Ryonan had possession, and once again, the ball was in Sendoh Akira's hands. Rukawa Kaede stayed glued to him, eyes practically spitting fire. He still hadn't forgiven Ryonan for assigning Sendoh to guard Nango instead of him.
Lowering his stance, Rukawa shadowed Sendoh on the perimeter, cutting off any easy drives and waiting for a chance to steal.
If they won't give me the ball, I'll just take it myself!
But Sendoh had no interest in Rukawa's sulking. Calm as ever, he guided the play toward the middle, where Sugadaira had already pulled Sakuragi Hanamichi out of position.
The screen came—Sugadaira blocking Rukawa—and suddenly, Sakuragi was the one standing between Sendoh and the basket.
"Sendoh Akira! Bring it on!" Sakuragi bellowed, puffing out his chest. This was the matchup he had been waiting for—the chance to take Sendoh head-on!
Sendoh didn't even acknowledge him. With a smooth spin, he blew past Sakuragi like he wasn't even there.
"What?!" Sakuragi froze, left in the dust once again.
Akagi was ready. The moment Sakuragi got screened, he had braced himself to rotate. He stepped in to meet Sendoh head-on.
But this time, Sendoh didn't pass. Shielding the ball with his left arm, he leaned in, jumped into the gap, and released with a soft touch.
Akagi's hand stretched out—but caught nothing.
The ball danced on the rim before dropping in.
Graceful. Controlled. Pure Sendoh Akira.
"Nice one, Sendoh!" Uozumi slapped his hand in celebration.
Akagi clenched his fist. He's gotten stronger again. Last year, he was just raw talent, like Rukawa. But now… he connects Ryonan's whole offense. He's only getting harder to stop. He and Ryonan will be the wall standing in Shohoku's way to Nationals.
Jogging back, Sendoh called out to Nango, smiling: "Hey! The gap's wider now."
Rukawa's blood boiled. Tch. Don't tell me you only see Nango as your rival…
"Hmm? A provocation? Now that's interesting." Nango smirked. So the words you once aimed at Rukawa are now directed at me? Fine. I'll answer you seriously, Sendoh.
Nango received the ball, dribbling up the court. Sendoh waited, sharp eyes fixed on him.
"This time, I won't be fooled so easily," Sendoh warned.
"Perfect," Nango replied, fire in his voice.
Both benches knew what was coming.
Triple threat—drive, pass, shoot.
Nango stood outside the arc, left wing. Too far. I'll have to drive first and close the distance.
He dipped low, pivoting on his left foot, teasing with fakes. Sendoh mirrored every move, ready to spring.
Then—Nango attacked. Right hand dribble, sudden burst to the left. Sendoh slid with him, but Nango spun sharply the other way. Sendoh recovered fast, sticking to him, but they were already near the paint.
Uozumi rotated over.
Nango pressed into Sendoh's body, then sprang upward, releasing a scoop shot with his right. The ball arced high, sailing over Uozumi's fingertips and kissing the net.
"Nice one, Nango!" The Shohoku bench erupted. Their rookie had just taken on Ryonan's twin pillars—and scored.
Even Ryonan's players were shaken. This guy… he's not just some tall shooter. He's for real.
Nango, though, shook his head. Too risky. Too inefficient. I can't rely on that every time.
Now it was Sendoh's turn. Bringing the ball up himself, his relaxed smile faded into predator focus. Off the court, he was all charm and laziness. On the court, he was a leopard, poised to pounce.
And his prey was standing right in front of him.
Sendoh's dribbles quickened—faster, sharper. Then he struck, bursting left, spinning right—exactly the same move Nango had just used. Only smoother. Only faster.
Nango couldn't catch up. Shohoku's help defense was late.
Sendoh rose up and hammered it in with a dunk.
"Yeah! That's the way, Sendoh!"
"Ryonan! Keep pushing!"
The gym exploded with cheers.
Nango grimaced. You used my own move against me? You're mocking me, huh?
Sakuragi, meanwhile, was practically dancing. "Heh! Long-armed ape, finally getting a taste of your own medicine! Well done, Sendoh! But the one who'll beat you is me!"
Of course, Sakuragi conveniently ignored how Sendoh had torched him earlier.
Rukawa didn't care. He only had one thought: Give me the ball. I'll show them all.
Nango dribbled up again, but now both Rukawa and Sakuragi were calling for the pass, clogging the lanes.
"These idiots…" Nango groaned. How am I supposed to go one-on-one like this? Sakuragi? No chance. Rukawa? Black hole—ball goes in, never comes back out.
With no choice, he shifted toward Rukawa's side.
Ikegami anticipated, abandoning Rukawa to help double Nango. Sendoh jumped in too, and suddenly both were pressing him hard.
Nango rose, passing out of the trap. Rukawa caught it, drove baseline, and despite Sugadaira's rotation, soared under the rim for a slick reverse layup.
The crowd went wild.
"Rukawa!"
"So cool!"
"Rukawa-kun!"
Haruko clutched her chest, heart racing, as Fujii and Matsui steadied her.
"Grr! That fox again, stealing the spotlight! Damn you, Rukawa!" Sakuragi fumed.
Coach Taoka frowned deeply on the sideline. Shohoku's tactics are sloppy, but that rookie keeps finding ways to create offense. If he were at Ryonan, paired with Sendoh and Uozumi… we'd crush Kainan for sure. How the hell did Anzai land him? Another rejection…
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Still, he muttered: "One more possession before I call timeout."
Meanwhile, Coach Anzai calmly sipped his tea, smiling. The flow of the game was exactly what he wanted.
"Well done, Rukawa. Let's run that again," Nango encouraged. Pick-and-roll, break their defense. This could work.
"You just give me the ball," Rukawa said flatly. "I'll handle the rest."
Nango froze, hands on hips, watching Rukawa walk away. Give you the ball, and sure, you'll shine… but will we win?
He already knew the answer. And with Shohoku still down six, they couldn't afford to gamble.
On the next defensive set, Sendoh once again worked with Sugadaira, dragging Sakuragi out. This time, Sakuragi kept his distance, determined not to be fooled twice.
Sendoh's answer? A simple, clean mid-range jumper. Swish.
As Shohoku prepared for their next attack, Nango tugged Akagi aside, whispering a few quick words.
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