Beep—!
With a whistle, the game officially began!
As the referee's tossed basketball was still climbing in mid-air, Uozumi's long arm had already reached out, his height almost a palm higher than Na Takamitsu, and with a gentle flick of his fingertips, he tipped the ball in Sendo's direction.
Sendo steadily turned and received the ball, when a green figure suddenly darted out from the side—Sato Tatsuya, like a cheetah gliding close to the ground, rushed in front of Sendo, his right hand flashing out like lightning towards Sendo's wrist which was holding the ball.
“Such a quick reaction.” Sendo flicked his wrist, and the basketball, as if stuck to his hand, moved behind his back, while he simultaneously stepped half a pace to the left, precisely avoiding Sato's steal.
Sato's knees bent slightly, and using his momentum, he sharply twisted his body to chase and defend, his fingertips almost touching Sendo's jersey: “You're strong!”
Sendo suddenly let out a low laugh, and the hand holding the ball suddenly thrust forward, as if to pass directly to the cutting-in Sakuragi. Sato instinctively stretched out his arm to block, but then saw Sendo deftly pull his wrist back, the basketball instantly returning to his abdomen, followed by a body-front crossover, right hand to left hand, and his entire body spun past Sato's right side like a top.
“Good play!” The commentator's voice suddenly rose, “Sendo's crossover was so smooth! Sato's defense was already fast enough, but he was still easily beaten!”
As Sendo drove into the three-point line with the ball, Ryokufu's James had already rotated to defend, his massive body blocking the basket like a wall.
Sendo didn't force his way through, but instead flicked his wrist, and the basketball arced in a low, flat trajectory, accurately delivered to Gu Jin on the other baseline.
When Gu Jin received the ball, his foot had just landed outside the three-point line, and Ryokufu's Mike Okita hadn't fully closed in. He immediately jumped and shot, the basketball spinning into the hoop.
“Swish—” The crisp sound of the net echoed, 3:0.
The Ryonan bench instantly erupted, and the blue glow sticks in the stands swayed like a flowing galaxy.
Sato stood in place, watching Gu Jin and Sendo high-five, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Sendo's crossover just now actually had a tiny pause, it was his eagerness to steal the ball that made him lose his position—he kept this detail firmly in mind.
This Sendo is not simple! Much more difficult to deal with than Maki Shinichi.
It was Ryokufu's turn to attack. When Sato received the ball at the top of the arc, he specifically glanced at Sendo's position out of the corner of his eye.
This time, he didn't rush to break through, but instead dribbled in place twice, then suddenly accelerated sharply to the left, perfectly replicating Sendo's earlier crossover. However, the moment Sendo's center of gravity shifted, Sato deliberately faked a drive towards Gu Jin, causing Gu Jin to instinctively take half a step to help defend the paint.
It was this half-step deviation that temporarily took Mitsui Hisashi on the wing out of Gu Jin's direct defensive range.
Sato made a brilliant pass!
As the basketball flew precisely into Mitsui's hands, Gu Jin was only halfway through his close-out.
Mitsui jumped and shot in one smooth motion, the basketball arcing even flatter and faster than Gu Jin's earlier shot, also swishing through the net.
3:3.
This Sato truly lives up to his reputation as the starting guard of the U16 team.
With such a guard, Ryokufu is like a tiger with wings!
Gu Jin gave him an extremely high evaluation!
“Mitsui! Great shot!”
Even their high-five was exactly the same as Sendo and Gu Jin's just now!
It seems they're really going at it!
Before the cheers of the Ryokufu fans had faded, Sato was already back on defense.
As Sato passed by Sendo: “How was that? I love beating opponents with their own methods!”
“Interesting.” Sendo suddenly let out a low laugh.
Imitate? Surpass?
Sendo raised an eyebrow. When it came to an unwillingness to lose, he, Sendo, was stronger.
The referee blew the whistle for the inbound pass. He took the ball from his teammate and leisurely dribbled it up to the frontcourt.
As Sendo held the ball at the top of the arc, he specifically flicked his wrist towards Sato. “Since we're going to compete with responses,” he suddenly sped up his dribble, but his steps were exceptionally unhurried, “then you'll have to see the advanced version of the original.”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly accelerated to the right, his footwork and crossover amplitude almost identical to the move Sato had just imitated.
Sato immediately lowered his center of gravity and moved laterally, a cold sneer in his heart—trying the same trick again?
Just as the distance between them narrowed to half a step, Sendo's crossover suddenly stopped.
He didn't pass the ball like before; instead, he flicked his wrist, pulling the ball back to his abdomen, while simultaneously stepping half a pace forward with his left foot and slightly turning his body, seemingly preparing for a direct pull-up jump shot.
Sato instinctively jumped to block, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Gu Jin on the wing quickly cutting across—a completely opposite route to Mitsui's earlier movement!
“Oh no!” Just as Sato realized it was a fake, Sendo's pass was already released.
The basketball didn't arc over the three-point line; instead, it traced a broken line along the floor, passed under Sato's armpit, and landed precisely in the hands of Gu Jin, who was cutting into the paint.
Gu Jin received the ball facing an open basket and easily scored with a layup. 5:3.
Sendo leisurely jogged back to half-court, and as he passed Sato, he said, “It's easy to imitate form, but difficult to imitate rhythm—especially the rhythm of improvisation.”
Sato stared at Sendo. Sendo's actions made him feel a strange irritation.
He loved to mess with other people's minds, but he didn't like having his own mind messed with!
Sato watched Sendo's calm retreating figure and suddenly let out a low laugh—irritated as he was, his competitive spirit, once ignited, burned even more fiercely like a wildfire.
During Ryokufu's offensive possession, when Sato received the ball at the top of the arc, he deliberately bumped Sendo, who was guarding him closely, with his shoulder.
“Improvisation?”
Sato's dribbling rhythm was so fast it was almost a blur, the basketball dancing on his fingertips like a restless spark, “Then watch this.”
No sooner had he spoken than he executed a behind-the-back dribble into a body-front crossover, the entire sequence half a beat faster than the replicated version, even the shift in his center of gravity carried a deliberate ferocity.
The moment Sendo moved laterally, Sato sharply flicked his wrist to the left, but the basketball didn't fly in Mitsui's direction. Instead, it traced an unusual arc, bypassing Gu Jin's help defense, and landed in the hands of Mike Okita, who was cutting along the baseline.
At this point, Fukuda was closely guarding Mike, attempting to block his shooting lane—Mitsui's three-pointer earlier had made Ryokufu's wing a key defensive area.
But Mike suddenly executed a crossover step, his feet seemingly greased as he darted past Fukuda!
His first step burst was extremely powerful; Fukuda was completely shaken off as soon as his center of gravity shifted.
“Beautiful drive! Mike Okita is so fast!”
As Mike drove near the free-throw line, Uozumi was just about to help defend, but Mike had already pulled up for a jump shot, and the basketball swished cleanly through the net. 5:5.
As Sato returned to defense, he bumped Sendo's arm again: “What do you think of that play?”
“Not much!” Before Sendo could respond, Gu Jin's voice, tinged with a hint of coldness, cut in. His gaze shot directly at Sato.
Sato raised an eyebrow: “Hmm?”
Gu Jin ignored him, turned to Sendo, and pointed his finger in Sato's direction: “Sendo, want to switch?”
These words were like a stone thrown into water, and the atmosphere on the sidelines instantly changed.
Everyone knew how tough Gu Jin's defense was, and now, actively asking to switch onto Sato, he was clearly provoked by Sato's incessant chatter.
Sendo looked at the competitive glint in Gu Jin's eyes and suddenly smiled: “What's the rush? Let him get a little inflated first! Only an explosion after inflation is the most despair-inducing!”
Talking trash? Has your brother Sendo ever been outdone?
Sato's expression froze for half a second!