"Hey… am I dreaming? This is too exaggerated, isn't it?"
"Have high school students become this good now?"
Maki and Sendo's breathtaking duel left the audience stunned. Many began to wonder if they had bought tickets to the wrong game—this didn't feel like high school basketball at all.
To win, both gave everything they had. Their coaches and teammates could do little but watch.
Maki's bulldozing drives were unstoppable—every attack drew a foul from Ryonan.
Sendo's silky shooting never faltered—each jumper left Kainan speechless.
Every time Maki scored, Sendo immediately answered back. Back and forth, the score climbed: 46–59. If Maki made his free throw, Kainan would cut the deficit to 12 points.
Though the gap wasn't shrinking dramatically, Maki had already forced Sugadaira to foul out and pushed Uozumi to the brink with four fouls—just one more mistake would bench Ryonan's anchor.
Coach Taoka sent in Uekusa to replace Sugadaira, hoping to relieve some pressure on Sendo and stabilize ball movement.
Sugadaira walked to the bench with his head down, crushed. Coach Taoka patted him firmly on the back.
"Don't be sad. Hold your head high. You played well. Leave the rest to Sendo and the others."
"Coach…" Sugadaira nodded, but his disappointment lingered. Instead of sitting, he stood with his teammates on the sideline, cheering at the top of his lungs.
Maki stepped to the line, sank the free throw, and wiped the scratches crisscrossing his arms. His sacrifices were paying off—Ryonan's defense was no longer ironclad without Uozumi's bodyguard.
Uekusa inbounded, but Kiyota immediately hounded him with full-court pressure.
Kiyota, unlike Maki, lacked shooting skill. Against Uozumi under the basket, he had struggled all game. But with Uekusa on the floor, he finally smelled opportunity.
Why is this guy like a mad dog?!
Uekusa hunched low, desperately shielding the ball from Kiyota's relentless defense. Somehow, he managed to cross half court and lob a pass toward Sendo.
But Kiyota lunged forward again, forcing Uekusa to release the ball with too much arc.
Chance!
Maki darted in, intercepting mid-air. Sendo quickly cut him off, stopping a fast break. But Maki flicked the ball to the side.
"It's Jin!" the crowd roared.
Ikegami moved to contest, but Soichiro Jin ignored him, firing a long pass downcourt to Kiyota.
Kiyota sprinted with everything he had. Uekusa gave up contesting the lob and retreated to protect the paint.
Kiyota caught the ball cleanly. Two choices—drive straight at Uekusa or wait for support.
His decision? I'll do it myself!
I can't just keep relying on Maki!
He launched from the dashed line—
"This kid can really jump!" a spectator gasped.
Uekusa leapt too, but his height was no match. Kiyota dunked over him, and both crashed to the floor.
"Beep!" A blocking foul—on Uekusa!
"Kiyota!"
"Uekusa!"
Both benches rushed to check on them. Uekusa, who hadn't jumped high, was fine, only clutching his chest. Kiyota sat up slowly, his headband gone, long hair loose, a thin line of blood dripping from his temple.
Maki crouched beside him. "Kiyota, you alright?"
Kiyota forced a smile. "Maki, I… did well, didn't I?"
Maki blinked, then smiled back, ruffling his hair.
"Ah! That hurts!"
"Silly kid… you did great."
At only 178 cm, dunking over Uekusa (170 cm) wasn't as shocking as Nango's poster earlier in the tournament. But Kiyota's determination, his refusal to back down, left a mark on everyone watching.
"Yaru…"
"Kiyota…"
Even Sakuragi and Rukawa, who normally couldn't stand Kiyota's arrogance, couldn't help but respect him now.
After the bleeding was stopped, Kiyota bricked his free throw, but Kosuge grabbed the rebound over Fukuda, giving Kainan another chance.
Akagi frowned. "Fukuda's defense… he shouldn't have lost that board."
"Exactly," Mitsui agreed. "Ryonan's getting sloppy. Kainan's chance has come."
But to truly turn the tide, Kainan needed more than grit—they needed Jin.
Nango's gaze shifted to Soichiro Jin, still locked up by Ikegami.
Five minutes left. Ten-point game. Maki's heart steadied—the momentum was finally shifting.
Maki gestured for Takasago to set a screen. His eyes burned with one goal: force Uozumi out.
"Uozumi, don't bite!" Coach Taoka shouted desperately from the bench.
But Maki charged straight at Uozumi.
"Uozumi! Don't you want to take our ticket to Nationals? Then stop me!"
Uozumi froze. He couldn't risk another foul. He stepped aside, and Maki scored with ease.
Sakuragi's jaw dropped. "Oh?! Monkey Boss just let him through!"
Akagi sighed. "When it's Maki… sometimes that's the only option."
Coach Taoka exhaled in relief. "As long as Uozumi stays on the floor, we're still in control."
"Damn it…" Uozumi clenched his fists, seething. But for the team's future, he endured.
"Don't worry. Stay calm—the game's still ours." Sendo patted his captain's shoulder.
Hearing that, Uozumi's frustration eased. "You're right. I won't lose it now."
Sendo smiled faintly, stealing a glance at the scoreboard. Eight points, huh…
Akagi, watching from the stands, murmured, "I didn't expect Uozumi to show such restraint. Not like him at all."
Nango chuckled. "Of course. With Nationals on the line, even he knows he has to endure."
The others nodded. In that situation, they knew they'd do the same.
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