"Hei Huang!" Tsuchiya Jun meaningfully nodded his chin towards Hei Huang.
Hei Huang nodded.
As Tsuchiya Jun dribbled past half-court, his fingertips tapped a light rhythm on the ball's surface.
He wasn't in a hurry to break through; instead, he patted the top of his head with his left hand—that was Daiei's signal, practiced countless times.
Hei Huang immediately moved horizontally from the free-throw line towards the three-point line, his broad shoulders intentionally bumping Gu Jin.
This wasn't a foul, but it shifted Gu Jin's defensive position by half an inch.
"Sakuragi, did you see Hei Huang's move?" Taoka Moichi tapped the edge of the tactics board with his finger, his gaze fixed on Hei Huang, who was boxing out on the court. "That guy's moves are very big, but he can precisely control the edge of a foul.
Moreover, his core strength is not something ordinary people can compare to; when he bumped Gu Jin just now, his shoulder felt as heavy as if it were loaded with lead weights."
Sakuragi tightened his grip on the towel, and beads of sweat from his temple dripped onto the floor: "I know! My arm went numb when he bumped me during the rebound—that guy is a wild bull!"
Taoka glanced at him, then suddenly patted his shoulder: "Even wild bulls have weaknesses. He's slow to start, and his center of gravity is low; every time he boxes out, he'll first bend his knees to gather strength." He drew a circle on the tactics board with chalk, "Next time, get half a step ahead of him, wrap around in front of him, and use your momentum to occupy the position first. If he tries to squeeze you then, he'll have to commit a foul."
Sakuragi's eyes lit up: "Half a step ahead? Like my 'Sakuragi-style prediction' when I'm grabbing offensive rebounds?"
"Stop being so conceited," Taoka cursed, but the corners of his mouth relaxed slightly. "Remember, don't wait for him to stand firm before you challenge him; move the instant he lifts his heel—boxing out isn't about strength, it's about timing."
Sakuragi nodded emphatically, miming a boxing-out motion on his knee, his eyes fixed on Hei Huang on the court—now he knew how to deal with this "wild bull."
Just when the audience thought Hei Huang was going to box out for the ball, he suddenly turned, blocking Ikegami like a moving wall!
"It's a pick-and-roll!" The commentator's voice echoed through the stadium.
Ikegami was solidly screened by Hei Huang, his steps faltering for half a second. In that half-second gap, Tsuchiya Jun had already slipped through the pick-and-roll like an eel—he didn't drive straight into the paint but stopped short near the free-throw line, flipping his wrist to lob the ball towards the basket.
Hei Huang, having just completed the screen, effortlessly snagged the airborne pass and turned to muscle his way towards the basket.
Uozumi immediately lowered his shoulder and pushed up against him, the dull thud of their colliding muscles audible even from the stands.
But Hei Huang didn't force it this time; he suddenly dipped his wrist, and the basketball slipped out from under Uozumi's armpit—Tsuchiya Jun had, at some point, circled to the other baseline, his toes just inside the three-point line as he caught the ball, jumping and shooting in one fluid motion.
"Swish!"
The basketball swished through the net. 60:49.
The Daiei bench erupted instantly, the coach finally releasing his grip on the tactics board and slamming it down on the table.
Daiei fans in the stands stomped their feet, holding up their cheering sticks, the roar almost lifting the roof: "Tsuchiya! Hei Huang! One more!"
As Hei Huang ran back to half-court, he specifically glanced at Gu Jin, a hint of satisfaction from having just scored showing on his lips.
Gu Jin ignored him, simply raising his hand to high-five Sendo, saying softly as their fingertips met: "They've started running pick-and-rolls; watch Hei Huang's screening timing."
Sendo spun the basketball and smiled: "Perfect, let's show them our new trick."
After Ryonan inbounded the ball, Sendo slowly advanced with possession.
He didn't directly look for Gu Jin as usual; instead, he drove towards the paint. Just as he was about to run into Ben Wallace's defense, he suddenly executed a behind-the-back dribble, passing the ball back to Ikegami on the perimeter.
Ikegami paused when he received the ball—he rarely had ball-handling opportunities.
But Taoka's instruction to "block the route" was still ringing in his ears, so he didn't hesitate, flipping his wrist to lob the ball to Uozumi under the basket.
As Uozumi was about to turn, Hei Huang and Ben Wallace had already rushed over, the two again boxing out under the basket, elbows bumping with creaking sounds.
Just then, Gu Jin suddenly slipped from the baseline to the free-throw line. Uozumi understood, flicking his wrist to pass the ball over.
Hei Huang wanted to defend, but Uozumi used his weight to pin him behind him, Uozumi dragging down the defense to create an open shot for Gu Jin.
In truth, Uozumi's individual ability was not on par with Akagi Takenori, but in terms of team cooperation, Akagi was actually not as good as Uozumi.
Uozumi was a center content to be a supporting player.
Hei Huang let out a low growl of frustration, struggling to turn, but Uozumi's arm locked around his waist like an iron clamp.
When Gu Jin received the ball, the space in front of him was clear. He didn't rush to shoot; instead, he faked a pass to Sendo, tricking Ben Wallace into moving towards the baseline. Then, with a slight flick of his wrist, the basketball grazed Ben Wallace's fingertips and flew into the hoop.
"It's Gu Jin again! 62:49!" The commentator's voice was filled with excitement. "Ryonan's teamwork is interlocking like gears!"
The Ryonan bench instantly erupted; Uekusa jumped up, waving his towel, almost knocking over Shimamura Yoko next to him.
Yoko quickly steadied her cheering stick, her cheeks flushed as she waved towards the court, beads of sweat on her hair sparkling under the lights—Gu Jin seemed to have glanced her way when he passed the ball.
Daiei's offensive possession quickly arrived.
As Tsuchiya Jun dribbled, he suddenly made a cross-hand gesture towards Hei Huang.
This time, Hei Huang didn't set a screen; instead, he suddenly popped out to the three-point line.
Gu Jin instinctively followed him out, and the paint instantly became largely empty.
"Not good!" Taoka stomped his foot in frustration on the sideline.
The moment Gu Jin's center of gravity shifted out of the paint, Tsuchiya Jun suddenly accelerated, breaking past Ikegami and driving straight to the basket.
Uozumi was about to help defend when he saw Hei Huang suddenly charging back from the three-point line—he wasn't going to shoot at all, but was using the "pop out" to draw Gu Jin away, then cutting back into the paint with a reverse run!
This was Tsuchiya and Hei Huang's hidden killer move from the first half: first, Hei Huang fakes a pop-out to attract the defense, then suddenly cuts back to receive a pass from the drive. Tsuchiya Jun stopped short at the edge of the paint, flicked his wrist, and the basketball landed steadily in Hei Huang's hands.
Hei Huang was already airborne when he received the ball. Uozumi's block was half a beat late, and he could only watch as Hei Huang slammed the ball into the hoop.
"Slam!"
The dull thud of the basketball hitting the hoop was mixed with the deafening cheers of the Daiei fans: "Hei Huang! What a dunk!"
Hei Huang heavily thumped his chest as he landed, sweat dripping from his chin onto the floor.
He turned to look at Gu Jin, his eyes now devoid of contempt, only undisguised fighting spirit: "That last shot was a return gift."
Gu Jin tugged at his sweat-soaked jersey and suddenly smiled. "Looks like they're getting serious—then we shouldn't hold back either."
Sendo's fingers stopped spinning the ball, the smile in his eyes turning into a sharp glint.
He glanced towards the sideline; Taoka was giving them a thumbs-up, shouting, "That's it!"
The next second, Sendo suddenly accelerated as he advanced with the ball, like a white lightning bolt streaking across Daiei's half-court.
He didn't look for a screen; instead, he directly changed direction against Tsuchiya Jun's defense, the basketball fluttering like a living thing at his fingertips.
Tsuchiya Jun was about to block his path when Sendo flipped his wrist, throwing the ball diagonally backward—
Gu Jin had, at some point, circled out to the three-point line. His toes had just landed when Hei Huang's defense arrived.
But this time, Gu Jin didn't fake; instead, he jumped directly, his body leaning back slightly in the air, and with a sharp flick of his wrist at the highest point!
The basketball arced high, soared over Hei Huang's fingertips, cut through the clamorous noise, and steadily dropped into the hoop.
"Swish!"
65:51.
The moment the three-pointer swished, the Ryonan bench had already erupted.
Shimamura Yoko jumped up, cheering stick in hand, her hair tie shaking loose, but she only cared about shouting towards the court: "Gu Jin! Great shot!"
As Gu Jin landed, his gaze met Sendo's, and both smiled simultaneously.
On Daiei's half-court, Tsuchiya Jun was patting Hei Huang's shoulder, saying, "It's okay," while Hei Huang nodded with pursed lips, his hands quietly clenching—this contest was just getting to its most interesting point.
Spectators in the stands had already risen, some holding "Go Ryonan" signs, others shouting "Daiei counterattack," the roar crashing back and forth like a tide in the stadium.
The referee glanced at Daiei's head coach, Morita Masanobu, who was walking over, and raised his hand to signal a timeout—but everyone knew that once the timeout ended, this game would only get crazier.