The whistle had just blown, Jin Soichiro's three-pointer was still warm, and Kiyota Nobunaga had already shot forward like lightning to defend!
As soon as Rikawa served, Kawaguchi Shota hadn't even passed the ball out when Kiyota Nobunaga reached out to snatch it from his opponent's arms.
Kawaguchi Shota was startled and hurriedly hid the ball behind him, but his feet lost balance. He stumbled and collided with Watanabe Kenji, who had run over to provide cover.
"Chance!" Kiyota Nobunaga's eyes were quick. His fingertips just touched the edge of the ball, and he sharply flicked his wrist—the basketball flew out of his hand, bounced on the floor, and rolled towards the Hainan half-court.
He turned and chased, hearing a soft "click" as he pushed off with his knee, but he ignored the pain, focusing only on the ball as he charged forward.
Sota Sasuke only reacted then, charging head-down from under the basket. His 193-centimeter body ran like a clumsy bear, yet he managed to get half a step ahead of Kiyota Nobunaga and block the ball.
He picked up the ball and held it over his head.
Kiyota Nobunaga gritted his teeth and jumped, trying to bat the ball away over Sota Sasuke's head, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through the inside of his knee!
The spot where he had heard the "click" earlier suddenly erupted in a searing pain. Kiyota Nobunaga's body twisted, and he fell heavily onto the floor.
"Hiss—" He curled up on the ground, clutching his knee, sweat instantly beading on his forehead.
Just a moment ago, he was thinking of catching up by two points before halftime. Now, he felt as if his knee was filled with broken glass, and even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain.
The referee's whistle blew.
Sota Sasuke quickly explained, "Referee, I didn't touch him!"
The referee shook his head, indicating no foul, then made a gesture, "Timeout!"
"Kiyota!" Maki Shinichi rushed over and crouched down, but as he was about to touch his knee, Kiyota Nobunaga stopped him. "Don't touch... I can't move, it hurts..." Kiyota Nobunaga gritted his teeth, his face as white as paper. His usually raised chin was now drooping, and the light in his eyes had dimmed by half.
The tournament's doctor immediately entered the court. The doctor crouched down and examined Kiyota Nobunaga's knee, his brows furrowed tightly: "It might be a fracture. He needs to go to the hospital for an examination immediately. He definitely can't play in this game."
"I can play!" Kiyota Nobunaga shouted, stiffening his neck. He tried to push himself up from the floor but fell back down in pain, tears almost forced out of his eyes.
Takato Riki's face was even uglier than the score on the court.
Kosha Kazuma had three fouls, and now Kiyota was injured—there were only two rookies left on the bench who had rarely played even in the Prefectural Tournament. Putting them on the court was no different from giving away points.
"Kiyota, be good, go to the hospital." Takato Riki finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
Two doctors helped Kiyota Nobunaga walk towards the player's tunnel. As he passed Kosha Kazuma, he clenched his fist and said, "We must win!"
Kosha Kazuma's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak, only clutched his jersey more tightly.
A round of applause suddenly erupted in the stands—not enthusiastic cheers, but a muffled clapping tinged with sympathy.
"This kid really gave his all..." someone in the back row whispered. Everyone could see Kiyota Nobunaga's reckless drive when chasing the ball earlier, charging forward even with a knee injury.
The applause slowly spread. Even some Rikawa fans hesitated before raising their hands, clapping softly but without stopping.
As Kiyota Nobunaga was being helped towards the player's tunnel, he heard the applause behind him. He buried his face in his arm, not looking back, but the tips of his ears turned red.
He had stubbornly insisted he "could play" just now, but now, being watched by so many people, he felt a little embarrassed.
Just as he turned into the tunnel entrance, he ran into a group of people coming from the opposite direction—the Ryonan team had just finished their game. Sakuragi Hanamichi's red hair shone dazzlingly under the lights, and he was being led forward by Sendoh with an arm around his neck.
"Wild Monkey?!" Sakuragi Hanamichi immediately spotted Kiyota Nobunaga being helped along. He broke free from Sendoh and rushed over, his round eyes wide. "How did you end up like this? Was the opponent doing it on purpose? Bullying us Kanagawa guys? I'll make them pay!"
As he spoke, he was about to charge onto the court, but Uozumi Jun grabbed him by the back of his collar: "Don't cause trouble!"
When Kiyota Nobunaga saw him, the tears he had been holding back almost fell, but he still stiffened his neck and cursed, "None of your business... I'm fine!" But his voice trembled terribly, not at all like someone who was fine.
Gu Jin stood behind, glancing at Kiyota Nobunaga's knee, then at his white-knuckled hands. He didn't speak, only nodded to the doctors, signaling them to hurry.
Sendoh leaned against the wall, twirling an empty water bottle with his fingertips. He watched Kiyota Nobunaga's back disappear around the corner of the tunnel, then said in a low voice, "Hainan is in trouble now."
Sakuragi Hanamichi was a little worried at this moment. He had been bickering with Kiyota Nobunaga for months, always calling him "Wild Monkey" out loud, but in his heart, he had long considered this stubborn guy a serious opponent—the last time, this guy had even lent him money.
Uozumi Jun patted his shoulder: "Stop shouting." He looked towards the tunnel entrance, remembering Kiyota Nobunaga still shouting "We must win" even as he was being helped away.
As the Ryonan group entered the side door of the gymnasium, the buzzing chatter suddenly paused for half a second, then surged towards them like a tide—
"It's Ryonan! They really beat Sannoh!"
"I watched the last shot in the adjacent gym just now, Gu Jin and Sakuragi's assist was incredible!"
"Uozumi actually managed to contain Sannoh's center, and Sendoh's serves were terrifyingly steady..."
All eyes fell on them, filled with admiration and curiosity. Even the reporters on the sidelines with cameras couldn't help but turn their lenses.
Uozumi Jun felt uncomfortable being stared at. He stiffened his neck and walked onto the court, but he couldn't help but straighten his back even more;
Sakuragi Hanamichi directly tugged on Gu Jin's arm: "Hear that? They're all praising this genius!" Gu Jin slapped his hand away, but his gaze first fell on the scoreboard on the court.
At this sight, even he paused.
34:50.
Hainan's name was followed by a glaring "34," Rikawa's "50" was a striking red, and the timer next to it showed only 1 minute and 23 seconds left until halftime. Even more striking on the court was Hainan's formation—Kiyota Nobunaga was gone, two unfamiliar faces on the bench were hurriedly taking off their jackets, and Kosha Kazuma stood under the basket, his brows so furrowed they almost twisted into a rope.
"This point difference..." Sendoh stroked his chin and smiled, but there was no amusement in his eyes. "What happened to Hainan?"
Taoka Moichi pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over Kiyota Nobunaga on the Hainan bench clutching his knee (he had glimpsed him from the tunnel earlier), then landing on the sturdy gray-blue figure under the Rikawa basket—Sota Sasuke was stuffing the ball into the hoop, and Hainan's substitute center was being pushed back repeatedly. He quietly "tsk"-ed, his voice not loud, but enough for those around him to hear:
"Kosha has three fouls, Kiyota is injured and out, and the substitutes are two rookies we haven't seen before..." He paused, watching Rikawa score another basket, the scoreboard jumping to 34:52, and finally shook his head, "Hainan is probably... doomed to lose."
At these words, the Ryonan players all fell silent.
Even Sakuragi Hanamichi dropped his playful demeanor, scratching his head: "Wild Monkey isn't here, they really seem a bit miserable..."
The discussions on the sidelines continued, only with some new topics:
"How is Hainan so far behind? Is Rikawa that strong?"
"Kiyota Nobunaga seemed to have been injured and carried off earlier! That's the kid who's always jumping around!"
"Takasago also doesn't dare to move much, probably close to fouling out... This is looking bad."
Taoka Moichi said no more, only glanced towards the Hainan coaching bench—Takato Riki stood there, his back to them, the tactical board in his hand clutched white.
His old rival, with whom he had battled wits in the Prefectural Tournament, now even his back exuded a sense of being stretched too tight.
"Let's go, find a place to sit." Taoka Moichi turned and walked towards the stands. As he passed Sakuragi Hanamichi, he couldn't help but add, "It's good to watch—even Hainan can't hold on without their main players. If you guys dare to slack off on the court later..."
"Got it, Coach!" Sakuragi Hanamichi responded loudly, but his eyes were still fixed on the court—Rikawa was on the attack again. Sota Sasuke pushed Kosha Kazuma aside with his rear and raised his hand to put the ball in the hoop. Hainan's rookie tried to double-team but was gently blocked by Watanabe Kenji and stumbled.
With a "bang," the ball went in.
34:54.
A collective sigh of regret swept through the stands. The Ryonan players found empty seats and sat down, no one speaking anymore. The wind from the high windows blew into the gymnasium, carrying a hint of coolness.