Just as Mitsui's three-pointer ignited cheers from Ryokufu's bench, Ryonan's offensive possession began.
Sendoh dribbled leisurely at the top of the arc, seemingly observing his teammates' movements, but his wrist suddenly flicked, intending to send a bounce pass to Sakuragi, who was cutting.
Just as the basketball was about to cross the half-court line, a green figure suddenly burst out from the side—Sato Tatsuya, like a long-prepared leopard, precisely tipped the side of the basketball with his fingertips!
"Snap!"
Possession instantly changed hands!
Sato didn't hesitate after the steal, charging towards Ryonan's half with the ball. Even Gu Jin's quick defense was a half-step behind him.
Just as he was about to enter the paint, Sato suddenly stopped short, flicking his wrist to pass the ball to his right—Mitsui had already set his feet on the three-point line.
"Mitsui is within range again!" The commentator's voice suddenly rose.
When Mitsui received the ball, Fukuda's defensive help had just arrived, but he jumped without hesitation, leaning back slightly in the air to avoid the block, while steadily pushing the ball out with his right hand.
"Swish!"
The basketball swished through the net, 53:42.
Ryokufu's bench cheers hadn't died down before Ryonan's offense was thwarted again.
Fukuda forced a jump shot from the wing; the basketball hit the front rim and bounced out. The moment James grabbed the rebound, he immediately threw the ball to Sato, and Ryokufu launched another fast break.
This time, Sato didn't pass. Instead, he used two consecutive in-and-out dribbles to shake off Sendoh and drove straight to the basket.
Gu Jin chased from behind, reaching out to block, but Sato, at the moment of jumping, passed the ball to the trailing Mitsui.
Mitsui stood near the free-throw line, and after receiving the ball, he decisively took a jump shot—
"Swish!" Two points made!
53:44.
In just a few tens of seconds, Ryokufu scored 7 consecutive points, and the atmosphere in the stadium completely changed. Taoka Moichi stood on the sidelines, shouting, "Defense! Guard Mitsui!"
Ryonan's offense restarted. Fukuda, having learned his lesson, no longer forced a shot but passed the ball back to Sendoh.
Just as Sendoh was about to set up a play, Sato suddenly lunged from behind, instantly invading Sendoh's dribbling space, his fingertips firmly hooking the basketball!
"Another steal by Sato!"
Sato stumbled two steps with the ball upon landing, then immediately pushed it out to the three-point line—Mitsui had already shaken off his defender and caught the pass steadily.
"Again?" Ryonan fans in the stands couldn't help but exclaim.
Mitsui's knees were still trembling, but the moment he received the ball, he sharply narrowed his eyes, and with a slight flick of his wrist, he was about to reproduce his earlier accuracy—
"Slap!"
A crisp sound cut through the air!
Gu Jin had somehow arrived for help defense, like a mountain suddenly rising from the ground, his long arm smashing down fiercely from above, solidly swatting the basketball away!
The flying basketball was caught steadily by Sendoh.
"Gu Jin's block!" The commentator's voice was like a blaring horn, "So crucial! This block directly cut off Ryokufu's counterattack momentum!"
Mitsui was shaken back two steps by the force, looking at Gu Jin in disbelief—he thought his shot was quick and concealed enough, yet it was still precisely anticipated by his opponent.
Gu Jin didn't look at him when he landed; he just said in a deep voice to his teammates, "Maintain the rhythm, don't run with them!"
Ryonan's offense immediately slowed down.
Sendoh held the ball at the top of the arc, maneuvering until the 24-second clock was about to expire, then suddenly lobbed the ball to Uozumi under the basket.
Uozumi forced a turnaround against Na Takamitsu's defense. Although the shot was interfered with and missed, Sakuragi leaped like a spring, fiercely grabbing the rebound into his arms, then made a putback.
55:44.
On Ryokufu's offensive possession, Sato still tried to find Mitsui, but found Gu Jin sticking to him like a plaster—not to guard his shot, but to firmly cut off his receiving lane.
Mitsui made two consecutive back-cuts but couldn't shake free, only watching helplessly as Sato's pass was intercepted by Fukuda.
"Mitsui is locked down!"
Mitsui panted, bending over to hold his knees; the stinging pain in his knees made him almost unable to stand, but when he looked up at the scoreboard, the fire in his eyes had not extinguished.
He suddenly charged towards Fukuda.
Snap, the ball was stolen!
Gu Jin immediately returned to defense!
The moment Mitsui crossed half-court, he suddenly took a big step to the right, faking a drive, then a sudden stop-and-go, pulling up for a jump shot the instant Gu Jin's center of gravity shifted—this was his signature step-back.
Gu Jin's block was still lightning-fast, his fingertips almost grazing the basketball.
"Swish!"
The basketball flew past Gu Jin's fingertips, swishing through the net again!
55:47.
Mitsui's knees gave out when he landed, and he knelt on one knee, but he looked up and laughed, his laughter full of desperate determination: "See... it's not over yet!"
Gu Jin looked at his bloodshot eyes and, for the first time, said nothing. This shooter in a Ryokufu jersey was desperately trying to extend the life of this game.
Man of Fire, Mitsui Hisashi! Truly admirable!
However, it's all over!
On Ryonan's offensive possession, Gu Jin didn't give Ryokufu another chance. He held the ball outside the three-point line, facing a double-team from James and Mike, then suddenly used a behind-the-back dribble to shake off the defense and drove straight to the basket.
Sato flew in to help defend, but Gu Jin evaded him with an aerial scoop shot, flicking the ball into the hoop with a reverse hand.
57:50.
Ryokufu counterattacked, Mitsui still wanted to try the same trick, but this time Gu Jin's defense was even tighter, almost moving with his body pressed against him.
Mitsui forced a jump shot; the basketball hit the front rim and bounced out. Uozumi calmly secured the rebound.
"Pass!" Gu Jin shouted.
Sendoh understood, sending a long pass to the front court. Sakuragi had already shaken off his defender and, after receiving the ball, performed a tomahawk dunk!
"Bang!"
59:50.
With only 2 minutes and 45 seconds left, the Ryokufu team called a timeout.
Coach Coleman drew the lines for a final push on the tactics board, but Mitsui, staring at his trembling knees, suddenly spoke: "Give me the ball, I'll shoot a three-pointer."
Sato looked at his bloodshot eyes and nodded: "Okay."
After the timeout, Ryokufu's strategy indeed revolved around Mitsui. Sato used all his strength to attract the defense, passing the ball to Mitsui outside the three-point line.
This time, Ryonan's defense was not out of position, and Gu Jin's block was imminent.
Mitsui, however, seemed to feel no fatigue, twisting his body in the air and forcing the shot.
"Slap!"
The basketball was swatted away again!
Sakuragi desperately secured possession!
Sendoh calmly controlled the ball, running down the remaining time.
Ryokufu players frantically rushed to steal, but Sendoh defused them with precise passes.
Only when the shot clock was about to expire did Sendoh pass the ball to Uozumi under the basket, who calmly laid it in.
61:50.
In the last 2 minutes, despair and powerlessness meant Ryokufu had no more chances!
The moment the final buzzer sounded!
65:56, Ryonan defeated Ryokufu.
Ryonan's players cheered and embraced each other.
Ryokufu's players, however, stood in place, not moving for a long time.
Mitsui held his knees, looked at the scoreboard, and suddenly smiled, his laughter carrying both relief and a hint of unwillingness.
Gu Jin walked over and shook hands with Mitsui: "Man of Fire, truly the more you fight, the stronger you get." The sharpness of competition was gone from his eyes as he looked at Mitsui, replaced by a sincere admiration—this opponent deserved respect.
"It's a pity," he wiped his face, his voice a little hoarse, "it's all over."
Sato walked over and patted Mitsui's shoulder.
Although Ryokufu lost, they fought until the last second, especially Mitsui, who wrote their stubbornness with each three-pointer.
Under the spotlight of the awards ceremony, when Gu Jin received the Kanagawa Prefecture MVP trophy, the cheers in the gymnasium reached their peak.
The crystal trophy reflected dazzling light under the lamps, illuminating his calm profile—with an average of 38 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists, and 5 steals in this Prefectural Tournament, this award was beyond doubt.
The subsequent announcement of the Kanagawa Prefecture Best Team roster sparked waves of heated discussion: Gu Jin (Ryonan), Sendoh Akira (Ryonan), Uozumi Jun (Ryonan), Mitsui Hisashi (Ryokufu), Sato Tatsuya (Ryokufu). When the five stood on the podium, Ryonan's blue jerseys and Ryokufu's green jerseys occupied both sides, perfectly reflecting the dominance of these two teams in this Prefectural Tournament.
After the awards ceremony, Hainan High School's coach, Takato Riki, directly approached the organizing committee staff, his face ashen: "I want to protest!"
He pointed at the Best Team roster, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "Hainan is the second-place team in the Prefectural Tournament, one of the teams representing Kanagawa Prefecture in the National Tournament! But there isn't a single Hainan player on the list, is this reasonable?"
The staff member tried to explain the selection criteria, but Takato Riki interrupted: "Is Maki Shinichi's performance not good enough? Is Kiyota Nobunaga's improvement not obvious enough? Or does second place not deserve a spot on the Best Team?"
His anger concealed deeper anxiety—the Autumn National Sports Festival selection was imminent, and Best Team players were often core candidates for the National Sports Festival representative team, while the selection of the head coach was also directly linked to the selection of his players.
No players selected meant it was almost impossible for him to join the National Sports Festival coaching staff, which would be a fatal blow to his subsequent Professional title rating and resource allocation.
"This isn't targeting Hainan, Coach Takato." The organizing committee director sighed, "The competition in this Prefectural Tournament was too fierce, and Ryonan and Ryokufu's performances were indeed more outstanding..."
"Outstanding?" Takato Riki suddenly raised his voice, drawing glances from those around him, "Maki Shinichi scored 32 points against Ryokufu in the semifinals and also had 21 points against Ryonan in the finals. Is such a performance not outstanding?"
He clenched his fists, his knuckles white: "I demand a re-evaluation! Otherwise, I will submit a formal letter of protest to the Japan Basketball Association!"
The basketball landscape of Kanagawa Prefecture seemed to have quietly changed on this night.
And Takato Riki's protest, like a stone thrown into a lake, added a few more variables to the already turbulent post-game situation.