After a brief moment of panic, Kaijo quickly regained their rhythm.
After all, Seiho's current strategy simply unleashed the full individual abilities of their players outside of Akashi Asuka. With Kise Ryouta and Akashi neutralizing each other, the gap in remaining strength between the two teams wasn't that large.
Overall, however, Seiho still held a significant advantage.
First, because of Akashi Asuka's rebounding.
Second, because of Akashi Asuka's three-point shooting.
These twin skills, one offensive, one defensive, were nearly unsolvable for Kaijo at this stage.
Holding a 50:32 lead, the teams entered the third quarter after halftime.
Even though Kaijo's dual point guard strategy had been deciphered, they didn't change tactics in the third quarter. The only adjustment was adding extra coverage to restrict Akashi's three-point attempts.
This, of course, increased pressure when facing the other four Seiho starters.
But Kaijo preferred letting the others score easily rather than giving Akashi any opportunities. After all, most of the other players' points came in twos, not threes.
Double- or triple-teaming could disrupt Akashi's three-point accuracy, since such shots demand high precision, and Akashi, unlike Aomine Daiki, couldn't maintain perfect accuracy under extreme interference.
But that was only for three-pointers.
Once Akashi drove inside, the entire paint became his domain.
No matter how many Kaijo players contested the boards, they posed zero threat to him.
As long as Seiho controlled the rebounds, they maintained their scoring advantage.
As the score slowly widened, faint murmurs began rising from the crowd.
"Kaijo and Shutoku aren't that different, are they?"
"The lead's already over 20 points… at this rate, Kaijo might collapse in the third quarter too!"
"Seiho is so strong!"
"I remember last summer, the 'Generation of Miracles' could at least match Seiho's 'Demon King.' Just a few months later, the gap has grown this large?"
·····
These comments reached the ears of Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, Midorima Shintarou, and their teammates, the Generation of Miracles.
At first, they didn't pay much attention. Being teammates of the Generation of Miracles, they knew exactly what kind of monsters they were up against.
Getting such monsters to surrender without a fight? Nearly impossible.
Yet as Seiho's lead continued to grow and Kaijo showed no response, even they began to question.
"Has Kaijo really given up?"
Himuro Tatsuya glanced at Kise Ryouta, who had yet to move meaningfully, and couldn't help but ask.
It wasn't unreasonable, based on what he knew, members of the Generation of Miracles weren't weak-minded. Yet the score gap was now approaching 25 points.
If things continued like this…even if Kaijo tried to accelerate their comeback, there would be barely any time left.
Murasakibara shook his head.
"From what I know, Kise isn't that kind of player. He joined the Generation of Miracles last, has the shortest experience, yet he still reached our level."
"So in terms of potential, Kise might actually have the highest among all of us."
"But so far, he hasn't shown his true strength. I think he's saving all his cards for the final quarter!"
·····
The same question came from the other side of the stands, from Satsuki Momoi.
"Huh? But… is that really okay? Even if Kaijo still has hidden tricks, can they really close this gap in one quarter? It seems impossible!"
"Well… it's definitely risky. But if Kise dares to do it, he must have some confidence!"
Aomine Daiki shrugged with his hands in his pockets.
"Besides, looking at the current situation, Kaijo doesn't really have many options, right?"
"True! If Kaijo can keep the gap under 25 points by the end of the third, there might still be a sliver of hope…"
Momoi clearly wanted Kise to shine over Akashi. But before her prayers were complete, Aomine interrupted again:
"No… even if the gap shrinks, Kise's chance might still be slim."
"What? But you just said he had some confidence!"
"That's right. Kise is confident in his hidden cards. But don't forget, his opponent hasn't shown their full strength either!"
Aomine continued:
"So far, Kise hasn't participated much in Kaijo's offense, he's conserving energy for the fourth quarter. But it's the same for Seiho. A twenty-point gap? If everything goes perfectly in the fourth, Kise might close it. But what if no one lets him?"
·····
BEEP~~~
With Kise Ryouta holding back on defense, Kaijo's remaining players fought desperately to keep the gap under 25 before the third quarter ended.
86:62.
This was the score frozen on the electronic scoreboard as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.
In Kaijo's bench area, sweat streamed down Yukio Kasamatsu's face like a waterfall. The other starters also panted heavily, showing extraordinary fatigue.
"Good work, Kasamatsu-senpai!"
Kise handed him a bottle of water. Kasamatsu took a sip and said,
"As your senior, I need to shoulder some of the burden. This is nothing. The final quarter… that's your turn."
"Don't worry, senpai. I've been holding back long enough."
Watching his teammates struggle while he had to hold back wasn't easy.
But for the sake of the team's plan, Kise had to endure. And now, the beast that had restrained itself for three quarters was finally about to be unleashed.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria