Coach Sakaguchi tapped the tactics board and reminded his players sternly, "Aoba, when you get back on the court, control your fouls. We can't afford to lose you again."
The shift in momentum had begun the moment Aoba was taken off the court. His presence on defense was immense—like a hound patrolling the paint, constantly disrupting the opponent's offense, forcing turnovers, and creating opportunities for his teammates to strike together.
In fact, his defensive influence was even greater than that of their center, Amamiya Hideyoshi.
Coach Sakaguchi then turned to another key player. "Moroboshi, do you want to rest a bit in the second half?"
The first half had been draining for Moroboshi Dai. He had carried the offense on his shoulders—initiating, organizing, and often finishing the plays himself. In that sense, he was strikingly similar to Shohoku's Tsuchiya Atsushi.
"It's fine. I can still go on," Moroboshi replied with a faint smile. Rising from his seat, he added firmly, "We're only down by five points. That margin means nothing. What matters now is tightening our defense. Don't think that just because Aoba's back, he can handle everything by himself."
The players exchanged awkward glances, slightly embarrassed—because that was exactly what many of them had been thinking.
Moroboshi had read their minds. It was an old habit of Aiwa Academy—to rely too much on a single defensive pillar. But this was the knockout stage; one loss and their season was over. He had to break that mindset now.
Coach Sakaguchi nodded in agreement. "Moroboshi's right. Everyone must give more on defense. Also—keep an eye on Shohoku's #13. That kid's drives have caused us too much trouble."
Amamiya Hideyoshi raised a hand. "So, should we switch to a zone defense?"
Egawa Tatsuhoshi frowned. "But Shohoku's outside shooting is deadly. That might backfire…"
Coach Sakaguchi paused in thought, then said, "Let's stick with man-to-man for now. But when the game reaches a critical stretch, we'll suddenly switch to a zone. That way, Shohoku—and that #13—won't have time to adjust."
That plan sounded reasonable. Everyone nodded in agreement.
The halftime break ended, and both teams' starting players slowly returned to the court.
"Eh? Brother's sitting out again?" Haruko asked, a little worried. In such an important game, she believed Akagi's presence on the court would give Shohoku a better chance at victory.
Yohei thought for a moment before replying, "The gorilla probably needs a breather. The game's been so intense—he wouldn't last the whole second half without rest."
Most spectators agreed. Though both teams had been shooting well, the level of physical contact was high, and the key players were clearly exhausted.
Kiyota squinted. "Miyagi's in, and Nango's playing center? Shohoku's average height dropped a lot. Aiwa should definitely attack inside, right?"
Maki nodded. "That's possible. But Nango's physical ability is no joke. If Aiwa tries to target him, they might not find it so easy."
Coach Kouzu said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on Coach Anzai. He couldn't be sure, but if he were in Anzai's shoes, he would've made the same lineup change.
At center court, Nango and Amamiya Hideyoshi prepared for the tip-off. The referee tossed the ball upward, and the final 20 minutes of the game began.
Despite Amamiya's longer wingspan, Nango's explosive jump won him the tip easily, sending the ball to Miyagi.
Yet Miyagi didn't initiate Shohoku's offense right away. Instead, he quickly passed it back to Nango.
Amamiya, who had been about to retreat into the paint, suddenly had to stay near the perimeter to guard him.
The audience soon noticed something unusual—no one was occupying the space below the free-throw line.
It was as if both teams had silently agreed to leave the paint empty. But those who had watched Shohoku's match against Toyotama High knew exactly what was happening: Shohoku was about to turn the game into a full-on sprint.
Aside from Mitsui waiting quietly in the corner, Rukawa, Sakuragi, and Miyagi all burst into motion, each trying to shake off their defenders and cut inside.
Eventually, Rukawa found his chance—slashing through the right wing at a 45-degree angle.
Amamiya extended his long arms to contest, but his footwork lagged behind. At that moment, Nango shifted slightly to the side, clearing a perfect passing lane.
He fired the pass to Rukawa, who caught it cleanly and scored with a smooth layup.
Coach Sakaguchi frowned deeply. "Even though it's just one basket, Shohoku's offense is way too simple! They just charge in, pass, and lay it up. Is this basketball or a training drill?"
He wasn't without countermeasures—he could switch to zone defense immediately. But they had agreed to save that for critical moments.
If he used it now, Shohoku might adapt—and then they'd have nothing left to surprise them with.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to observe a few more possessions first.
"Moroboshi! Over here!"
Amamiya Hideyoshi called loudly from near the paint, signaling for the ball.
Nango stood behind him, one hand pressed against his back, the other raised high, ready to block any move.
Amamiya tried to back him down, but to his surprise, he couldn't budge Nango at all. He was still stuck near the edge of the paint.
Can this guy really play center? he thought, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
He had underestimated Nango earlier, but now he could feel the difference. He pushed again, harder this time—but still got nowhere.
Just as he was about to turn and shoot, Moroboshi suddenly spread his hands and shouted, "Amamiya! Kick it out!"
Seeing Amamiya struggling, Moroboshi knew he couldn't keep feeding him anymore. Winning the game was more important than keeping a teammate's morale up.
Reluctantly, Amamiya passed the ball out to Fukuoka Yuji.
Fukuoka looked left and right, searching for an opening. None of his teammates had a clean one-on-one, and the shot clock was already down to thirteen seconds—they had to act fast.
Moroboshi, tightly guarded by Rukawa, suddenly cut backdoor. Using Amamiya's screen, he slipped along the baseline.
"Nango!" Sakuragi shouted in warning.
"Got it!" Nango yelled. "Sakuragi! Follow him!"
Sakuragi reacted instantly, springing forward to chase after Moroboshi.
Up in the stands, Coach Kouzu smiled faintly and opened his folding fan.
"Just as I thought," he murmured.
"Coach?" Maki and Kiyota looked at him in confusion.
"Keep watching," Kouzu said, leaning back as the glare of his glasses flashed white. "The outcome will become clear very soon."
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