Sendoh received the ball at the baseline, Aoki lowered his center of gravity, pressing him relentlessly with both hands, disrupting Sendoh's dribbling rhythm.
However, Sendoh's stamina was waning, and he couldn't control the ball as steadily as before. He pulled the ball back a bit, which was supposed to be a safe move, but his lack of stamina caused the ball to go astray.
Seeing an opportunity, Aoki rushed forward to intercept the ball, but his hand knocked the ball away, and he himself fell heavily to the ground.
He looked up and saw the ball bounce towards the sideline, when suddenly someone darted out from the side.
It's Hojo! He caught the ball.
The Takezato substitutes' bench erupted in cheers, which reverberated throughout the stadium.
With no one guarding him, Hojo dribbled to the basket, jumped, and banked a shot that went in!
The score became 76-78, with Takezato overtaking Ryonan with 20 seconds remaining.
The Takezato players huddled together, shouting "We won!", their eyes shining.
Hojo's father, wiping away tears, exclaimed, " Shunya! That's amazing!"
Hojo's mother, her face flushed, tugged at him. "What are you yelling about? There are so many people watching!"
Uozumi clenched his fists and stomped his feet anxiously on the sidelines. He was truly unwilling to be relegated to the bench as the team captain.
He shouted, "Don't give up! Never let up until the very last moment!"
Ryonan serves, Koshino passes the ball to Uekusa.
As soon as Uekusa received the ball, he tried to find Sendoh, but Sendoh hadn't shaken off Aoki and couldn't catch the ball at all.
Coach Takato, observing the situation on the court, said, "Apart from Sendoh, no one else from Ryonan dares to attack. The pressure is immense at this crucial moment!"
Hikoichi Aida chanting, "God, please help us!"
Perhaps his prediction came true, because Yo Aoki slipped while running, stepped on the sweat on the ground, and stumbled.
Although he quickly recovered, Sendoh had already seized the opportunity.
Sendoh shouted, " Uekusa!!"
Uekusa immediately passed the ball to Sendoh, who caught it and was about to break through when Aoki entangled him again.
Coach Taoka yelled, " Ikegami! Kanpei! Block them!"
Ikegami understood and quickly stepped forward to block Sendoh, but Aoki forcefully pushed him aside with his body and continued to follow Sendoh.
However, Kanpei also ran over to block him, Coach Taoka immediately arranged for the two of them to take turns blocking Aoki.
This time, Kanpei finally stopped Aoki!
Sendoh shook off Aoki and drove into the basket from the side, Imamura immediately came to help defend.
Sendoh leaped into the air, leaning against Imamura, ready to shoot a layup.
Imamura also jumped up, trying to knock the racket out of Sendoh's hand.
Aoki shouted, "Oh no!"
Sendoh prepared to make a layup with his right hand, and blocked it with his left. Imamura was about to make his move, Sendoh suddenly moved his right hand away, changing the layup into a hook shot.
Imamura missed the ball and instead swatted it into Sendoh's hand.
The basketball, spinning, flew towards the rim and hit the side of the hoop with a "thud," but due to its spin, it eventually fell into the net.
The score is now tied at 78-78.
The referee blew his whistle. "Whistle! White number 6 fouled! One free throw!"
"Wow--!!"
" Sendoh--!!"
Sendoh took a deep breath, composed himself, raised his hand to shoot, and the ball went in!
79 to 78!
Coach Taoka's palms were sweaty as he stood on the sidelines, constantly cheering on his team!
Shindo, gripping the ball, yelled from the sideline, "There are only ten seconds left! Grit your teeth and hold on!"
He glanced at the entire field, and his first reaction was to pass the ball to Yo Aoki. But just as he was about to move, he saw that Ryonan 'Kanpei, Ikegami, Koshino had surrounded Aoki like a dumpling.
Shindo's heart skipped a beat, and he panicked. " Aoki's been completely wrapped up! Are we doomed?"
Mizuki waved her arms and roared, " Shindo! Only 5 seconds left! Pass it to me now!"
The shout snapped Shindo out of his Shindo. He quickly grabbed the ball and passed it to Mizuki, just before the five-second violation line.
Kanpei, Ikegami, Koshino Ye were pressed tightly together. Aoki used his arm to push Chi Shang Ikegami, then took a step back to create distance, and moved to the side to avoid Koshino. Finally, he stared at Kanpei and suddenly accelerated and rushed over.
Just as he was about to collide with Kanpei, he suddenly stopped and turned around. Kanpei couldn't stop in time and fell to the ground with a thud.
Aoki successfully broke free from the three's encirclement and ran towards Mizuki, but no sooner had he made a sound than something went wrong on Mizuki's side.
Although Mizuki kept her eyes fixed on Aoki, Sendoh's defenses were as tight as an iron barrel.
Just as he was about to pass the ball, his vision wavered for a moment, and the ball was swept away by Uekusa's outstretched arm.
Mizuki screamed, "Ah!!"
Possession of the ball fell directly into Ryonan's hands, Aoki in place, not daring to move.
The referee's whistle had barely blown when the game ended, with Ryonan narrowly defeating Takezato by one point.
Ryonan's substitutes rushed onto the court, shouting at the top of their lungs, "We won!!"
The players on Takezato Buri bench stared at the scoreboard, their mouths agape. "We... lost?"
Someone sighed, head hanging low, "We've tried our best, but we still fell short."
With a "thud," Mizuki knelt down on the court, covering her face with her hands and wailing.
This was his last match, and to lose in a place like this, it's like God is deliberately making things difficult for him!
Aoki stood beside Mizuki, his hand gripping the ball cold, unsure how to offer comfort. His heart ached—they were so close to victory, how could they have slipped away?
Imamura and Hojo were also red with anger. Just one point short! Just one point short! Who could swallow this insult?!
At that moment, Coach Akai walked over, squatted down next to Mizuki, hugged him tightly, and whispered something in his ear.
Coach Takato sighed, " Takezato played well today, but in crucial moments, apart from Aoki, no one else dared to take the ball and attack. That's the difference."
Kiyota smirked, "That's the difference between Ryonan, Takezato, and Kainan, isn't it?"
Aoki and Sendoh walked over and shook hands. Neither of them said a word; they simply touched fists lightly.
He followed his teammates off the court, no longer wanting to watch the game between Shohoku and Kainan; he just wanted to share the disappointment with his own people.
At that moment, applause erupted in the stadium, and the audience shouted deafeningly, " Takezato played brilliantly!" " Takezato!" "Don't be discouraged!"
Coach Akai smiled and raised his hand to quell the applause, "Heads up! You are not losers! You have earned everyone's respect! We still have a chance! We must become even stronger in the future!"
After speaking, Coach Akai led the entire team in a deep bow to the audience who had supported them.
Yayoi Aida rushed over to interview Coach Taoka, but Coach Taoka showed no joy whatsoever, simply saying expressionlessly, "There were no losers in this match. Takezato was very strong; in the end, luck was on our side."
After Yayoi Aida finished interviewing Coach Taoka, she tried to find the coach from Takezato, but he had already disappeared.
The next day, Yo Aoki lay on his desk listening to the teacher read from the textbook, his mind completely elsewhere.
After yesterday's game against Ryonan, Takezato was about to squeeze out their opponent's spot in the national tournament, and it felt like someone was choking him.
The thought of facing Shohoku in the next game, with their countless offensive tricks and players who are all incredibly resilient, gave Yo Aoki a headache.
Although Takezato fought hard against Ryonan, our secrets had already been thoroughly exposed against Shohoku and Kainan.
During halftime, Shirota rushed over, clutching a crumpled newspaper, and demanded, "Who won?"
Yo Aoki sat up straight, Shirota scratched his head. " Kainan won, they won in overtime."
"Overtime?" Yo Aoki was taken aback, then asked, "Is anyone injured on Shohoku's side? Akagi and the others alright?"
Shirota shook his head. "Neither side is injured. Akagi played in the first half, Shohoku kept a tight game, and Kaede Rukawa didn't rush in recklessly; he had plenty of stamina."
The second half was just like in the manga. Sakuragi even started shooting under the basket. Takato thought he had figured out Sakuragi's weakness and sent Miyamasu to guard him, but he was completely dumbfounded.
Kainan was under immense pressure, and Shohoku pulled ahead in the score. However, Kainan was the reigning champion of the county for sixteen consecutive years, and Shinichi Maki led a counterattack. No one on Shohoku's side could stop Shinichi Maki, and the score quickly closed the gap.
With just a few seconds left, Kainan took the lead. On Shohoku's final possession, Sakuragi grabbed a crucial offensive rebound, shook off Shinichi Maki, and dunked at the buzzer to tie the game and force overtime. However, in the latter part of overtime, Kaede Rukawa ran out of energy and was substituted, followed by a turnover on a free throw by Sakuragi, sealing Shohoku's fate.
Yo Aoki sighed, "The plot hasn't changed much, and the result is still the same. Takezato lost to Ryonan, Shohoku lost to Kainan, and the next game is a do-or-die match; whoever loses goes home."
In the afternoon class, Yo Aoki lay on his desk flipping through his notebook, pondering how to overcome the tough challenge of Shohoku. Shohoku's starting five: point guard Ryota Miyagi, who was 1.68 meters tall and could dribble and pass the ball as fast as the wind, but his three-point shooting and height were his weaknesses.
" Miyagi's height disadvantage might be exploited." He drew a thick line on his notebook. Shooting guard Hisashi Mitsui, 1.84 meters tall, with an absurdly accurate three-point shot, understands the game better than anyone else, but his stamina is poor.
"Stamina issues... How do we squeeze every last drop of energy out of Shohoku?" He highlighted these words in red and bold. Small forward Kaede Rukawa, 1.87 meters tall, has skills as dazzling as works of art, a variety of offensive moves, and is as difficult to deal with as Sendoh, but even he is worried about not being able to keep up with the stamina.
" Rukawa, Mitsui, and Akagi are Shohoku's main offensive threats. If we can contain two of them, our chances of winning will be much higher." He frowned. "But even Sannoh couldn't contain them. With our Takezato, we probably have no chance."
Power forward Hanamichi Sakuragi, 1.88 meters tall, a prodigy with incredible talent—top-notch strength, speed, and jumping ability—but his weaknesses are countless. " Sakuragi, it's time to face you..."
Center Takenori Akagi, standing at 1.97 meters, is incredibly solid on both offense and defense under the basket, but his offensive repertoire is too limited. " Akagi is not only the pillar under the basket but also the spiritual leader of Shohoku. If we can break his mentality, there might be a turning point. In the manga, when Shohoku played Sannoh, Akagi was suppressed by Kawata, losing his fighting spirit, which affected the entire team. If it weren't for Uozumi's reminder, they wouldn't have won at all."
In the stadium in Takezato, Mizuki stood in front of everyone, not hiding like Sakuragi, and said with her head down, "That last mistake yesterday was my fault, and I apologize to everyone!" After saying that, she bowed and didn't get up for a long time.
Yo Aoki also bent down, "No, it's my fault for not being able to defend against Sendoh! It's my fault!" Imamura also ran over, "It's me! I shouldn't have broken the rules against Sendoh!" Hojo and Shindo also chimed in, "It's our fault!"
Suddenly, applause erupted in the stadium. Everyone was clapping for them. No one blamed Takezato; the loss wasn't one person's fault, it was the whole team's responsibility. This applause was for those who took responsibility.
Coach Akai helped up Mizuki, whose eyes were red, and softened his tone. "Don't apologize. Everyone played well yesterday. We're not losers, we were just unlucky. Ryonan's strength is undeniable, and the fact that we managed to fight them to the end proves us. The competition has only just begun. If we beat Shohoku in the next game, we'll still have a chance to go to the national tournament. Don't give up!"
"Alright!" the Takezato Team responded in unison. Although they had been looking dejected just moments before, they straightened their backs immediately after the coach's shout. Coach Akai patted Mizuki on the shoulder and said with a smile, " Mizuki, we'll have to rely on you to lead the team forward from here on out!"
Inside the basketball gym at Shohoku High School, Ishii and Sasaoka had just pushed open the door when Ayako tapped them twice on the back of the head for not greeting them loud enough. Even though they had tried their best to shout, Ayako was still dissatisfied, and with her hands on her hips, she yelled, "Louder! Didn't you hear me?"
There's no time for you guys to hang your heads! The loss to Kainan is still weighing on everyone's minds, and no one's really motivated. That's why Ayako came up with this idea to force them to cheer up.
The Shohoku team members entered the gym one after another. Akagi scanned the area but didn't see Hanamichi Sakuragi, so he asked Kuwata, "Where's Sakuragi?" Kuwata scratched his head and said, "He doesn't seem to have come to school today."
Mitsui pursed his lips and muttered, "Is this idiot still agonizing over that misplaced pass from the other day?" Ayako shouted at the top of her lungs, "We're playing against Takezato Team next Saturday!"
Miyagi added, " Takezato is no pushover; we need to be careful." Akagi nodded and said in a deep voice, "To beat them, we need to shut down that Yo Aoki first."
Upon hearing the name Yo Aoki, everyone immediately recalled his performance in the match between Takezato and Ryonan, and fell silent, no one daring to utter a sound. Akagi stared at the arena door, pondering, " Sakuragi might be the key to beating Takezato..."
Sakuragi unconsciously wandered to the park's basketball court. Standing on the sidelines, his mind was filled with images of yesterday's game. Just then, a familiar voice came from behind him. "Why are you skipping school!"