Kiccho Fukuda caught the unexpected pass in a daze, his mind a little slow to process it. He had originally rushed in to grab the offensive rebound, and had even planned out his follow-up shot.
Who knew... the ball would end up in his hands.
The feeling was somewhat surreal, even inexplicably moving. This was a pass from Kaede Rukawa in a desperate situation...
Without hesitation, Fukuda jumped and slammed the ball towards the basket!
Just as Fukuda raised the ball above his head, a sudden gust of wind rushed towards him from behind!
The basketball was slapped hard against the backboard by a large hand as soon as it left the hand, and bounced away with a "bang".
" Sakuragi! That was beautiful!" Kogure clapped excitedly from the sidelines.
Sakuragi never left Fukuda's side from beginning to end. Wherever Fukuda ran, he followed, like a piece of chewing Sticky Candy that he couldn't shake off. That arrogant attitude was long gone, and now all he could see was his focus on basketball.
This surprised Fukuda for the second time; Hanamichi Sakuragi's performance in the second half was completely different from the first. He seemed to run faster and jump higher.
Sakuragi landed and immediately jumped up to grab the rebound. Takenori Akagi Uozumi, giving all the rebounding opportunities to Sakuragi. Sakuragi grabbed the rebound and was about to pass it to Miyagi who was running down the Miyagi when he caught a glimpse of Sendoh moving towards the passing lane. He quickly pulled the ball back into his arms.
"Hmph, cunning Sendoh, luckily this genius reacted quickly."
He dribbled twice and then safely passed the ball to Shirasawa.
"Well done," Shirasawa casually remarked.
Sakuragi immediately became smug, his chin held high. "Of course, this is basic stuff for a genius like me."
Shirasawa didn't reply, and turned to advance towards the front of the field...
Ryonan's attack failed, but Moichi Taoka, contrary to his usual behavior, burst into laughter, a laugh that sent chills down Hikoichi's spine. Had the coach been provoked? He couldn't even score, yet he was laughing so happily, and so intently at that...
Hikoichi had no idea what Coach Taoka was thinking. For Taoka, the success or failure of an attack, or even the outcome of the game, was not the most important thing; Kaede Rukawa's transformation was the key! A Kaede Rukawa who was willing to share the ball was a completely different player.
The reason Shinichi Maki excluded Kaede Rukawa from Kanagawa's top players was precisely this. For truly top players, passing ability is crucial. An extra layer of passing ability adds another layer of threat to the offense. When you have the ball, the defender has to hesitate between defending against a shot, a drive, or a pass, especially with passing. The opponent won't dare to relax until the very last moment, thus creating space for your offense.
In Taoka's view, Kaede Rukawa is currently transforming in this direction. If he can upgrade before the National Tournament, it will be incredibly good news for Ryonan. At that time, his partnership with Sendoh's Twin Stars will definitely shock the entire nation!
Another thing that pleased Taoka was that Hisashi Mitsui was clearly falling behind.
With eight minutes remaining in the game, Ryonan Shohoku by 14 points. The cheers from the home crowd grew louder and louder, and the championship trophy seemed to be within reach.
Moichi Taoka replaced Ikegami and sent in Hiroaki Koshino...
Ryonan launches its final counterattack!
Shohoku must withstand this offensive; the outcome will likely be decided in the next few rounds.
With Kaede Rukawa and Sendoh setting cross screens, Shohoku's defensive anchor on the perimeter, Hisashi Mitsui, was completely unable to keep up. He ran back and forth, panting heavily, exuding a deep sense of exhaustion.
The power of Ryonan's Three Muskets was fully displayed at this moment, and no matter how Shohoku defended, they could not leave one open. After several passes, the ball finally fell into the hands of the most overlooked Hiroaki Koshino, who raised his hand and shot, making a long two-pointer with ease.
Ryonan narrowed the gap to 2 points and began their comeback.
"That's it, we've finally waited for this moment," Moichi Taoka murmured triumphantly.
This made Hikoichi and the others even more confused. Their coach had been acting strangely since the second half, his mood fluctuating wildly. Was he really alright...?
When Taoka revealed his plan, everyone suddenly realized what was going on. It turned out that the coach had laid a trap from the very beginning of the match, and it had only just begun to take effect!
That's ruthless!
Oh no, it's more like being very farsighted...
In short, we're convinced.
Shohoku simply couldn't replace Mitsui. In their eyes, even Kogure at his peak was no match for Mitsui was completely exhausted.
Back on defense, the Twin Stars double-teamed Shirasawa again. Shirasawa found an opening in the gap and scored two more points with a difficult layup.
After the next round, Moichi Taoka immediately had Koshino commit a foul and substituted Ikegami back in.
Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa, and Ikegami team up to surround Shirasawa!
This is the highest level of defensive treatment that Ryonan, or even the entire Kanagawa Prefecture, can offer. Ikegami uses his strength to hold the front, while Kaede Rukawa and Sendoh defend the flanks with their top-notch physical abilities. Theoretically, not even a fly could get past them.
Shirasawa was momentarily flustered and almost made a mistake, making even passing the ball extremely difficult.
Moichi Taoka clenched his fist; this was his last gamble. Even if it meant conceding a few points on defense due to double-teaming, it was worth the risk.
Coach Taoka's risky move is really giving Shirasawa a headache. Without Mitsui to hold them back on offense, Ryonan's Three Muskets are indeed becoming quite unrestrained.
"Stealed! Shirasawa's ball!"
Hikoichi Aida jumped up from the bench, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Just as the three surrounded them, Kaede Rukawa reacted quickly and poked the ball away.
When playing against Kainan before, Shirasawa had also witnessed the Box-and-One Defense. But that was, after all, a joint defense, and there were always weaknesses that could be exploited, such as Kiyota's weak strength and Takasago's slow pace.
The three from Ryonan are completely different. Sendoh, Rukawa, and Ikegami —this combination has speed, physique, and their defensive awareness is incredibly sharp; they have almost no obvious weaknesses. Trying to force your way through using only individual ability is basically a no-go.
Shirasawa was ultimately forced into a mistake, allowing Kaede Rukawa to succeed.
However, he reacted quickly enough, turning around to delay the attack and preventing Ryonan from launching a fast break, forcing the opponent back into position.
In the positional warfare, Sendoh stared at Shirasawa, Fukuda looked at Sakuragi, and in front of Kaede Rukawa, there was only Hisashi Mitsui, who was panting heavily and could barely straighten his back.
For Kaede Rukawa, this is practically a free gift. Even if you replaced Mitsui with Miyagi, the result would probably be similar.
Take advantage of your weakness and kill you!
Kaede Rukawa showed no mercy, turning his back to Mitsui and starting to overpower him. Mitsui was forced to retreat all the way to the three-second zone, where Rukawa easily turned and put the ball into the basket.
The point difference was instantly narrowed to 10 points!
" Mitsui! Mitsui!" Kogure on the sidelines was jumping up and down in a panic.
Ryonan's plan is now obvious to everyone. But what good does it do? If he goes up there himself, whether facing Rukawa or Fukuda, he'll probably just be throwing his life away.
But... wouldn't this at least give Mitsui a chance to catch his breath?
"Coach!" Kogure turned to Mitsuyoshi Anzai, "How about I switch in and let Mitsui rest for a few minutes?"
Coach Anzai adjusted his glasses and slowly, but firmly, shook his head.
"No, Kogure -kun." His voice remained calm. "There are only a few minutes left in the match. If you come down now, your body will get cold and you won't be able to recover."
"And," he paused, his eyes flashing slightly behind his glasses, "You've overlooked something."
Kogure was taken aback. Given the situation, how could the coach remain so calm and composed? What had he overlooked?
A knowing smile appeared on Coach Anzai's chubby face.
"You've overlooked the fact that Mitsui... is a very experienced veteran."
He won't make the same mistake twice.
Kogure blinked, slowly savoring the words.
The same mistake... does it refer to the time Mitsui was substituted due to exhaustion during the game against Shoyo? According to the coach, Mitsui shouldn't collapse from fatigue again in this game?
What does "experienced" mean?
Kogure's eyes suddenly lit up.
That's right! Mitsui is a seasoned veteran! He must have realized Ryonan's intention to wear him down long ago! Even if he didn't fully realize it, Coach Anzai must have given him a hint!
Therefore... Mitsui must still have a backup plan!
Or rather, he had been secretly gathering his strength for this final battle from just a few minutes ago!
When Kogure looked at the bent-over figure on the field again, he thought, perhaps it was just his imagination, that he saw a slightly... eerie smile on Mitsui's lips.
" Mitsui..." Kogure murmured, suddenly feeling a sense of certainty.
On the field, the three members of Ryonan began to surround Shirasawa again as soon as they crossed the halfway line.
Before the encirclement closed in, Shirasawa passed the ball to Miyagi in time, while he himself started running in circles with Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa. Seeing Ikegami, Ikegami immediately withdrew from the double team and retreated to the area near the free throw line to guard.
Moichi Taoka watched from the sidelines, nodding in approval. Excellent, as long as the Twin Stars continue to block Shirasawa's receiving routes, they'll be fine. Mitsui is already useless, Ikegami alone is enough to handle the attacks from Miyagi and Sakuragi, with Uozumi the paint. Even if the ball gets to Akagi, Ikegami and Uozumi can immediately double-team him.
As for Fukuda, whose defense is weaker, all he needs to do is keep an eye on Mitsui and prevent him from getting open shots.
If Shirasawa happens to receive the ball again, Ikegami will immediately dive back to cover. This cycle will repeat itself; let's see how you break it!
As expected, Miyagi passed the ball to Mitsui on the wing.
Just as Taoka had predicted, Mitsui received the ball and almost immediately passed it back to Miyagi. But this pass allowed Miyagi to surge forward and, facing Ikegami's defense, launch a floater.
"Think you can easily score against Ikegami? Not so easy!" Moichi Taoka confidently, arms crossed.
The ball bounced off the front of the rim.
Ikegami tightly marked Sakuragi, while Uozumi and Akagi were locked in a fierce battle inside. If you can't take it, then nobody else will!
Uozumi roared and forcefully flicked the ball to the outside.
Fukuda leaped up and caught the ball, then joined Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa, who had already started their attack, in a three-pronged assault on Shohoku's half of the court!
"Charge! Break through!" The entire Ryonan bench erupted, everyone standing up.
If that ball goes in, the point difference will be reduced to single digits! And morale will completely shift in Ryonan! At this rate, a comeback in the final minutes is truly not a dream!