwiched between the Ryonan Twin Stars, and found himself in a difficult situation. In terms of individual defensive ability, Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa might not be as good as Shirasawa, but that was only in comparison to Shirasawa. Against anyone else, neither of them would be considered bad defensively. Now that the two of them were teaming up, the effect was definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
Shinichi Maki was so entangled that he could hardly move, so to play it safe, he had no choice but to pass the ball back to Nobunaga Kiyota, who was closest to him.
The moment the ball left his hand, Sendoh, as if anticipating it, took a quick step back, reached out and almost intercepted the ball.
Meanwhile, Ikegami, who was guarding the flank, also began to move towards Kiyota, and it looked like another pincer attack was about to be launched.
"It's a regional encirclement!" Takenori Akagi exclaimed in astonishment.
On the sidelines, Moichi Taoka smiled confidently.
That's right, it's a full-court press specifically targeting Maki!
Sendoh conserved so much energy on both offense and defense, leaving the offense to Kaede Rukawa and having Uozumi handle the interior defense, all so that he could play the crucial role of "roamer" and "attacking man" in this zone press tactic.
Looking across the entire Ryonan, only the Sendoh possesses such comprehensive abilities.
Moreover, Sendoh is not someone who cares about statistics. Getting revenge on Kainan and securing a ticket to the national tournament is more important to him than anything else!
Facing the impending second double-team, Kiyota panicked and, without thinking, threw the ball back towards Shinichi Maki.
Just then,
Seeing the opportunity, Sendoh took a step back, leaped high into the air, and intercepted the ball directly in mid-air!
He gathered the ball, took a step, and rushed to the basket.
Kiyota hurriedly tried to defend, colliding solidly with Sendoh. As the referee blew the whistle, Sendoh leaped up, flicked the ball with his right hand, and it obediently rolled into the net.
Two plus one! Success!
Sendoh raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his chin, a smile playing on his lips.
Ryonan's tactical change is showing initial results!
Moichi Taoka couldn't help but glance at Riki Takato's expression on the opposite coaching bench.
Takato, Maki is strong, but I won't let him fight so comfortably forever.
In Taoka's script, now is the perfect time to widen the score gap by pressing the zone a few rounds in advance!
Riki Takato let out a deep sigh.
That old dog Taoka is still just as cunning as he was in his youth...
Ryonan forced Kainan into making frequent mistakes in three consecutive rounds.
Riki Takato no longer hesitated, and with a wave of his hand, he called a pause.
After the pause, Ryonan tried to repeat the same tactic. However, Kainan gave them a response.
Shinichi Maki deliberately relinquished possession of the ball. Using his amazing speed and strength, he forcefully shook off Kaede Rukawa's close defense during off-ball runs. In the backcourt, he began to constantly interweave with Tadashi Muto, attempting to disrupt Ryonan's zone defense.
While Nobunaga Kiyota wasn't quite at Shinichi Maki's level, he wasn't completely shut down by Sendoh's one-on-one defense. After crossing half-court, Jin came up and set a screen, drawing Sendoh away and switching Fukuda to Kiyota.
Although Fukuda had indeed put in more effort on defense and increased his intensity during this period, he still couldn't stop Kiyota's momentum when he got going. Kiyota accelerated to the basket and then jumped up!
"This kid's trying to dunk on Uozumi?!" Kogure couldn't help but shout from the sidelines.
Takenori Akagi's eyes widened as well; Kiyota's jumping height and impact made it seem like he might actually complete a dunk over him.
Even Shirasawa was captivated by the ball, and his left and right hands unconsciously gripped the two hands beside him, showing no favoritism whatsoever.
Uozumi's eyes blazed with fury as his massive body roared into the air. How could he allow Kiyota to act so arrogantly above him?
"Ah--!"
Uozumi a furious roar, full of imposing force!
But just then, Kiyota's lips suddenly curled into a smile. He turned sideways in mid-air, his ball-handling hand bypassing Uozumi, and passed the ball directly to Kazuma Takasago the basket!
Takasago received the ball and let out a roar, followed by a low layup...
Well, Lao Gao's momentum was there, but his jumping ability was really lacking.
Anyway, the ball went in.
After scoring, Shinichi Maki smiled and ruffled Kiyota's hair, praising him profusely. Riki Takato also gave Kiyota a thumbs-up from the sidelines.
"Only with Kiyota like this can Kainan be shouldered in the future."
In the stands, Sanae and Ayako finally looked away from Kiyota's fake dunk, then simultaneously froze—how did their hands end up in Shirasawa's hands?
And... his other hand wasn't idle either?
The two exchanged a glance, their faces flushed, and they simultaneously withdrew their hands.
Shirasawa chuckled dryly, "Heh... Kiyota's pretty impressive..."
Ryonan's area-of-effect double-team strategy was temporarily broken by the combined efforts of Shinichi Maki and Kiyota. Thanks to Kiyota's move, Kainan continued to keep the score close with Ryonan.
The two coaches took turns making moves and countering them, testing each other's strengths.
At halftime, the score was 56-50.
Ryonan is leading by 6 points.
They became the second team, after Shohoku, to lead Kainan in the first half.
During halftime, Moichi Taoka patted Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa on the shoulder, looking confident.
After a brief adjustment, the second half began.
Moichi Taoka pushed Fukuda back to the bench. On the court, Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa teamed up to double-team Shinichi Maki on the defensive end, while Sendoh gradually took the lead on the offensive end.
Sendoh only scored 9 points in the first half, but at the start of the second half, he kept scoring with jump shots. Even Shinichi Maki had a hard time completely containing him.
Unlike Shirasawa, who engages in head-on confrontations, or Kaede Rukawa, who insists on breaking through defenses, Sendoh avoids physical contact and uses his height advantage to score steadily with jump shots.
His offense remained simple; he could create shooting space in just a few dribbles, and his mid-range shooting was frighteningly accurate. In addition, he also posed a threat with his passing and penetration, which gave Shinichi Maki a bit of a headache, as if he were punching cotton, unable to exert his strength.
It's unclear what Moichi Taoka told Kaede Rukawa, but Kaede Rukawa was relentlessly battling Shinichi Maki off the ball on defense. Whenever Shinichi Maki received the ball, Sendoh would immediately double-team him.
Even if he managed to get past those two, there was still the towering Uozumi lurking in the paint. Shinichi Maki was having a really tough time.
As a result, Soichiro Jin gradually took over the offensive command, hitting several three-pointers in a row and helping Kainan stabilize the situation.
Ten minutes into the second half, the score was 72-64.
Ryonan is still in the lead.
Moichi Taoka and Riki Takato kept glaring at each other during the match, which puzzled Hikoichi Aida.
"Coach, do you and Coach Takato have some kind of feud? I feel like the tension between you two is even stronger than on the court..."
With the team in the lead, Taoka was in a good mood and smiled faintly as he began to reminisce about the past.
"When I was in high school, Riki Takato and I both played basketball, and we were both considered top-notch players."
Hikoichi's eyes widened in surprise.
As a newcomer, he never expected that his coach had also been a player before, especially Coach Takato! And both were top-tier players?
Seeing Hikoichi's surprised expression, Moichi Taoka confidently snorted, "My relationship with Takato is just like that of Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa right now."
"He always wanted to surpass me, but he was always just a little short. I bet he still hasn't gotten over that regret to this day."
Hikoichi blinked, somewhat incredulous.
I initially felt a connection to the two, having both been top players in their respective fields, especially since they're now renowned coaches. But comparing them to Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa...
Looking at the two middle-aged faces, Hikoichi couldn't connect them to the Ryonan Twin Stars at all; his sense of identification shattered instantly.
Coach... is he just bragging?
Moichi Taoka the time, then suddenly stood up without warning and called for a pause.
The match was therefore suspended.
Ryonan was in the lead when Coach Taoka suddenly called a timeout, leaving not only their opponents bewildered but also their own players somewhat confused.
In Kainan, Riki Takato, looking equally puzzled.
After the timeout, Ryonan's lineup changed: Uozumi, Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa, Fukuda, and Koshino.
"Wow, Ryonan's really pulled out all the stops!" Kogure pushed up his glasses, his voice rising several octaves. "The last ten minutes, we have to give it our all!"
Akagi crossed his arms and said in a deep voice, "That's right, it all depends on whether Kainan can withstand this impact."
This all-out offensive lineup was only seen by Ryonan when they fought Takezato, and they only used it for less than half a minute. Now that they've brought it back, the intention couldn't be clearer—they're going to go all out with a full-on attack.
But only those on the field know the specifics of their attack strategy.
The game continues.
With only ten minutes left in the game, Kainan had to fight tooth and nail.
Ryonan attacked first.
Sendoh lingered in the attacking third, keeping Shinichi Maki firmly by his side, while Koshino took the opportunity to dribble the ball across the halfway line.
Upon reaching the top of the key, Sendoh set a screen, then cut to the basket, and Koshino passed the ball back in time.
Sendoh receives the ball and, facing Shinichi Maki is rushing towards him, immediately pulls up for a shot.
At the same time, Fukuda silently slipped past the baseline, shaking off Jin.
Sendoh's shot had a strange arc; Shinichi Maki felt he had blocked it perfectly and that the shot definitely wouldn't go in!
However, the basketball's flight path was erratic, and it landed on the other side of the hoop, which is where Fukuda took off.
Catch the ball, Alley-oop, and slam dunk with both hands!
With a loud bang, the rim shook violently, and the Ryonan bench erupted in chaos.
Hanamichi Sakuragi curled his lip. "Tch, it's just a dunk, is it really that big of a deal? A bunch of country bumpkins."
Takenori Akagi sighed, " Sakuragi, where are you looking? This isn't a game about who can dunk the most."
He pointed to the field. "Take a good look at Fukuda. Based on his position, you'll likely be facing him."
"How to defend against him is what you should be thinking about right now. Let me tell you, of all the players you've faced before, his offensive firepower is probably the most intense!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected the Gorilla to give him such a high evaluation as "substitute."
To be honest, Sakuragi sat there watching the whole game, basically using his eyes but not his brain. In his mind, Fukuda was synonymous with "bench player".
Even if Akagi said that, he didn't take it to heart at all.
" Gorilla, don't let the enemy fool you!" Sakuragi tossed his head, a smug smirk playing on his lips. "Don't forget, this genius gets stronger when facing stronger opponents!"
No need to guess, this guy is probably already fantasizing about some genius dominating the entire scene again.
Akagi shook his head helplessly.
Talking to Sakuragi about this is a complete waste of breath. He's a completely different person on and off the court. A thousand words are not as effective as letting him actually suffer a loss on the court.
After several more rounds, both sides' strategies became clear.