The next day, the gymnasium buzzed like boiling water.
The stands were packed with spectators, the crisp sound of cheering sticks, and waves of shouts echoed through the hall, carried by the hot wind.
Today, the showdown between Ryonan and Kinzan Commercial had long whetted everyone's appetite.
With a whistle, the game officially began!
The moment the referee tossed the ball into the air, Uozumi stretched out his arm and leaped, his fingertips just about to touch the basketball, but Keita Takahashi's longer arm snatched it away first.
The basketball accurately landed in Uesugi Yu's hands; in the opening tip-off, Ryonan lost the first point.
“Quick, defend!” Just as Sendo's shout fell, Kinzan Commercial's fast break surged like a tide.
Uesugi Yu's dribbling speed was astonishingly fast, and in a flash, he rushed past half-court. Seeing Ryonan's defense was not yet stable, he directly lobbed the ball to Miyazaki Ken under the basket.
“You wish!”
Although Uozumi was half a beat slow in the tip-off, allowing Keita Takahashi to tip the ball to his teammate, his footwork was not at all chaotic, and he quickly returned to defend the paint.
Miyazaki Ken received the ball under the basket, and Uozumi slid over almost instantly, while at this moment, Gu Jin was also in front of him, preparing to steal the ball.
Ryonan's help defense speed was so astonishing that even the commentator on the sidelines couldn't help but let out an “Oh.”
Miyazaki Ken bent his knees and lowered his shoulder, pressing his back against the incoming Uozumi, then suddenly exerted force and turned—his 115-kilogram body, with its momentum, crashed into Uozumi's chest. The latter staggered back two steps, actually falling straight onto the ground!
“Beep—!” The referee blew his whistle, pointing at Uozumi, “Defensive foul!”
There was an uproar in the stands. Sakuragi on Ryonan's bench sprang up, clutching a towel and shouting, “He clearly hit him on purpose! Is the referee blind?!” Taoka Moichi's brows furrowed, and he slammed the tactical board, “Calm down! This is physical confrontation!”
Uozumi propped himself up from the floor, not caring that his wrist was scraped, only his gaze at Miyazaki Ken deepened a few shades.
Miyazaki Ken grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, and walked to the free-throw line with the ball.
The first free throw went in, the second bounced off the rim.
Uozumi and Gu Jin were about to jump for the rebound, but Keita Takahashi stood under the basket like an iron tower, easily securing the rebound with a single box-out, then passing it to Shunsuke Nakamura on the perimeter.
“Three-pointer—!”
The basketball arced through the air and swished into the net. Less than a minute into the game, Kinzan Commercial was already leading 4:0.
“As expected, the dominance of the twin towers…” The commentator’s voice spread through the broadcast, “Ryonan’s interior is completely suppressed!”
Taoka shouted from the sidelines, “Stick to the strategy! Don’t try to fight them head-on in the paint!”
After the inbound, Uekusa passed the ball to Sendo, who was closely guarded by Uesugi Yu while dribbling.
Sendo caught a glimpse of Gu Jin cutting towards the free-throw line out of the corner of his eye, then suddenly made a behind-the-back pass. The moment Gu Jin received the ball, Miyazaki Ken had already lunged over.
Gu Jin didn't force it, but instead, with a flick of his wrist, passed the ball to Fukuda on the baseline.
Fukuda jumped to shoot, but Keita Takahashi blocked it from behind—his 208-centimeter wingspan was like a heavenly net, even his block carried a sense of oppression.
“Rebound!” Sakuragi stomped his feet anxiously on the bench. Ikegami patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry, Sakuragi.”
Possession returned to Kinzan Commercial.
This time, Uesugi Yu didn't go for a fast break but steadily passed the ball to Miyazaki Ken.
Miyazaki Ken had his back to Gu Jin and delivered another powerful post-up. However, Gu Jin wasn't knocked away like Uozumi; instead, he firmly planted his feet, knees slightly bent, and held his ground against his opponent's center of gravity.
Miyazaki Ken tried twice to exert force but couldn't move him. He turned to look at Gu Jin with some surprise, then suddenly spun around for a hook shot—Gu Jin reacted extremely quickly, his fingertips touching the basketball, causing it to go off-course. Uozumi seized the opportunity to grab the rebound.
“Good defense!” Taoka shouted, “Fast break!”
“Coach? Is Gu Jin stronger than Captain Uozumi?” Aida Hikoichi stared at the situation on the court, his speech quickening, “Uozumi was clearly knocked down by that Miyazaki Ken just now, but Gu Jin steadily held his ground and blocked him!”
“Hikoichi, this isn’t just about pure strength.” Taoka Moichi’s voice carried a calm analysis, “You have to look at the details—Uozumi was rushing to help defend just now, his footwork wasn't stable at all, and all his strength was in his upper body, like a tree without roots, it falls with a touch.
Whereas just now, Gu Jin deliberately lowered his center of gravity, with all his power focused on his legs, like he was nailed to the ground.” He paused, then added, “But having said that, this Miyazaki Ken’s strength is truly not weak; he’s probably even stronger than Uozumi.”
“Their power forward is stronger than our center?” Aida Hikoichi’s brows furrowed into a knot, and he forgot to turn the page of his notebook.
As they spoke, Uozumi had already quickly thrown the ball directly to Sendo in the frontcourt. Sendo accelerated and broke through after receiving the ball. Uesugi Yu desperately tried to defend, but Sendo shook him off with a change of direction.
Just as he was about to lay up, Keita Takahashi chased him out from the paint, his huge figure blocking the basket.
Sendo didn't force his way through; he suddenly tossed the ball behind him—Gu Jin followed closely, rushed up, received the ball, jumped, and dunked it over Miyazaki Ken’s help defense into the basket!
“Clang!”
The rim made a huge sound, and Ryonan finally broke their scoring drought!
2:4
“Beautiful!” Sakuragi jumped up excitedly, almost rushing onto the court.
Gu Jin high-fived Sendo as he landed. They exchanged glances, both seeing the mutual understanding between them.
But Kinzan Commercial's offense did not weaken.
Keita Takahashi was boxing out under the basket, his back steadily holding Uozumi, reaching for the ball while subtly shifting his shoulder to find an opening.
Uozumi, eager to reclaim his position, unconsciously pushed his arm outwards, brushing against Takahashi’s arm—the referee’s whistle blew, pointing at Uozumi to signal a foul.
The Jinshan Team inbounded from the baseline. Uesugi Yu stood out of bounds, his gaze quickly sweeping the frontcourt.
Shunsuke Nakamura first dribbled two steps to the left, drawing Sendo to move sideways with him, then suddenly spun around and cut back, rushing towards the right three-point line.
Miyazaki Ken simultaneously cut from the free-throw line to under the basket, and Gu Jin quickly followed to help defend;
Keita Takahashi tightly held Uozumi under the basket, deliberately leaning half a step to the left, creating a gap on the right baseline.
Uesugi Yu seized the opportunity, flicked his wrist, and threw the ball into that open space—Yamamoto Sho had already slipped over from the weak side, his foot just touching inside the three-point line as he received the ball. Without waiting for Uekusa to get into position for help defense, he immediately jumped and shot, the ball grazing the backboard and falling into the basket.
2:6, Ryonan trailed by 4 points!
In the stands, Shanshan Shouta’s brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze fixed on the two players entangled under the basket.
Karazawa Kazuo beside him, however, watched with great interest, gently nudging him with his elbow: “Sugiyama, what do you think Uozumi will do to counter Takahashi next?”
Shanshan Shouta withdrew his gaze, his tone sinking, “In those few confrontations just now, Uozumi’s strength was clearly at a disadvantage.”
“Strength is important,” Karazawa Kazuo tapped his fingertips lightly on his knee, a playful smirk on his lips, “but I’m more interested in seeing if Uozumi truly possesses what a center should have.”