Halftime!
In the Hainan Team's locker room, the air was as thick as solidified lead.
The 55:31 on the tactics board stung their eyes, and Takato Riki stood with his back to his players, his fingers heavily tapping the wall, making a dull sound.
"Look at this score!" He suddenly turned around, the anger in his voice almost erupting. "Are you playing basketball? Or are you being used as targets by Ryonan for practice? Is Gu Jin that hard to defend? Can't even fouls stop him?"
Maki Shinichi lowered his head, sweat dripping from his chin onto the floor.
This was the first time he felt so defeated!
Kiyota Nobunaga clutched his towel, his fingernails almost digging into his flesh, but he couldn't utter a single word—in the first half, it was as if all their strength had been drained.
Takato Riki took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and pointed at the red circle on the tactics board: "A Mu, in the second half, you will fully attack the restricted area! I want you to attract all of Gu Jin's attention!"
He then pointed at Jin Soichiro and Miyamasu: "A Shen, you will roam the baseline, Miyamasu will cross-run with you. As long as Maki can attract a double-team, you two will shoot decisively!
Takasago, you hold Uozumi for me! Even if you have to use your body to crash into him, you must hold your position!"
Finally, his gaze swept across the entire team, his voice carrying the ruthlessness of a desperate gamble: "I don't care what method you use, you must catch up on the score!
Otherwise, the Hainan Team's face will be completely lost today!"
The players looked up, a glimmer of struggling fire finally igniting in their eyes.
Maki Shinichi clenched his fists and said in a hoarse voice, "Yes, Coach!"
In Ryonan's locker room, the atmosphere was completely different.
Although the players were panting, their faces showed uncontrollable excitement. Sakuragi Hanamichi was gesticulating wildly, imitating how he had just blocked Muto Tadashi, and only settled down after Uozumi patted him on the back of his head.
Taoka Moichi stood in the middle and clapped his hands forcefully: "Everyone quiet down!"
The noise instantly subsided, and everyone's eyes focused on him.
"55:31, a 24-point lead, is that a lot?" Taoka's voice suddenly rose. "In my eyes, it's not enough! Hainan has been the Kanagawa king for too long. Today, we're going to win by a large margin, just like Sannoh dealt with them last year!"
He pointed at the Hainan Team logo on the tactics board, his eyes as sharp as knives: "In the second half, what we need to do is not to protect our lead, but to completely crush them!
Gu Jin, you continue to guard Maki Shinichi tightly. If he dares to drive, you dare to block him. Let him know who is the master on the court!"
"Sendoh, your passes need to be faster, bring the fast break rhythm to its quickest!
Uozumi, you lock down the inside rebounds for me. Don't let Takasago touch the ball more than three times!"
Finally, Taoka Moichi slammed the tactics board onto the table, his voice making people's eardrums tremble: "Remember! Today we are not just winning, we are tearing apart their king's halo!
Let everyone see that Ryonan can rub the so-called undefeated kings into the ground! Do you all understand?"
"Understood!" The players shouted in unison, their fighting spirit almost lifting the roof.
Gu Jin leaned against the wall, his fingertips lightly tapping his knee, the coldness in his eyes even more pronounced;
Sendoh Akira had a smile on his lips, but couldn't hide the sharpness in his eyes; Sakuragi Hanamichi was roaring, eager to rush back to the court immediately.
Taoka Moichi was actually the most restless inside; Takato Riki had suppressed him for too long!
When the second-half whistle blew, the cheers in the stadium had not yet subsided.
55:31, a 24-point difference, almost nailed the words "crushing defeat" onto Hainan's jerseys.
The second half started, and Hainan indeed changed their play style.
Maki Shinichi no longer focused on organizing, but like an enraged lion, repeatedly charged into Ryonan's restricted area.
He used Takasago's screen to force a layup, was violently hit by Uozumi in the air, but still managed to throw the ball into the hoop, the whistle blew, 2+1!
"Good shot!" The Hainan Team's bench finally showed some life.
Maki Shinichi landed, clutching his waist, sweat dripping from his jaw.
He looked at Gu Jin, who was bending down to tie his shoelace, as if he hadn't even noticed the made basket.
Ryonan's offense remained fluid.
Sendoh Akira brought the ball up, made a no-look pass to Gu Jin on the wing, and Gu Jin, facing Jin Soichiro's defense, went straight for a pull-up three-pointer—the ball grazed the net and fell in, 58:34!
"It's in! It's Gu Jin again!" The sound from the stands echoed through the stadium.
The rest of the game completely became Ryonan's hunting hour.
The Hainan Team was like moths caught in a spiderweb, struggling with all their might, but only able to watch the threads tighten.
Maki Shinichi was almost relying on sheer grit to charge, repeatedly forcing layups against Gu Jin's defense.
Despite multiple screens for him, his success rate was less than 20%.
Even when he occasionally scored, he didn't even have time to catch his breath before he had to turn around and defend—Ryonan's fast break was as quick as lightning, giving them no time to rest.
Jin Soichiro was almost suffocated by Ikegami's defense. He finally managed to get two open looks, but his three-pointers repeatedly missed. The two scattered long-range shots he made in the second half were like stones thrown into the ocean against Ryonan's barrage, unable to even stir up a ripple.
Miyamasu's movement was still agile, but Koshino stuck to him like a stubborn plaster. Forget about shooting, he had to fight with all his might just to receive the ball.
Ryonan, on the other hand, had completely let loose.
Gu Jin seemed to be on fire, hitting three-pointers at will from beyond the arc, and his drives to the basket were like entering an uninhabited land. Maki Shinichi fought until his legs trembled, yet he barely touched Gu Jin's jersey a few times.
Sendoh Akira's passes became more artistic, sometimes a behind-the-back bounce pass to Uozumi, sometimes a long pass to a fast-breaking Gu Jin. Every pass was as precise as a surgeon's knife, dissecting Hainan's defense.
In the last ten minutes, Sakuragi replaced Koshino.
Sakuragi Hanamichi was even more excited, like a red-haired beast. He crashed into Takasago while rebounding, sending him sprawling, and even mimicked Gu Jin's powerful dunks during fast breaks. Although his movements were comically clumsy, that surge of momentum made Fujii Ran scream incessantly from the sidelines.
And after Fukuda replaced Ikegami, his biggest goal was to extend the lead. He and Gu Jin took turns attacking Hainan's restricted area, treating the opponent's hoop as a practice target.
With 20 seconds left in the game, the numbers on the scoreboard stung their eyes—108:61.
A 47-point difference, like a chasm, completely separated the two teams.
Hainan's players stood on the court, their movements becoming sluggish, the light in their eyes slowly extinguishing, leaving only numbness and exhaustion.
Takato Riki stood silently on the sidelines, his hands in his pockets, but his knuckles were unconsciously clenching, until his palms hurt.
Meanwhile, on Ryonan's bench, Taoka Moichi was casually drinking water, saying, "No need to shoot anymore, just let the time run out!" His tone was as relaxed as if he were directing a practice game.
The game ended, and the players on the court smiled and high-fived each other.
