Two days later!
The cheers in the gymnasium almost tore off the roof. When the Ryonan and Hainan players stepped onto the court simultaneously, the tension in the air instantly became incredibly thick.
Taoka Moichi stood on the sidelines, his sharp gaze sweeping over his players—Uozumi Jun's fists were clenched, Sendoh Akira had a composed smile on his lips, and Sakuragi Hanamichi was rubbing his hands together, staring intently at the Hainan Team opposite, already prepared to rush over and compete.
Fukuda also leaned closer to Gu Jin, his brows slightly furrowed, asking Gu Jin something in a low voice, his eyes showing a mix of confusion and curiosity about the upcoming tactics.
“All of you, get your spirits up! Follow the pre-game plan, speed! Show them our fast break!” Taoka’s roar cut through the noisy crowd, clearly reaching every player’s ears.
On the Hainan Team's side, Coach Takato looked calm. Maki Shinichi patted his teammates' shoulders, his gaze, like a hawk's, locked onto Ryonan's half of the court, while Kosha Kazuma stood under the basket, his face grim, lost in thought.
The referee's whistle suddenly blew, and the jump ball began.
Uozumi Jun, using his height advantage, fiercely tipped the ball towards his own half.
Sendoh Akira, like an arrow shot from a bow, instantly snatched possession of the ball, and with hardly any pause, he accelerated and dashed across half-court.
Hainan's defenders hadn't fully positioned themselves, but Sendoh had already keenly spotted an open space—Sakuragi Hanamichi was darting in from the wing like a gust of wind!
“Sakuragi!” Sendoh shouted, a slight flick of his wrist sending the ball precisely into Sakuragi’s hands.
Sakuragi leaped up, and over the scrambling Kiyota Nobunaga, he slammed the ball into the hoop!
“Bang!” The hoop let out a dull thud, 2:0!
Ryonan's bench and the stands instantly erupted.
“This kid Sakuragi, his growth speed is truly astonishing.” Taoka Moichi stood on the sidelines, his gaze falling on the leaping red-haired figure on the court, his voice filled with unconcealed emotion.
In a fleeting moment, he suddenly recalled what Gu Jin had said back then—at that time, this red-haired kid was just a hothead, he never expected him to be such an excellent player now.
Taoka let out a soft sigh, a smile unconsciously curving his lips.
Gu Jin, and Sakuragi Hanamichi, these two young men, were truly his most unexpected and most precious gains this year.
The Hainan Team quickly inbounded the ball, and Maki Shinichi drove with it, attempting to counterattack with speed.
But Ryonan's defense was incredibly fast; Sendoh had already cut off his path, forcing Maki Shinichi to pass the ball to Muto Tadashi.
As Muto Tadashi just shot, Sakuragi Hanamichi appeared out of nowhere, swatting the ball down with a huge block!
The ball returned to Sendoh's hands. He dribbled with fluid grace, reaching the frontcourt in the blink of an eye.
Facing Takasago's block, he calmly passed the ball to the trailing Uozumi Jun, who easily made a layup, 4:0!
In just two minutes, Ryonan had unleashed a small scoring run.
And the two sharpest points on the entire team—Gu Jin and Fukuda—hadn't even taken a shot yet!
The Hainan Team was clearly stunned. Maki Shinichi frowned, waving his teammates to steady themselves.
But Ryonan's fast break surged like a tide, giving them no chance to breathe.
Sakuragi Hanamichi grabbed a defensive rebound and immediately threw it to Gu Jin in the frontcourt. Gu Jin caught the ball and shot a three-pointer; the ball arced perfectly and swished through the net! 7:0!
Maki Shinichi finally couldn't hold back, personally driving with the ball, forcing a layup to score Hainan's first points.
2:7!
As Maki Shinichi rushed back on defense, he paused when he passed Gu Jin, turning his head to give him a sharp look: “Don’t underestimate us, Hainan.”
Gu Jin didn't even lift an eyelid, his voice as flat as a thin layer of ice: “You only scored one point, what’s there to be proud of?”
His words were like cold water splashed on a newly ignited spark. Maki Shinichi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He said no more, turning and quickening his pace.
Gu Jin watched his retreating figure, his fingertips slowly clenching at his side—this game had only just begun.
The Ryonan Team inbounded the ball in the backcourt.
Sakuragi Hanamichi grabbed the ball and flung it to Gu Jin in the frontcourt like he was throwing a shot put.
As Gu Jin received the ball, Kiyota Nobunaga was frantically rushing back on defense. Gu Jin promptly passed the ball to Fukuda, who was cutting in from the other side.
When Fukuda received the ball, he faced Muto Tadashi's defense. He suddenly accelerated and changed direction, forcefully squeezing through a gap, then soared into the paint and, over the scrambling Takasago, slammed the ball into the hoop! 9:2!
Upon landing, Fukuda even gave Takasago a deliberate glare, and the cheers from Ryonan's bench almost tore off the roof.
“You brat, dare to glare at me?” Kosha Kazuma's face darkened.
“Takasago, don’t mind him!” Maki Shinichi patted Takasago’s shoulder.
Maki Shinichi dribbled the ball up, continuously using crossover dribbles to try and shake off Sendoh, but Sendoh stuck to him tightly.
He glanced sideways and suddenly passed the ball to Jin Soichiro on the baseline. As the sharpshooter was about to shoot, Gu Jin, like a ghost, darted out from diagonally behind him, his fingertips lightly flicking the ball from underneath—the ball was dislodged!
After stealing the ball, Gu Jin immediately turned and threw a long pass to Fukuda, who had already sprinted to the frontcourt.
When Fukuda received the ball, there was no one in front of him. He slowed down, deliberately pausing for half a second under the basket, and only when Kiyota Nobunaga rushed over, he deftly made a layup! 11:2!
Coach Takato stomped his foot hard on the sidelines: “The defensive speed is too slow!”
The Hainan Team inbounded the ball. Maki Shinichi took the ball, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp. He signaled to his teammates, and Jin Soichiro, Kiyota Nobunaga, and others immediately spread out to the sidelines, creating space for Maki Shinichi to drive down the middle.
“Sendoh, this time I’ll take you on.” Maki Shinichi lowered his center of gravity, and his dribbling rhythm suddenly sped up, a series of dazzling crossovers.
Sendoh Akira maintained a half-step distance, his eyes locked firmly on the ball, his footwork as steady as if rooted to the ground.
Suddenly, Maki Shinichi accelerated to the left, seemingly about to shake off Sendoh. He then abruptly changed direction and pulled back, the basketball dancing nimbly on his fingertips, attempting to throw off Sendoh's balance.
Sendoh was indeed unbalanced, his body tilting slightly. Maki Shinichi seized this momentary gap, breaking through from the right side like an arrow shot from a bow!
Just as he was about to get past Sendoh, a dark figure suddenly darted out from diagonally behind—it was Gu Jin!
He seemed to have anticipated the route, timing it perfectly. He extended his long arm, precisely cutting into Maki Shinichi’s dribble!
“Slap!” The ball was stolen!
After stealing the ball, Gu Jin didn't hesitate, turning and rushing towards the frontcourt.
The Hainan Team players hadn't even reacted before he had already stormed past half-court like a whirlwind.
Kiyota Nobunaga chased desperately. Seeing Gu Jin about to make a layup, in a moment of desperation, he grabbed his jersey.
But Gu Jin's momentum was too strong; using that force, he leaped even higher, slamming the ball into the hoop!
“Beep—!” The referee’s whistle blew, pointing at Kiyota Nobunaga and signaling a foul.
“Two points count, plus one free throw!”
The free throw was calmly made!
14:2!
Ryonan's bench had already erupted, Taoka Moichi excitedly waving his tactics board, his shouts almost drowning out the cheers of the entire arena.