While Fukuda's dunk still echoed in the gymnasium, Fujima Kenji bent down and picked up the basketball that had rolled to his feet.
He dribbled the ball twice, the force of his fingertips on the ball more steady than usual—unburdened by coaching duties, at this moment, his eyes only saw the court and his teammates.
"Prepare to attack!" Fujima Kenji's low shout was not loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrative power.
The Shoyo players quickly took their positions, their formation, which had been disrupted by the fast break, instantly re-established.
Fujima Kenji brought the ball past half-court, and Sendo had already stepped forward to defend him, their eyes briefly meeting in the air.
In the past, Fujima Kenji would always subconsciously survey the entire court while holding the ball, balancing tactical adjustments with offensive and defensive rhythms, but today, his steps were lighter, and his dribble was a bit wider.
With a crossover dribble followed by a behind-the-back dribble, Fujima Kenji took advantage of Sendo's slight shift in balance and suddenly accelerated to break through!
He didn't drive straight to the basket but stopped abruptly near the free-throw line, flicking his wrist. The basketball arced low and flat, accurately landing in Hasegawa's hands on the baseline.
The moment Hasegawa received the ball, Gu Jin had already rushed over, but he didn't try to score (he couldn't beat Gu Jin even if he wanted to), and with a flick of his wrist, he passed the ball back to Hanagata, who was cutting through the middle.
Hanagata attempted a hook shot over Uozumi's block, aiming to send the ball into the hoop—
However—
"Bang!"
Uozumi leaped with all his might, swatting the ball away with one hand!
But the ball didn't fly far; Nagano, who had already been lurking on the sideline, caught the rebound steadily, turned, and made a jump shot!
2:2.
Although Hasegawa and Hanagata Toru's two offensive points were thwarted, Shoyo's entire offensive possession was still fluid.
From Fujima Kenji crossing half-court to Nagano scoring, it was only a matter of a dozen seconds.
There were no unnecessary passes; each change of possession was perfectly timed to exploit gaps in Ryonan's defense, like a series of precisely interlocking gears, seamlessly fitted.
It was just that Uozumi and Gu Jin were too strong; any other team would have scored when Hasegawa received the ball.
"Good shot!" Cheers erupted from the Shoyo bench, and Takao Gi, standing courtside, nodded slightly.
In the Ryonan resting area, Taoka Moichi stroked his chin, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
He turned to Aida Hikoichi beside him and said, "Did you see clearly? This is Fujima Kenji completely unleashed."
Hikoichi nodded repeatedly, "His passes are too accurate; he didn't give us any chance to steal the ball."
"It's not just accuracy," Taoka Moichi said, pointing at Fujima Kenji, who was retreating on defense. "Before, he was both a coach and a player, always wanting to hold back, his passes were cautious, and his breakthroughs lacked ruthlessness. Now it's different—look at that crossover he just made, and the timing of his passes, he's playing purely on instinct."
Possession returned to Ryonan. After Sendo crossed half-court, he flicked his wrist and sent the ball to Gu Jin.
The moment Gu Jin received the ball, Fujima Kenji had already closed in from behind and to the side. Hasegawa and Nagano also quickly converged, forming a triangle to surround him outside the three-point line.
Just as gasps were about to erupt from the stands, Gu Jin suddenly made a wide crossover dribble, the basketball twisting on his fingertips as if glued, forcing open half an inch of space between Fujima Kenji and Hasegawa.
"Again?" Fujima Kenji gritted his teeth and moved sideways, trying to block the path, but Gu Jin's footwork was astonishingly fast. He slightly dipped his left shoulder as if to drive left, deceiving Nagano into shifting his weight. In that instant, he suddenly slammed on the brakes, his body almost parallel to the ground, and passed the ball with his right hand under Hasegawa's armpit, seemingly to Fukuda on the weak side—
The three Shoyo players instinctively leaned to the right, only to see Gu Jin sharply pull the ball back. The basketball hadn't been passed at all but was pulled to his left hand like a meteor. He used that momentum to jump, taking a shot from within the triple-team!
"What a fake!" A voice from the stands suddenly rose.
4:2.
The gymnasium instantly erupted, the roar of the crowd almost tearing off the roof.
Gu Jin brushed past Fujima Kenji as he landed. Fujima Kenji looked at his back, his eyes for the first time filled with disbelief—a triple-team, and he had actually torn through it.
Takao Gi suddenly stood up from his seat, his brows furrowed.
In that last possession, Fujima Kenji's defensive position was correct, and Hasegawa's help defense was perfectly timed, but Gu Jin was like a sharp knife, always finding cracks in the defense.
He raised his hand and looked at the timer, then decisively walked to the scorer's table: "Timeout!"
The whistle blew, and the Ryonan players gathered. Gu Jin had just taken the towel offered by Yezi when he heard Taoka Moichi's laughter: "Excellent! Keep playing like that! Let them know that even a triple-team is useless!"
In the Shoyo resting area, Takao Gi slammed the whiteboard on the table: "The double-team is ineffective." He looked at Fujima Kenji, "Gu Jin's breakthrough speed, change-of-direction rhythm, and fakes are all beyond our expectations. We can't use a triple-team anymore, or we won't be able to stop Gu Jin, and we'll give Sendo and Fukuda too many open looks."
Fujima Kenji wiped his sweat and nodded: "His core strength is terrifying; the angle of his changes of direction is simply exaggerated. He hardly decelerates when turning and can still maintain his balance."
"Switch to a zone defense," Takao Gi drew a new formation on the whiteboard. "Hanagata drops back, Takano and Nagano guard both sides of the free-throw line, Fujima Kenji, you roam for steals, and Hasegawa continues to single-cover Gu Jin—don't try to steal the ball, just stick to him."
The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.
The Shoyo Team had possession. Fujima Kenji took the ball from Takano and slowly advanced to the frontcourt. Ryonan's defense was already in position, Sendo still stood opposite him, his eyes focused.
Fujima Kenji dribbled the ball twice, then suddenly waved towards the paint.
Takano understood immediately, moving up from under the basket and running towards Fujima Kenji.
The two formed a pick-and-roll near the three-point line, Takano's massive body firmly blocking Sendo's path.
"Good screen!" someone on the Shoyo bench shouted.
Fujima Kenji used that momentary gap to quickly shift to his right, creating distance from Sendo.
Just as Gu Jin was about to step up for help defense, Hasegawa immediately stuck to him, tightly covering him—clearly, in Shoyo's new strategy, the restriction on Gu Jin remained tight.
Without the pressure of help defense, Fujima Kenji found his footing outside the three-point line. The moment he jumped, he gave a light flick of his wrist.
The basketball arced perfectly through the air, soaring over everyone's heads, and steadily dropped into the basket.
"Swish!"
The crisp sound of the net echoed, and the score became 5:4.
The Shoyo fans in the stands instantly erupted. After Fujima Kenji landed, he high-fived Takano, who was retreating on defense, a relaxed smile on his face.
The sharpness with which Gu Jin had torn through the double-team seemed to have been slightly suppressed by this three-pointer.
In the Ryonan resting area, Taoka Moichi frowned: "The quality of this pick-and-roll has improved significantly compared to before." He looked at Aida Hikoichi, "Write this down. Shoyo is adjusting its rhythm, trying to use pick-and-rolls to create shooting opportunities for Fujima Kenji."
It seems they can't stop Gu Jin, so they've decided to compete with us on offense instead?
But, in terms of offensive power, can Shoyo compete with Ryonan?
Aida Hikoichi quickly scribbled in his notebook. When he looked up, he saw Gu Jin bending down to pick up the basketball, the fighting spirit in his eyes even more intense than before.