Mitsui, who was about to step forward to provide backup, felt a gust of wind brush against his left cheek before he even got close to Kiyota. "So fast!"
The ball instantly reached Kaede Rukawa at the baseline. Although Kiyota was annoyed by Kaede Rukawa, he didn't refuse to pass the ball when it was dead like Sakuragi, showing some sportsmanship.
Facing Sendoh's defense, Kaede Rukawa adopted a triple threat stance, feinted a few times, and then suddenly raised his hand to shoot. Sendoh immediately reached out to block, only to find it was a fake.
Kaede Rukawa immediately stopped moving, pushed off with his left foot, and rushed out at full speed.
Sendoh reacted quickly, immediately adjusting his footwork and expanding his defensive range, completely covering Kaede Rukawa at the baseline and preventing him from jumping to shoot.
Although Kaede Rukawa didn't completely get past Sendoh, he successfully drew Uozumi's attention. Uozumi had already moved to a different position, preparing to team up with Sendoh to sandwich Kaede Rukawa.
At this crucial moment, Kaede Rukawa suddenly caught the lower half of the ball, swung his forearm, and delivered a bounce pass that slipped past Uozumi's side, bounced off the ground, and was passed to Akagi behind Uozumi.
Akagi caught the ball and immediately jumped, about to perform Gorilla Dunk. But suddenly a hand covered his head.
Seeing that there was no one in front of Akagi, Yo Aoki quickly moved to cover him, leaping high and blocking all of Akagi's dunking routes. Want to dunk? Yo Aoki wasn't about to allow it.
But Akagi showed no surprise whatsoever; instead, he appeared confident. Yo Aoki was stunned, wondering if... Just then, Akagi suddenly passed the ball in mid-air to the unguarded Soichiro Jin.
Catch the ball, shoot! His form was impeccable. The entire arena fell silent. "Swish!" The basketball swished through the net, making the score 3-2.
Looking at Yo Aoki, Akagi was high-fiving Soichiro Jin, Aoki Yo couldn't help but sigh, "Everyone's gotten so much more capable."
It was White Team's turn to attack. This time, Sendoh didn't actively ask for the ball, standing on the outside waiting for Fujima to receive it. Yo Aoki was in the paint, drawing the defense's attention.
Fujima dribbled to the baseline, preparing to launch an attack. At that moment, Yo Aoki suddenly ran towards him, crossed his arms and bent his knees a short distance away, and actually set a screen for Fujima.
Coach Takato raised an eyebrow. Was Aoki going to use Fujima as a screener? Would their first collaboration work?
Seeing Yo Aoki screen for him, Fujima didn't hesitate and drove straight towards the free-throw line. Soichiro Jin, who was defending Yo Aoki, immediately went to help defend when he saw Fujima drive.
When Shinichi Maki saw that it was Yo Aoki blocking his way, he took the initiative to move and try to separate Yo Aoki. But at this moment, Yo Aoki suddenly turned around towards the baseline with his left foot as the axis, and in one fell swoop, he left both Shinichi Maki and Soichiro Jin behind.
Fujima had already noticed Yo Aoki's turn out of the corner of his eye, so he didn't look at Yo Aoki and kept his eyes on the front. Suddenly, he gripped the ball with both hands, swung his arm to the right, and passed the ball between Shinichi Maki and Soichiro Jin, accurately finding the unguarded Yo Aoki.
After receiving the ball, Yo Aoki immediately drove to the basket. Facing Akagi, he suddenly stopped, spun the ball behind his back, and flicked it out with a flick of his wrist.
Akagi saw Yo Aoki pass the ball, he wanted to turn around and defend immediately, but it was too late; he had already sensed someone jumping behind him.
"Ah!" Uozumi received a pass from Yo Aoki, shouted, and slammed the ball into the basket.
"This teamwork is amazing! I never expected them to work so smoothly on their first time teaming up!" Hanagata exclaimed in admiration.
Coach Taoka turned to Riki Takato, "See? Takato. I bet they won't let us down, because Fujima, Sendoh, and Aoki all have an extraordinary sense of the big picture!"
Shinichi Maki took a deep breath; the opposing team was putting considerable pressure on him. But he wasn't intimidated at all. "This is what makes the game interesting!"
Jin inbounds the ball, and the Yellow Team begins their attack. Shinichi Maki dribbles to the frontcourt, but this time he doesn't choose to drive. Instead, he uses his physical advantage to lean against Fujima and force his way into the paint. Seeing that Fujima is at a disadvantage, Sendoh immediately prepares to double-team Shinichi Maki.
But then Shinichi Maki moved his left foot to the left, moved the ball to his side with his right hand, and passed it out with a flick of his wrist.
The pass was incredibly subtle, with such small movements that you couldn't even tell he was passing the ball from a distance.
"Great shot!" The Kainan Team's bench erupted in cheers as they watched their captain's incredible play.
With a snap, the ball hit the ground, bounced up, and landed in Akagi's arms.
Despite being guarded by Uozumi, Akagi suddenly turned around and used a hook shot to poke the ball into the basket.
The score became 5-4.
"It's already this exciting after only two rounds!" someone in the audience exclaimed.
"Both teams are incredibly fierce!" someone else chimed in.
"This is the first time I've seen a competition of this caliber!" someone shouted again.
"This year's National Sports Festival championship is definitely going to be Kanagawa's!" a Kainan fan shouted, patting his teammate on the shoulder.
At the entrance of an office building in downtown Kanagawa, Yayoi Aida was anxiously pacing back and forth, clutching her phone and checking the time.
At that moment, Nakamura, looking exhausted and yawning constantly, swayed and sidled over.
Seeing Nakamura's behavior, Yayoi Aida flared up. " Nakamura! You overslept on such an important day?!"
"I'm so sorry, Aida!" Nakamura bowed and smiled apologetically, "I was drinking with the director yesterday and didn't get back until late at night!"
In Aida raised his hand and smacked Nakamura on the head. "How dare you mention that!"
"Hurry up and go!" Aida practically shouted.
Nakamura asked, bewildered, "Where are we going?"
Yayoi Aida was furious.
"Ah!" Nakamura suddenly slapped his forehead. "That's right! Today is the day the Kanagawa National Sports Festival Basketball Team assembles!"
Then hurry up and get your car!
"Yes! "Nakamura jumped in surprise and turned to run towards the parking lot.
Nakamura asked cautiously, " Aida, didn't we always go to Akita for interviews first?"
This year's Kanagawa Representative Team is different from previous years; they've truly gathered the best players from the entire prefecture, and they're definitely going to win the championship!
Sendoh and Aoki are in this group too?
"That's right!" Aida nodded, then gritted his teeth. "I just got word that they have an internal scrimmage today! And you're late!"
"Don't worry! Don't worry! We'll be there soon!" Nakamura floored the accelerator, and the car sped off towards Kainan High School.
A speeding car screeched to a halt in front of the Kainan University Affiliated High School.
Yayoi Aida and Nakamura pushed open the door and got out of the car, rushing towards the basketball court.
Upon arriving at the stadium entrance, Nakamura, hunched over and panting heavily, wiped away his sweat. "Finally here!"
The two straightened their clothes a little and hurriedly pushed open the door to enter the stadium.
Right now, the white team is launching an attack.
The score is currently 23-26, with the Yellow Team leading by 3 points!
Sendoh was dribbling the ball outside the three-point line when Yo Aoki suddenly stepped forward to screen for him, blocking Kaede Rukawa behind him, allowing Sendoh to smoothly cut inside.
Soichiro Jin, who was originally guarding Yo Aoki, was now unsure of who to keep an eye on.
He could only subconsciously stare at Sendoh, but at that moment Yo Aoki turned and made a run towards the basket!
Sendoh suddenly turned his shoulder and swung his arm, passing the ball over Soichiro Jin's head.
Yo Aoki catches the ball, leaps into the air, and raises his hand to shoot!
The score became 23-28.
"Is this Takezato's cover tactic?" Nakamura asked in surprise.
Sendoh and Aoki have such great chemistry? Aida was a little surprised too, as she remembered their playing styles were completely different.
But those few moves just now, the two of them acted like teammates who had been playing together for years, not like they were teaming up for the first time.
The roles are reversed, and the yellow team is now on the offensive.
Shinichi Maki dribbled the ball, carefully observing the situation on the court, and habitually glanced towards Jin.
As his Golden Duo, Maki always finds Jin's location first.
At this moment, Soichiro Jin was standing at a 45-degree angle to the left of the three-point line, ready to receive the ball, but Maki didn't dare to pass it because Jin was standing next to Yo Aoki.
This guy deliberately gave up his path to receive the ball, luring Maki to pass it to him.
This guy is really arrogant!
Shinichi Maki dribbled the ball toward Fujima, lowering his body and center of gravity in preparation for a breakthrough.
As he walked, he suddenly switched to a crossover dribble, instantly drawing Fujima's attention.
Taking advantage of the opening, he suddenly twisted his body to the right, shaking Fujima off guard.
Watching Maki get past Fujima, Nakamura exclaimed, "That was swift and effective! As expected of Maki!"
Aida nodded, "That's right, no matter what team we face, Maki's move will always be an advantage!"
As soon as Shinichi Maki cut inside, Uozumi immediately went up to help defend.
Seeing the Uozumi, Shinichi Maki immediately wanted to pass the ball to Akagi, but just as he was about to pass, he saw Fujima actually standing next to Akagi?
It turns out that although Fujima was shaken off, he was actually faster than Shinichi Maki.
Based on his experience, Fujima immediately stopped chasing Shinichi Maki and ran towards Akagi to help Uozumi defense.
Fujima's substitution was brilliant! Nakamura couldn't help but praise him again.
"Don't pass!" Shinichi Maki immediately made up his mind. With Fujima's skill, he could definitely intercept the ball!
Although he couldn't pass to Akagi, Shinichi Maki remained calm under pressure. He swished the ball behind his back with his right hand, flicked his wrist, and delivered a behind-the-back pass to Kaede Rukawa at the baseline.
Kaede Rukawa caught the ball and shot it without hesitation.
But Sendoh interfered with the shot.
Rebound!
Yo Aoki dashed into the basket, instantly locking down positions with Shinichi Maki, Akagi, and Uozumi. These guys all relied on their physicality, bumping and jostling each other until their arms were tangled together, all for that rebound!
At this moment, the players on the sidelines were dumbfounded. One of them, shrinking his neck, shouted, "Holy crap! This physical contact is too intense! If I were in that situation, I'd be completely out of commission!"
Another person exclaimed, "It's like monsters fighting!"
Someone nearby chimed in, "Absolutely! Look at Akagi and Uozumi, they're like two monsters!"
All four jumped at the same time. Although Yo Aoki and Shinichi Maki were not as tall as Akagi and Uozumi, they were stronger and jumped faster, which gave them an advantage.
Moreover, Yo Aoki stabilized his body in mid-air, used his back to block Shinichi Maki's path to steal the ball, reached out to grab the ball, and with a snap, his hand touched the basketball first, hooked the ball with his fingers to dunk it, and pulled it back to grab the rebound!
Yo Aoki, who got the ball, immediately passed it to Fujima and launched a fast break. However, Kaede Rukawa and Nobunaga Kiyota of the Yellow Team reacted quickly and rushed back to block the goal.
But Fujima didn't force a drive. Instead, he passed the ball to Yo Aoki who was following up. However, Yo Aoki was immediately shut down by Kaede Rukawa as soon as he reached the three-point line. He then tossed the ball into the air above the basket.
Kaede Rukawa turned around and saw Akira Sendoh jump up. Akira Sendoh Alley-oop pass and slammed it into the basket!
Coach Taoka immediately yelled, "Good shot!"
Yayoi Aida and Nakamura were both stunned, their eyes wide open; the scene was too shocking.
At this moment, Coach Takato clapped his hands and shouted, "Everyone, take a break for a bit, then we'll adjust the lineup."