But there was no time for regret. Miyagi had already scooped up the loose ball and launched a fast break!
Takezono raced back on defense, forcing Miyagi to stop short outside the three-point line and pass to Shirasawa on the other side.
The instant Shirasawa caught the ball, he pushed it straight back out!
Without the slightest pause.
The basketball seemed to change direction on its own, tracing an arc in front of Shirasawa.
It threaded through the crowd and landed precisely in Takenori Akagi's hands inside!
Akagi exploded upward with a thunderous crash!
He hammered the ball through the hoop with both hands!
Shirasawa's pass had completely dismantled Takezono's half-court defense.
Even Takenori Akagi couldn't figure out how Shirasawa had spotted him.
After all, Shirasawa had moved the ball far too quickly!
In that split second, he had actually found a passing lane with pinpoint precision.
And the pass was perfectly placed.
Catching that pass had felt so comfortable for Akagi...
Not dunking it would have let everyone back home down!
With several consecutive passes, Shirasawa tore through Takezono's defense as though it were made of paper.
Tatsumasa Oda's brow knotted as he growled at his teammates, "Wake up! Stop sleepwalking!"
"Play tighter defense! Don't let them have it this easy!"
"We're a team aiming for nationals!"
His teammates exchanged looks, privately grumbling.
Didn't you just get stuffed yourself...?
What are you yelling about?
Takezono set up another possession.
Inside, Hanamichi Sakuragi and Tatsumasa Oda battled with their arms tangled and their legs locked against each other.
Watching nearby, Takenori Akagi was a little surprised. Why was this redheaded monkey so fired up today?
"Keep your feet planted. Hold him off with your body," Akagi reminded him quietly.
Something clicked in Sakuragi's head. He instantly recalled those painful experiences during Gorilla's special training, and it all fell into place.
"Got it, Gorilla!"
He spun sharply, pinning Oda behind his back and completely cutting off his path to receive a pass.
Akagi gave a slight nod at the sight.
His current opponent was a cut below him, so he had a fairly easy time controlling both ends of the floor. That was precisely why he had the attention to spare to give Sakuragi a few pointers.
The guy facing him was naturally frustrated, but there was simply nothing he could do against this dark iron tower of a man. Just those few clashes for position made him feel as though every bone in his body was about to fall apart.
Takezono was locked down inside, while Shirasawa stood guard on the perimeter, leaving no way to pass the ball in. Growing anxious, their guard pulled up for a three right in Miyagi's face.
But though Miyagi was short, he could jump exceptionally well, and he lunged up to put plenty of pressure on the shot.
"Rebound!" Miyagi turned and shouted the moment the ball left the shooter's hand.
Clang!
Sure enough, the ball struck the rim and bounced up.
It flew straight toward Sakuragi and Oda.
Both immediately threw their full strength into battling for position. Sakuragi had the physical advantage, but Oda had more experience.
Just then, Oda pressed his entire weight onto Sakuragi, practically sitting on his thigh.
Sakuragi couldn't put his strength to use, unable even to jump.
Thump!
Using Sakuragi for support, Oda jumped and flicked the ball into the basket with his fingertips.
Takezono finally got on the board with two points.
"Dirty! That was so dirty!" Sakuragi stamped his feet in fury.
Oda shrugged indifferently and snorted. "You're just too green. Don't think jumping high means you can play basketball well. You've got a long way to go, Sakuragi!"
On the next possession, the two continued wrestling inside.
Oda kept one hand subtly pressed against Sakuragi's hip.
It made Sakuragi uncomfortable all over, but he couldn't shake it off. The moment he got free, that hand stuck right back to him.
Finally at the end of his patience, Sakuragi turned and slapped Oda's hand away.
Oda immediately spread his hands with an innocent look.
At the same moment, the referee's whistle blew.
Sakuragi was called for an off-ball foul.
"He grabbed me first! That was self-defense!" Sakuragi argued with the referee, his face flushed.
But the referee wasn't going to listen to that. Sakuragi could only swallow the unfair call, seething.
Takezono inbounded from the sideline.
The ball went to Oda, who posted Sakuragi up on the low block.
After forcing his way inward a few times, he suddenly spun and faked a shot. Sure enough, Sakuragi bit and leaped up.
Oda had been waiting for that exact moment and took the opportunity to lean his whole body forward.
With an exaggerated yell, he drew another foul on Sakuragi.
He earned two free throws.
At the line, with Sakuragi muttering, "Miss it, miss it," Oda made one of two.
Though he hadn't made both, his three straight points finally helped Takezono stem the slide a little.
The fans in the stands perked up somewhat too, and cheers rang out again.
The noise gave the visiting Shohoku players a bit of a headache, but it changed nothing on the court.
Shirasawa continued orchestrating the offense with his passes.
Just past half court, he slipped the ball inside through an incredibly narrow gap between defenders, and Akagi caught it for an easy basket.
After drawing the defense on the baseline, he fired a cross-court pass through the defensive line to the opposite corner. Left completely open, Kiminobu Kogure caught it and shot, sinking the three cleanly.
After a defensive stop in the backcourt, Shirasawa launched a full-court pass, leading Miyagi on the break for an easy layup.
The entire game had fallen into Shohoku's rhythm-or rather, into Shirasawa's control!
Takezono was utterly at a loss on defense.
Whatever they did seemed wrong. Shirasawa's eyes seemed fitted with panoramic lenses, always finding the gaps in their defense in an instant.
Then, a second later, the ball would arrive precisely at that open spot.
He single-handedly tore their entire defense to shreds.
Their defensive collapse directly dragged down their offense.
With less than a minute left in the first half, the score was 63-37. Takezono was already down by twenty-six.
Before the game, they never would have imagined this situation.
Their reason for choosing Shohoku for a practice game had been simple-they thought Shohoku was weak!
They had wanted an easy opponent to help their players find their form and build confidence.
Who knew Shohoku had been playing the pig to eat the tiger!
The first half wasn't even over, and the game already looked like a blowout...
Takezono's players hung their heads on the court, all their swagger from the opening gone.
Even the usually frenzied female fans in the stands had quieted down considerably.
There was no helping it. They simply couldn't bring themselves to cheer.
With the team losing this badly, screaming "Oda is so handsome!" and "Oda is invincible!" would have been rather inappropriate.
Takezono's coach held his head and sighed repeatedly, barely able to watch.
This was no practice game. It was a crushing defeat he had personally arranged.
And the source of it all was Shohoku's new number nine!
His passes kept ripping their defense apart like an old rag.
Scoring had become as easy as drinking water for Shohoku.
Even Kiminobu Kogure, who had still been so timid on the court last year, had swished several shots today.
Just where had this number nine come from?
How did his passing seem to come with an all-seeing eye!
Takezono's coach looked toward the court with a worried frown.
Only thirty seconds remained in the first half.
Under the basket, Tatsumasa Oda pressed hard against Hanamichi Sakuragi, trying to score one-on-one.
He had been matched up against Sakuragi throughout the first half.
Although his experience had let him gain a few advantages, the physical contact was real and unavoidable.
After twenty minutes of battling, Oda was nearly at his limit.
Now sweat poured off him, and his labored breathing could be heard from far away.
Hanamichi Sakuragi, by contrast, hadn't faded at all. With Takenori Akagi nearby offering occasional pointers, he only grew more energized and focused as he played!
As Oda tried backing his way in now, it felt especially difficult. After twisting twice, he nearly stumbled from the force pushing back at him.
Damn it... Sakuragi's actually pushed me this far!
Oda was anxious and frustrated.
On the stat sheet, he had twelve points and four rebounds.
With the whole team collapsing, that barely qualified as a passing grade.
But though Hanamichi Sakuragi hadn't scored a single point, he had more than twice Oda's rebounds and had delivered a huge block on him.
Put plainly, Sakuragi really had contained him this half.
And Takezono expected far more than that from him.
A first-half performance like this had undoubtedly disappointed everyone.
Usually placed on such a high pedestal, he found the fall truly hard to stomach.
In a corner of the stands, Yoko sat alone, somewhat out of place amid the lively atmosphere around her.
Watching the two battling on the court, she unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt.
What concerned her most wasn't Sakuragi's improvement at basketball, but Tatsumasa Oda's overall demeanor.
He was far too vicious.
It was as though he held some bitter, deep-seated grudge against Sakuragi.
His eyes and his bearing both had something frightening about them.
He wasn't playing well himself, yet he kept blaming his teammates all over the court.
Yoko could tell that dissatisfaction was already showing on his teammates' faces.
If this continued, conflict might break out within the team.
She sighed softly.
How had Oda become like this...?
As she was thinking, Oda forced up a fadeaway under Sakuragi's tight pressure-
Only for Sakuragi to jump up and swat it away!
"Ha!"
Sakuragi roared, his block looking just like a volleyball spike.
He was brimming with energy now, playing red-hot!
After the block, Sakuragi took off toward the frontcourt, with Oda gritting his teeth and chasing close behind.
Shirasawa led the fast break with the ball, Miyagi on his left and Sakuragi on his right.
"Go! Finish this last possession!"
Everyone on Shohoku's bench stood up and shouted.
Shirasawa drove into the paint, his gaze clearly directed toward Miyagi on the left.
Miyagi was ready to receive the pass too.
Seeing this from the right, Oda checked his stride, intending to drop toward the basket to help.
But just then.
Shirasawa looked left, yet flung the ball from his right hand toward the right.
...?!
Oda's heart lurched.
He had been fooled!
Not just him-even Shirasawa's teammate Miyagi froze for a moment, truly believing the pass was coming to him.
If it wasn't going to Miyagi, then...
Oda suddenly felt a chill down his back.
He looked up to see Hanamichi Sakuragi already airborne!
Right before his eyes!
"Aah!!"
Sakuragi roared in midair, securely catching the incoming ball with one hand.
He was so high that Oda couldn't have reached him even with a full-force jump!
Sakuragi even seemed to pause for an instant at his highest point.
That instant made Oda instinctively raise his hands to shield his head.
Bam!!!
Sakuragi dunked over Oda, extending his arm to its fullest and hammering the ball through the hoop!
The force knocked Oda straight to the floor.