Seiho's formation remained unchanged in the second half.
No adjustments were necessary. Against players like Seirin, the best strategy was to respond to any change with consistency.
"They're stubborn to an unbelievable degree… Now I think I understand why Akashi values you guys so much."
As the latter half of the third quarter progressed, even Seiho, known for their exceptional stamina, began to show signs of fatigue in this grueling contest.
Seirin, however, though breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, managed to keep pace through sheer willpower.
Omuro Yoshikasu dribbled the ball, glancing at Hyuga Junpei. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Don't forget there are two more round-robin games tomorrow. If you drain your energy now, will one night's rest really be enough?"
Hyuga waved him off. "Stop nagging. If you can't even beat us, what's the point of tomorrow?"
Omuro shook his head. "You need to face reality. I admit Seirin has improved several tiers since last year, but so have we. You've already exhausted all your tricks, what trump card do you still have?"
"Trump card…"
At this, Hyuga lowered his head and let out a strange, almost mischievous smile. Omuro frowned, confused.
Then Hyuga suddenly lifted his head. "Don't underestimate Seirin. Our game is just starting now!"
"Victory isn't won with words alone, it's earned through skill!"
Omuro didn't respond. He accelerated his dribble, exploiting a brief distraction from Hyuga to break through on the right side.
Because of the switched defensive assignments, Hyuga's usual guard skills alone shouldn't have stopped Seiho's power forward.
Yet this time…
The outcome changed. As soon as Omuro burst forward, he was shocked to see Hyuga seemingly predicting his every move, shadowing him perfectly.
"What?"
Omuro's mind raced. He executed a behind-the-back crossover and spun left, accelerating once more.
Yet Hyuga matched him again.
"This… how is this possible?"
"Omuro can't get through?!"
Seiho's other players stared in disbelief. Normally, any competent defender could slow Omuro; he wasn't a nationwide star.
Seiho was a defensive powerhouse. Their seniors, Iwamura and Kasuga, had easily contained Omuro in previous national tournaments.
But now his opponent was Hyuga Junpei, a shooting guard, primarily an outside scorer. By all logic, he shouldn't be able to stop Omuro.
"Who is this guy?"
The sudden, unforeseen resistance left Omuro momentarily panicked. Multiple attempts to break through failed as Hyuga seemed to anticipate every move flawlessly.
"Damn it…"
With the 24-second shot clock nearing its end, Omuro passed inside to Iwamura.
The moment he did, Hyuga, as if reading the play in advance, swatted the pass away.
"Finally, he's distracted!"
Hyuga grabbed the ball and launched it across the court.
"Counterattack!"
Seirin accelerated toward Seiho's basket. The defenders were a step behind; by the time they reached the paint, Seirin had already breached the key.
Shun Izuki carried the ball to the hoop, facing Kasuga's attempt to block. A clever between-the-legs dribble plus burst of speed let him slip past with ease.
"Impossible…"
Kasuga, seeing Izuki dart past, froze in disbelief.
The next obstacle: Akashi.
Izuki tried a few quick moves, focusing on Akashi's feet, but to no avail. With a powerful bounce pass, the ball curved in midair, traveling across the court from one baseline to the other, nearly 12 meters, almost spanning the entire court.
On the opposite baseline, Hyuga caught the pass and immediately shot. This time, even Akashi couldn't reach him.
SWISH!
Seirin scored. The score tightened to 46–36.
============
"We did it!"
"Finally broke through Akashi's defense!"
"Just 10 points behind, and a quarter and a half left, there's hope!"
The crowd erupted, but the most ecstatic were Seirin's bench players and Aida Riko. This wasn't a mere catch-up; for the first time, they could genuinely see a path to victory.
From the stands, Yukio Kasamatsu rested his chin on his hand, astonished at Seirin's surge. "Hmm… clever, Seirin."
"Why do you say that, senpai?"
"Did you notice their attack placement just now?"
Kise Ryouta thought for a moment. "They targeted the baseline… rather unusual for them."
"Exactly. Normally, with Akashi at the paint, any attack from any angle falls within his defensive range. But Seirin cleverly used the baseline as a lure, then, with Kuroko's pass, launched the attack from the other side, effectively doubling the distance Akashi had to cover."
"Even his height and speed couldn't reach in time. But…"
Kasamatsu paused, then added, "That's just a clever trick. What really surprised me was their one-on-one, one-break combination, that wasn't just cleverness."
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