The game arrived as scheduled.
At 9:30 AM, the National Tournament quarter-finals officially began.
The Hiroshima stadium was already packed with spectators, cheers and whistles mixed together, bubbling like boiling water.
In the front rows of the stands, girls holding the Ryonan Team flag vigorously waved their arms, while in the back rows on the other side, several boys in Akita Tsukikan uniforms shouted their team's name at the top of their lungs.
Even the vendors selling drinks by the court were shouting, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of soda and the burnt smell of popcorn, lively and bustling, dispelling much of the pre-game tension.
The Akita Tsukikan team, it could be said, was an upgraded version of Tsukubu, no exaggeration.
They also relied on three-pointers to win, but they were stronger and fiercer: more flexible in their movements, more cunning in their passes, and more daring in their attempts from beyond the arc. They were truly a strong team with 'three-point tactics' etched into their bones.
Akita's center: Sato Ken, 193cm tall, 95kg, looked solid, stable in rebounding and positioning, but a bit slow in movement;
Power forward: Matsumoto Hideki, 188cm tall, 88kg, aggressive in scrambling for the ball, occasionally able to sneak in a three-pointer from beyond the arc;
Small forward: Tanaka Yangtai, 182cm tall, 82kg, the team's 'three-point quick-shooter,' who would catch and shoot immediately after moving, his actions as fast as a gust of wind;
Shooting guard: Yamamoto Takuma, 177cm tall, 79kg, his three-point shooting percentage was the highest on the team, especially from the corner, almost always hitting the mark;
Point guard: Minamoto Yuta, 178cm tall, 70kg, not tall but quick-witted, specializing in feeding the ball to his teammates, and also capable of firing 'cold arrows' from beyond the three-point line.
For Ryonan's starting lineup, Taoka Moichi made no changes: Uozumi Jun at center, Sendoh Akira and Gu Jin sharing point guard and shooting guard duties, Fukuda Kiccho at small forward, and Sakuragi Hanamichi as usual, playing his role as the 'rebounding flyer.'
As the five players stood on the court, they patted each other's backs, shoulder to shoulder, their eyes gleaming with determination—who cares about a three-point team, let's just win this game.
With the referee's whistle, the game between Ryonan and Akita Tsukikan officially began.
With the referee's whistle, Uozumi Jun, relying on his height advantage, steadily tipped the ball to the back—Ryonan secured possession first.
Gu Jin moved almost the instant the ball left Uozumi's fingertips. He charged towards the frontcourt like an arrow released from a bow, and Sendoh, understanding instinctively, flicked his wrist to send the ball precisely to him.
Gu Jin, receiving the ball, didn't hesitate at all. Completely different from his usual agile and graceful style, he pushed off with his feet, forcefully driving straight into Akita Tsukikan's restricted area!
Akita's point guard, Minamoto Yuta, tried to block him but was directly knocked aside by Gu Jin's lowered shoulder, his momentum not decreasing in the slightest.
Power forward Matsumoto Hideki came over to assist in defense, reaching out to try and steal the ball, but Gu Jin suddenly leaped up, going for a strong layup in mid-air against his block—the basketball grazed the backboard and fell into the hoop, and at the same time, the referee's whistle blew: "Shooting foul!"
"Swish!" The basket counted.
Gu Jin swayed slightly upon landing but immediately stabilized himself and walked towards the free-throw line.
Ryonan's supporters in the stands instantly erupted in cheers, and even Taoka Moichi paused for a moment in front of the coaching bench, then his brows furrowed slightly—this style of play was too aggressive.
The free throw was made steadily, a 2+1 play, giving Ryonan the first 3 points.
After Akita Tsukikan inbounded the ball, they tried to organize an offense. Minamoto Yuta had just dribbled past half-court when Gu Jin directly stuck to him!
His defensive movements were fast and fierce, his arms almost completely entanglement around Minamoto Yuta, and his footwork was inseparable.
Minamoto Yuta was forced back repeatedly by him, trying to pass but his intention was keenly seen through by Gu Jin, who poked with his fingertips—the ball was stolen!
After stealing the ball, Gu Jin didn't even look at his teammates. He dribbled the ball himself and charged. Before Akita's players could react, he had already surged into the restricted area, scoring another two points with a clean underhand layup. 5:0!
In just a few tens of seconds, Gu Jin alone scored 5 points, and Akita Tsukikan's players were stunned by his ferocity.
In the next few minutes, Gu Jin was like a different person.
On offense, he no longer sought cooperation. As long as there was an opportunity, he would drive hard, not even blinking during body contact, like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep;
On defense, he almost constantly played tight defense, pressing from the frontcourt, his footwork as fast as if he had a motor, his arms waving to interfere with every pass and shot, giving Akita's players no chance to breathe.
He seemed tireless, sprinting all over the court, sweat pouring down his cheeks and hitting the floor, but the ferocity in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.
His teammates wanted to cooperate with him, but found that he didn't need them—he used this almost 'mad dog' style of play to forcefully widen the score to 12:4.
Akita Tsukikan was forced to call a timeout.
Gu Jin stood on the court, bent over, hands on his knees, panting heavily, his chest heaving, but the look in his eyes towards the opponent's half-court still carried an unextinguished ferocity.
Sendoh walked over and patted his back, saying softly, "Play slower, we're here."
Gu Jin didn't speak, just shook his head and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his face.
Only he knew that the pent-up energy in his heart at this moment could only be released in this way—he couldn't lose, couldn't lose this game, and couldn't lose any of the subsequent games.
Akita Tsukikan's players slumped onto the bench chairs, their chests still heaving violently, their faces showing obvious agitation.
"Coach! Ryonan's number 17, Gu Jin, is a mad dog!" Power forward Matsumoto Hideki tugged at his jersey collar, fanning himself, his voice full of anger, "That hit just now still makes my arm hurt! His movements are too aggressive!"
Point guard Minamoto Yuta also nodded, sweat dripping down his cheeks: "Yes, Coach, his movements when he sticks to me on defense are also very big, I can't even pass the ball properly!"
Small forward Tanaka Yangtai frowned and interjected: "Not just defense, he also crashes around on offense, completely disregarding convention. Our zone defense was completely disrupted by him." Several of them spoke one after another, all expressing dissatisfaction with Gu Jin's style of play.
Akita Tsukikan's coach, a middle-aged man with a buzz cut, raised his hand to quiet the players, his gaze sweeping over them: "You just said his movements were big?"
They paused, then Matsumoto Hideki stiffened his neck and said, "Isn't it! That intensity..."
"But did the referee call a foul on him?" The coach interrupted him, his voice not loud but with a hint of coolness, "Those two drives he made just now, and the steal from Minamoto Yuta, did the referee blow the whistle once for a foul?"
The players looked at each other and said nothing—there really hadn't been any.
Gu Jin's playstyle just now looked wild, but his movements didn't cross the line. Lowering his shoulder was a legitimate challenge, and his tight defense and interference were all within the rules. At most, it was 'fierce,' not 'dirty.'
"He plays aggressively, but he doesn't foul." The coach picked up his tactics board and drew on it with a pen, "You weren't disrupted by his 'big movements' just now, you were scared by his ferocity."
He pointed to the three-point line on the tactics board: "What is our advantage? It's three-pointers! Don't rush blindly following his rhythm, get into position! Minamoto Yuta, don't panic with the ball after crossing half-court. Pass the ball more to move their defense, create open shots for Tanaka and Yamamoto—no matter how much Gu Jin can run, he can't defend two people's three-pointers at the same time."
Then he looked at center Sato Ken: "You position yourself well under the basket. If he charges, let him charge. Uozumi is still in there. If he drives hard, you double-team him. Don't follow him out; guard the rebounds well."
Finally, he closed the tactics board and looked at the players: "If he's crazy, you have to be even more steady. What are you afraid of? He's just one person; we're five people playing. Get the rhythm back, remember, we win with three-pointers."
Listening to the coach's words, the agitation on the players' faces gradually receded. Minamoto Yuta pursed his lips: "Understood, Coach!" Matsumoto Hideki also clenched his fist—so what if he's fierce? They weren't easily intimidated either.
