Although Anzai's plan was quite detailed, he still fell into Sannoh's trap when it came to actually running. After several pick-and-rolls, Sawakita got rid of Shirasawa and received the ball smoothly, and the game clock started again.
Sawakita received the ball and charged towards the frontcourt, dribbling with great speed. Shirasawa broke free of the screen and chased after him relentlessly. Sakuragi and Akagi had already retreated to the backcourt. Sakuragi crouched at the free throw line, Akagi camped under the basket, setting up two lines of defense for Sawakita.
But Sawakita's choice was beyond everyone's expectations. He rushed to a spot two steps outside the three-point line, suddenly stopped and jumped, causing Mitsui, who was chasing him, to turn around and almost fall flat on his face.
"What?! Sawakita picks a three-pointer?!"
The entire audience erupted in cheers. A do-or-die three-pointer from way beyond the arc? This isn't basketball; it's dancing on a knife's edge!
"If we make it, we'll become gods; if we don't, we're doomed." Goro Domoto Sannoh to his feet. He swore he hadn't devised this tactic. He had clearly said no three-pointers allowed; either attack the basket or draw fouls. With zero room for error, who would dare to try anything fancy?
As the basketball was released, Sawakita got into position and stared at the basket. The Sannoh players rushed towards the basket like madmen, trying to grab the rebound. Sakuragi, despite his back injury, spread his arms wide and, together with Akagi, defended the basket relentlessly, refusing to give an inch.
"Go in!"
Sawakita roared, and the basketball slammed into the basket like a cannonball. Swish! A three-pointer went in! 14 seconds left, the score 94-92!
Sannoh instantly came back to life; the bench and fans went wild. Sannoh Industrial High School was resurrected!
"Goal! Sawakita's awesome!"
"Two points behind! There's still a chance! Defend this ball!"
Sannoh's shouts nearly lifted the stadium upside down. This shot went straight into history. Sawakita became Sannoh's savior. Goro Domoto didn't even have time to celebrate, yelling at the sidelines and pressing the entire court!
Shohoku was in complete chaos. Kogure was jumping up and down in frustration. "Coach! Call a timeout! Sannoh's momentum is too strong, we can't get the ball at all!"
Coach Anzai remained calm and composed, raising his hand slightly to indicate a calm and collected manner.
Coach Anzai appeared calm on the surface, but his knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white. Whether or not to call a timeout hinged on that one second, and that single decision could mean missing Shohoku's only chance to break the deadlock. Anzai would never call a timeout unless it was the very last second of a do-or-die situation.
Takenori Akagi, holding the ball at the baseline, was on tenterhooks. Shohoku's chances of turning the game around depended entirely on his pass; if he made a mistake, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life. But Mikio Kawata was blocking his way, his size like a moving Koyama, doubling the difficulty of Akagi's serve.
3! The roar of the entire audience almost shook the arena to its core. Shohoku fans yelled at the top of their lungs, "It's going to be a violation!", Sannoh fans clenched their fists, waiting for those three seconds to pass so they could regain possession.
2! None of the Sannoh team members dared to relax; they all kept their eyes glued to their targets, and that one second felt longer than ten seconds to them.
Coach Anzai's hand was already raised halfway in the air, about to call a timeout, but even after the timeout, they would still have to face this deadlock. Shirasawa had made a run into open space earlier, but if it were Shirasawa serving, he might be able to pass the ball accurately, but there's only one Shirasawa.
Takenori Akagi watched the opportunity slip away faster than a rabbit; he couldn't and dared not gamble on that kind of perfect, intuitive judgment. Just then, Akagi caught a glimpse of a red shadow out of the corner of his eye.
Hanamichi Sakuragi made a reverse run, heading straight for the frontcourt, with Masashi Kawata chasing after him, panting heavily. " Gorilla!" Sakuragi shouted at the top of his lungs.
Without hesitation, Akagi threw the ball out with all his might. " Sakuragi!!!" "Go, genius!!!" For the first time ever, Akagi shouted out this nickname in front of everyone, his voice so loud it drowned out the noise of the entire arena.
Hikoichi Aida jumped to his feet, his eyes wide like saucers. Everyone thought that the ball in the game would definitely be passed to Shirasawa, but who would have thought that Akagi would bet everything on Hanamichi Sakuragi? And Akagi actually did it!
The basketball flew through the air. Sakuragi and Kawata had already crossed half-court, while Shirasawa, Sawakita, and Miyagi were in the second group, gritting their teeth as they chased after the ball. Everyone on the court was rushing towards the ball.
Sakuragi leaped into the air, but his old back injury made him freeze for a second, and the team doctor on the sidelines clenched his fists until they were sweaty. "Thwack!" Sakuragi caught the ball in mid-air.
Knowing he couldn't outjump Sakuragi, Masashi Kawata didn't jump, but instead timed his run perfectly to catch up with Sakuragi. Landing on the three-point line, Sakuragi charged straight for the basket.
Just one step past the free-throw line, Sakuragi, carrying Kawata, jumped up! "Ah!!!" Sakuragi's roar shook the entire arena.
Masashi Kawata dared not let him dunk, so he jumped up immediately, determined to prevent him from scoring, even if it meant committing a foul. "Snap!" Kawata hooked Sakuragi's arm. Despite Sakuragi's powerful impact, Kawata managed to disrupt him.
"Beep!" The sideline referee's whistle blared instantly; it was definitely a foul. "Clang!" Sakuragi slammed the ball towards the rim, but it missed by a hair's breadth; the ball bounced off the front edge.
Sakuragi lost his balance and fell backward. The team doctor on the sidelines stared in disbelief; if he had fallen hard, Sakuragi's back would definitely be ruined! Fortunately, although Masashi Kawata was fierce, he was quite disciplined.
Kawata effortlessly hoisted Sakuragi onto his shoulder and landed steadily. The strength of carrying someone with one arm was frightening to watch. There were 14 seconds left, and the score was 94-92.
Masashi Kawata lowered Sakuragi back to the ground, where Sakuragi was still grumbling. "Bald gorilla! Put me down!" Sakuragi's face was contorted; his posture was truly an eyesore.
"You idiot, can you even stand up without me?" Masashi Kawata retorted rudely, but inwardly he admired Sakuragi. Throughout the game, Sakuragi's performance was phenomenal, giving the top high school center a lot of trouble.
Especially that indomitable spirit, which Kawata admired. He was certain that Sakuragi's name would be in the top five nationwide next season, and that the inside-outside combination of Shirasawa and Sakuragi would definitely dominate the nation for the next two years. But right now, this year, Kawata didn't want them to succeed.
Hanamichi Sakuragi stepped to the free-throw line, ready for his first shot. Whoosh! The ball shot out, "Airball!" "Good shot!!"
Masashi Kawata stood with his hands on his hips, dangling from under the basket on the opposite side, muttering something to himself.
"Idiot!! Be steady!"
Takenori Akagi clenched his fists, his face flushed red, and roared so loudly that the arena vibrated again.
Although Sakuragi always oscillates between genius and idiot, he can't just abandon the situation at this crucial moment.
The referee passes the ball to Sakuragi for the second free throw.
This free throw was crucial. If it went in, Shohoku would have a three-point lead. Even if Sannoh pressed the clock and had a final possession, the game would at most be tied and go into overtime.
Conversely, if they fail to score, they will hand over the chance for a game-winning shot to their opponents. Although Shohoku is in the lead, the initiative will be directly handed over to Sannoh.
Akagi and Shirasawa positioned themselves on either side of the basket, waiting to grab the rebound if Sakuragi missed his free throw.
Shirasawa turned his head to look at Sakuragi, raised his hand to pat him on the shoulder, pointed to the basket, and gestured for him to shoot with confidence, adding that he would take the rebound if he missed.
Just like the trust his teammates had in him when Sakuragi was under the basket, Sakuragi grinned after hearing this, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down.
"Whoosh~"
As soon as the basketball was released, everyone's eyes flew out.
Goro Domoto clutched the hem of his clothes, silently praying in his heart.
"Whoosh!"
The ball fell steadily into the basket.
"Good shot, Sakuragi!"
Kiminobu Kogure his arm and roared, "3 points! We're safe now!"
During the transition between offense and defense, Masashi Kawata, with his rich experience, immediately ran to the baseline to seize the opportunity to serve.
The referee handed him the ball, and taking advantage of the momentary chaos in Shohoku, he passed the ball directly to Kazunari Fukatsu of the key.
The entire Shohoku team rushed back to defend!
Kazunari Fukatsu pushed Ryota Miyagi across the halfway line, with only ten seconds left in the game!
"Attack! Attack!!"
Goro Domoto jumped up and down on the sidelines, shouting that Sannoh couldn't afford to run down the clock, as the chance of a tie was too slim. Scoring two points at this point was the safest option. Shohoku also dared not foul recklessly, fearing a 2+1 play, so their defensive intensity naturally dropped considerably.
That being said, if Sannoh really makes a breakthrough, Shohoku will definitely not let up!
Ryota Miyagi reached out twice, almost intercepting Fukatsu's ball.
Eiji Sawakita Shirasawa Hakutaku, and didn't even have a chance to receive the ball.
No matter how strong Sannoh's execution is, it becomes difficult to organize effective teamwork when the countdown begins.
With 8 seconds left, Kazunari Fukatsu dribbled at the top of the arc, scanning the entire court, but couldn't find a single opportunity to shoot!
"Attack! Attack!!"
Goro Domoto roared from the sidelines, Shohoku bench and fans chanted in unison, "Defense!! Defense!"
With 7 seconds Kazunari Fukatsu had no choice but to use his body to change direction and forcefully attack Miyagi!
This is the best chance of the entire event, to face off against the unknown Ryota Miyagi as the fourth-ranked high school student in the nation!
With 6 seconds left, Fukatsu drove into the three-point line. He glanced at Sawakita one last time, but there was still no chance of him receiving the ball. Miyagi had already forcefully blocked his path!
With 5 seconds left, Kazunari Fukatsu could only pull up and shoot a high jump shot from the spot.
Ryota Miyagi tried his best but failed to block the shot, though he defended to the extreme.
"Rebound!!!"
Fukatsu roared. He wasn't entirely confident he could make the shot; missing would be even better, as he could grab the rebound and pass it out to find a three-point opportunity in the corner. Even if Sawakita couldn't get a chance, he could still shake off Miyagi and run to the corner in the chaos.
"When!"
The ball bounced off the rim, with only 4 seconds remaining.
Several players jumped up to contest the ball under the basket at the same time. Masashi Kawata went all out, using one arm to forcefully press down on Sakuragi. He wasn't trying to jump up and steal the ball; he was trying to swatt it away!
"Smack!"
The basketball flew towards the left corner.
With 3 seconds left, Eiji Sawakita leaped forward and received the final opportunity to attack.
And Shirasawa was right in front of him!
With 3 seconds left, Eiji Sawakita received the ball in the left corner. This was Sannoh's only chance to shoot. If they scored, it would be overtime. Sannoh had the advantage in stamina. If they missed, Sannoh's era would come to an end.
Eiji Sawakita gripped the ball between his fingers. He felt he was no longer the best in the country, but he had no choice but to make a decisive shot.
In the blink of an eye, Sawakita received the ball, drifted past it, and launched a three-pointer!
" Xiao Bai!!!"
Two seconds have passed, and there's no one left to defend. Whether the ball goes in or not, the clock is about to expire.
Sawakita's drift was too wide, forcing Shirasawa to jump sideways and reach out to intercept.
"Who is the real number one high school player in the nation? We'll find out with this game!"
This is what everyone feels.
If this ball goes in, Sawakita's previous clutch goal, combined with this equalizer, will solidify his position as the nation's number one. Even though Shirasawa has already scored 55 points, if he can't stop it, the value of his achievement will be diminished.
Sawakita acted decisively, without hesitation or waiting.
Many fans have already closed their eyes, unable to bear watching the ending.
"I'm wearing a hat!!"
Shohoku shouted!
Shirasawa blocked the shot!
Takenori Akagi's eyes were brimming with tears he could barely hold back. The thought of Shohoku winning the championship had just begun to take hold when, unexpectedly, someone shouted, pulling the joy that had just begun to rise back into the air.
With only one second left, the ball that Shirasawa fanned out didn't fly far, and Eiji Sawakita, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, caught it in his hand.