Chapter Seventy-Four: How Do You Even Play Against This?
"YEAH!!"
"We did it!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi and Miyagi Ryota looked at each other, eyes sharing identical surprise.
"I knew it—could it be that we're both... geniuses?!"
"Pure luck. That red-haired monkey somehow managed to cut successfully," Kiyota Nobunaga grumbled.
After the last semifinals ended, he'd overheard schoolmates discussing Kanagawa's rookie rankings. Not making the top three was bad enough, but some people created a "Kanagawa Top Five Freshmen" list—and he ranked below Sakuragi Hanamichi!
"Dammit, that guy's totally riding Shohoku reaching the finals."
Shohoku finally scored in the flow of play. The momentum on court lifted considerably.
Possession changed. Ryonan's offense.
"Uozumi-senpai seems in excellent form today." After pushing past halfcourt, Sendoh Akira casually lobbed the ball inside.
Uozumi Jun established firm left-block position. After receiving the perimeter pass, he showed zero hesitation—back exploding with power, forcefully grinding into the paint before both hands muscled the ball toward the rim.
Akagi Takenori fronted the position, both arms raised high. Uozumi Jun's elevation wasn't complete. Seeing the opportunity, Sakuragi Hanamichi rotated from the wing to help.
Uozumi Jun showed no fear. His body absorbed contact from both players mid-air. Just as the basketball threatened to slip loose, his wrist pressed down urgently.
"BANG!"
The basketball banked precisely into the net!
"TWEET—!"
The referee's whistle sounded almost simultaneously, pointing toward Akagi Takenori.
"Shohoku number 4, defensive foul! Basket counts—one free throw!"
"What?"
"Not Sakuragi's foul but Akagi's?!"
Akagi Takenori raised his hand acknowledging the call. His defensive positioning was fine, but he'd indeed contacted Uozumi Jun's elbow, inadvertently causing the foul.
"See that, Akagi?!" Uozumi Jun flexed his arm, showing muscle. "OOOH—!"
"Uozumi-senpai, stop yelling! Hurry and shoot the free throw." Yagami Sorato reminded him before the startled referee could blow his whistle.
"That was pure luck." Akagi Takenori spoke gravely. "If you can make the free throw too, then we'll talk."
"Hmph!"
Uozumi Jun stepped to the line, taking a deep breath. Recalling his practice touch, he calmly released.
"Swish!"
The basketball traced a flat arc—splashing cleanly through nothing but net!
Free throw good!
Ryonan 17 - Shohoku 4
"OOOH—!"
"Monster Fish showing his true power!"
"Paint Beast Uozumi Jun!!!"
Ryonan's bench celebrated Uozumi Jun making the free throw even more enthusiastically than his and-one finish.
Possession changed. Shohoku's offense.
Watching the gap widen further, Rukawa Kaede called for the ball on the wing for an isolation.
Miyagi Ryota judged the timing, threading the pass into his hands.
Receiving the ball, Rukawa Kaede dropped low, explosively accelerating to create half a body length separation from Sendoh Akira before unhesitatingly pulling up for the mid-range!
"Rukawa, watch out!" Miyagi Ryota shouted urgently.
The instant the basketball left Rukawa Kaede's fingertips, Yagami Sorato leaped from behind, swatting it violently out of bounds.
"Rukawa got blocked?!"
"Yagami's help defense is so fast!!"
At least Shohoku retained possession.
Miyagi Ryota inbounded. Rukawa Kaede caught it, eyes cold and sharp.
He drove again, penetrating deeper this time—straight to the basket.
Uozumi Jun stepped up to help. Rukawa Kaede showed no retreat, initiating contact with Uozumi Jun before banking the layup home off his body!
Ryonan 17 - Shohoku 6
Before Shohoku could celebrate, Ikegami Ryoji quickly inbounded from the baseline.
After receiving, Sendoh Akira immediately pushed the counter-attack.
Shohoku's players scrambled back defensively.
"SWISH!"
The basketball flew toward Yagami Sorato. After catching, he immediately raised it in shooting motion. Mitsui Hisashi defended with experience—only raising both hands without jumping.
As expected, Yagami Sorato brought the ball down, accelerating in one step past Mitsui Hisashi's right side.
Having anticipated this, Mitsui Hisashi immediately slid laterally to cut him off, hands dropping to his waist to force deceleration.
"THUD!"
Yagami Sorato's front foot planted hard—a huge stepback retreating behind the arc again.
Mitsui Hisashi's momentum stuttered. Too late to close out now.
"NO!"
Yagami Sorato jumped without hesitation.
"Swish!"
The soul-crushing net sound rang out.
Still good!!!
The fourth three-pointer—another perfect swish!
Ryonan 20 - Shohoku 6
"!!!"
"???"
Everyone present—spectators and players alike—wore expressions of stunned disbelief.
Just force threes? Just make them?
How do you even play against this?
Coach Anzai felt troubled for the first time. He couldn't call another timeout, could he?
"Senpai, Shohoku's completely outmatched by Ryonan. Is this really the finals?"
Nakamura Heisuke reached his conclusion early again. This time, even Aida Yayoi couldn't find grounds to argue.
In previous games, Yagami Sorato hadn't been positioned as this kind of pure scorer. Plus his touch hadn't exploded like today.
Or rather—it wasn't just Yagami Sorato.
All of Ryonan's starters were performing at their prefecture tournament peak!
Meanwhile, Shohoku's two rhythm-setters—Miyagi Ryota and Rukawa Kaede—were both suppressed, their voices silenced. Six minutes into the first quarter, Shohoku hadn't even reached ten points.
Ultimately, Coach Anzai didn't call back-to-back timeouts. He could only place hope in Mitsui Hisashi—or wait for Yagami Sorato's shooting to cool off.
Soon, the first quarter ended.
Ryonan 34 - Shohoku 16
Ryonan led by 18 points after one quarter!
As for Yagami Sorato? 5-for-5 from three, plus one drive and one free throw—18 points in a single quarter!
"Both Ryonan and Shohoku are reaching the finals for the first time in years, but they've shown completely different performances in the opening quarter," commentator Ishida observed.
Analyst Yamato agreed emphatically. "Exactly. Coach Taoka's surprising decision to position Yagami Sorato at shooting guard proved a masterstroke. With his touch today, any opponent would struggle."
Commentator Ishida concurred. "More importantly, Ryonan's offense hasn't become one-dimensional. Sendoh's point guard play remains outstanding. In the first quarter, every Ryonan player besides him scored."
"Of course, though Sendoh hasn't scored, no one doubts his scoring ability."
"Conversely, while Rukawa Kaede and Akagi Takenori can score through individual ability, Shohoku's overall offense looks stagnant—overly reliant on isolation."
"Defensively, Yagami Sorato's containment of Miyagi Ryota is truly impressive. Shohoku must find ways to connect their team. They can't expect to solve offensive possessions with repeated high-difficulty isolations."
"Let's see what adjustments Coach Anzai makes after this timeout..." Analyst Yamato concluded.
The brief intermission ended. Both teams returned to court.
Uozumi Jun: "Shohoku's collapsing already! Let's finish this in one push!"
Akagi Takenori: "The real game starts now! Shohoku—FIGHT!!"
Neither lineup changed. Shohoku's possession.
"How will they close this gap? They can't expect a miraculous comeback like against us, right?" Kise Ryota asked, chin propped in hand.
"If you can't talk smart, shut up." Kasamatsu Yukio smacked the back of his head.
"Ow!" Kise Ryota yelped, though his gaze remained fixed on Rukawa Kaede and Sakuragi Hanamichi. "Yagami and Sendoh aren't as naive as I was..."
Rukawa Kaede brought the ball upcourt.
"Hmm? Are they planning to run Rukawa at point guard too?" Kiyota Nobunaga asked, confused.
"That's impossible." Maki Shinichi denied immediately.
"Right, no way that Rukawa guy would willingly pass," Kiyota Nobunaga said, thinking himself clever.
"That's not it." Jin Soichiro corrected with a smile. "Though Rukawa's passing technique shown against Kaijo was still raw, it was already quite good."
"The real reason he can't play point is that Shohoku has no better offensive option than him."
"Making Rukawa the point guard wouldn't improve Shohoku's current situation—it would only waste his stamina."
"Uh... then what are they trying to do?" Kiyota Nobunaga promptly abandoned thinking.
"My guess? Reduce Miyagi's ball-handling pressure." Maki Shinichi recalled Yagami Sorato's defense. If he hadn't been able to force through physically, he'd have struggled too.
Moreover, facing Yagami Sorato, Miyagi Ryota's height disadvantage was too severe. His marginal speed advantage couldn't compensate.
"BANG!"
After drawing Sendoh Akira to the baseline, Rukawa Kaede fired a bounce pass inside to Akagi Takenori.
Uozumi Jun extended both arms upward, firmly sealing basket position.
Akagi Takenori used footwork to create space, rising for a hook shot.
"CLANG!"
"MISS!"
The basketball clanged off the back rim.
Uozumi Jun jumped to secure the board.
"Get back! Get back fast!"
After receiving the outlet, Sendoh Akira pushed ahead, stopping beyond the arc to pull up!
Rukawa Kaede's contest came a beat late.
However—
"CLANG!"
Also missed.
"Oops." Sendoh Akira scratched his head sheepishly before retreating quickly.
Sakuragi Hanamichi grabbed the rebound, immediately whipping it to Miyagi Ryota.
Miyagi Ryota sprinted from the backcourt, speed accelerating. Yagami Sorato could only backpedal continuously, maintaining distance.
"BANG!"
Miyagi Ryota fired backward. Mitsui Hisashi caught and shot without hesitation!
Ikegami Ryoji barely recovered, jumping to contest.
"Swish!"
Three-pointer good!
Shohoku's first three!
Ryonan 34 - Shohoku 19
"You can't stop me!" Mitsui Hisashi pointed at Ikegami Ryoji while retreating.
"Don't worry about it." Sendoh Akira grabbed the ball, quickly inbounding.
Ikegami Ryoji nodded. He'd never expected to hold Mitsui Hisashi scoreless anyway. He just couldn't let Mitsui's threes become Shohoku's comeback catalyst like in the Kaijo game.
After reaching the arc, Sendoh Akira used Ikegami Ryoji's screen to cut sharply inside.
Akagi Takenori helped. Rukawa Kaede chased from behind.
Sendoh Akira bounced a pass to Uozumi Jun.
Akagi Takenori spun back protecting the basket. Uozumi Jun had already jumped—both hands slamming the dunk home!
Ryonan 36 - Shohoku 19
"Akagi." Uozumi Jun's low voice rumbled beneath the basket, his massive frame blocking his opponent. "Your performance today is truly pathetic."
Akagi Takenori's movements stuttered slightly, but he didn't look back.
"This might be the worst you've played since we started facing each other." Uozumi Jun continued seriously. "This game really disappoints me. Beating you like this—I don't feel even a hint of excitement."
Both teams' players glanced toward them.
"After all, defeating Shohoku feels like something that should naturally happen."
Uozumi Jun's final sentence instantly ignited Akagi Takenori's fury. He whipped around, throat suppressing a low growl.
Sendoh Akira watched with amusement. However, Yagami Sorato shook his head. Uozumi Jun's trash talk lesson still needed work...
What was that? Giving opponents a pep talk?
Zero bite whatsoever.
Possession changed. Shohoku's offense.
Akagi Takenori extended his hand in the post. As Miyagi Ryota lobbed inside, he shot Sakuragi Hanamichi a look.
"Move!"
Akagi Takenori shoved helping Sakuragi Hanamichi aside. After catching, he immediately backed down hard.
"BANG!"
Their bodies collided. Neither moved.
"Take him on, Akagi!!" Mitsui Hisashi shouted loudly.
"Hmph!" Uozumi Jun powered up, pushing Akagi Takenori outward.
Just then, Akagi Takenori's center of gravity dropped sharply. Using Uozumi Jun's body as pivot, he half-turned facing the basket! Immediately after, one leg exploded off the floor—his entire body surging upward, both hands thrusting the ball toward the rim.
"PAP!"
Uozumi Jun's palm slapped the basketball loose, but the collision knocked him off-balance—stumbling backward.
The basketball bounced on the floor without going out!
Akagi Takenori steadied himself, both hands seizing the ball before explosively jumping again!
This time, no one could stop him!
"PAP!"
Sendoh Akira charged in, slapping the ball against the backboard.
Akagi Takenori's hands gripped the rim, but the ball flew away again.
"Sendoh?!"
"Rebound!"
"THUD!"
A solid landing thud rang out. Sakuragi Hanamichi leaped, both hands firmly securing it before landing heavily.
"!!!"
"SAKURAGI!!"
"GORILLA DUNK!" Sakuragi Hanamichi roared, jumping from his spot—both hands raising the ball to slam toward the rim.
"OOOOH—!"
"BOOM!"
"???"
Sakuragi Hanamichi's hands clung to the rim. The basketball had vanished!
The instant he'd jumped, Yagami Sorato simply plucked it from his grip!
Sendoh Akira and Yagami Sorato both sprinted in transition. Miyagi Ryota, Mitsui Hisashi, and Rukawa Kaede gave chase, recovering rapidly!
Two-on-three fast break!
Miyagi Ryota and Mitsui Hisashi directly doubled Yagami Sorato.
Before the trap closed, Yagami Sorato passed out. After receiving, Sendoh Akira maintained speed, charging inside the free-throw line.
Rukawa Kaede stuck tight, fronting him as he caught.
One step inside the arc, Sendoh Akira stopped and jumped, smoothly rising into shooting form.
Rukawa Kaede jumped to contest. Miyagi Ryota had originally prepared to help trap Sendoh, but seeing his shooting motion, he immediately crashed the paint for the rebound.
However—Sendoh Akira didn't shoot.
His wrist twisted, flicking the ball backward. Yagami Sorato caught the pass from behind.
"You won't get a shot off!" Mitsui Hisashi practically shadowed Yagami Sorato's every step. He'd made his decision—he could allow drives for interior points, but absolutely wouldn't give Yagami Sorato three-point opportunities!
Yagami Sorato jumped. Mitsui Hisashi's hand already extended before his eyes.
Yagami Sorato's body leaned backward desperately—past 45 degrees even!
"???"
"What's he doing??"
Everyone could see—Yagami Sorato's body had lost balance. In this position, whether he could even see the rim was questionable.
"Does he have to shoot?!"
"When he's the scorer, he's truly selfish! Flashy and selfish!"
"SWISH!"
Yagami Sorato's wrist powered through, releasing purely on feel before falling backward to the floor.
"Swish!"
"???"
Amid the crowd's stunned expressions, this absurd shot traced an arc through air before—
Perfect swish!
The arena fell silent. This basket could only be described as unreasonable.
"OOOOOH—" The first to recover was commentator Ishida, though he'd become incoherent. "Ya-Ya-Ya-Yagami... swish!!!"
Yagami Sorato stood from the floor, rubbing his bruised backside.
He belatedly wondered why he'd taken such a wild shot.
Although, at the moment of release, he'd felt certain it would fall.
Mitsui Hisashi stood at the arc, staring at Yagami Sorato ahead with incredulous eyes.
How... how do you even defend that?
The first-quarter despair surged through his heart again.
6-for-6 from three!
Why did this kind of nuclear hot shooting have to happen against Shohoku?
Ryonan 39 - Shohoku 19
The gap had reached 20 points!
"Mitsui-senpai, want to have a three-point contest?" Yagami Sorato smiled politely.
However, Mitsui Hisashi could only sense coldness from that cheerful expression...