After the game, news of Ryonan's overwhelming 148–47 victory over Ippon Nari — a staggering 101-point difference — spread through the Kanagawa high school basketball scene like a sudden storm.
Major basketball forums, newspapers, and magazines exploded with headlines. Basketball forums were flooded with heated discussions.
"Again? Ryonan won by another hundred points?"
"No way — is this year's Ryonan really that strong?"
"I watched the game. The only suspense was during the first three-point exchange. After that? Total domination."
This time, though, Ryonan's win felt different from their previous ones.
Ippon Nari wasn't a top-tier powerhouse, but they were a solid team — a legitimate top-16 contender who had defeated several strong opponents in the regional preliminaries. Beating them wasn't unexpected.
But crushing them by 100 points? That was another story.
Teams like Ippon Nari usually had grit — the kind that refused to crumble, even when trailing by a large margin. Among the current top-eight schools, not even the best could achieve such a decisive victory.
But Ryonan did.
Even Kainan University Affiliated High School, the reigning champion, usually won by fifty or sixty points at most. Shoyo, on the other hand, focused on control and precision, rarely putting up such exaggerated scorelines.
Yet this year, Ryonan's performance was shocking everyone.
Judging by their scores alone, they were now unquestionably the team to beat in Kanagawa.
For weeks, Ryonan's name was on everyone's lips — even surpassing the fame of Kainan and Shoyo. Their dominance seemed unstoppable.
They bulldozed through their remaining matches, dismantling every team that stood in their way. Each victory brought both awe and disbelief.
Sixth Game — Ryonan High vs. Shida High
This match once again showcased Ryonan's absolute dominance.
They obliterated Shida High 176–15, setting both the highest single-game score and the largest winning margin since the start of the preliminaries.
Then came the seventh game, where Ryonan's streak of 100-point blowouts finally ended.
Their opponent was Kamakura High, a top-eight team from last year featuring two players over 190 cm. Their height and defense slowed Ryonan's offensive rhythm and created genuine pressure.
Even so, Ryonan prevailed — 111– 53.
Kamakura became the first top-eight team to be crushed in this year's tournament.
The result sent shockwaves through the basketball community.
If even Kamakura — one of the strongest — could be dismantled by 50+ points, what hope did the rest have?
The remaining top-eight schools began urgently re-evaluating their strategies for the inevitable clash against Ryonan.
With that win, Ryonan became the first team to officially advance to the top 16.
Meanwhile, the other districts were still battling fiercely for their remaining spots:
District A:
Kainan University Affiliated High School – Advanced
Odagiri High – Advanced
Takenozono Academy – Advanced
Sarashina High – Advanced
District B:
Shoyo High – Advanced
Miuradai High – Advanced
Tsukubu High – Advanced
Shohoku High – Advanced
District C:
Ryonan High – Advanced
Nanbara High – Advanced
Mokuji High – Advanced
Uchimura Daini – Advanced
District D:
Takezato High – Advanced
Kusaka High – Advanced
Kasuga Daiichi – Advanced
Daihoku High – Advanced
These sixteen teams made up this year's Kanagawa Top 16 — and from the very start, the atmosphere felt different.
For one, the number of participating schools had skyrocketed.
In previous years, barely over a hundred schools took part.
This year? More than two hundred and sixty had registered — including many brand-new programs formed in response to Japan's growing basketball fever.
The surge created a massive shake-up.
Only about half of last year's top 16 teams managed to hold their ground. The rest were replaced by rising newcomers — hungry, fearless, and determined to make their mark.
Names like Odagiri, Sarashina, Nanbara, Mokuji, Uchimura Daini, Kusaka, Daihoku, and Kasuga Daiichi — once obscure — had now muscled their way into the spotlight, toppling long-standing powerhouses in the process.
This year's tournament also brought a major rule change.
Traditionally, after reaching the top 16, teams played a single-elimination format until the top four, followed by a round-robin final.
But this time, the organizers introduced a "Top 16 Re-Ranking" system — designed to increase suspense, balance strong and weak matchups, and give rising teams more exposure.
The new rankings would be revealed in three days.
That meant every top-16 team, both veteran and newcomer alike, had a brief but crucial three-day window — for rest, recovery, and tactical preparation.
Three Days Later — Ryonan High Gymnasium
The gym was unusually quiet.
No echo of bouncing balls.
No sharp shouts from Coach Taoka.
Only the soft sound of stretching bands and the dull thump of light footwork drills.
The schedule had been grueling, and Ake had intentionally avoided high-intensity training. Everyone was using the downtime to rest — and wait.
Suddenly—
Bang! The gym door burst open, and a gust of cool air swept in.
Aida Hikoichi came running in, panting, clutching a rolled-up sheet of paper. His face was flushed with excitement.
"It's out! The top 16 re-ranking is out!" he shouted breathlessly.
Instantly, every player turned toward him.
Aida rushed to the announcement board and slapped the paper onto it. The team swarmed forward.
"The organizers must've done this on purpose," Aida said, still catching his breath.
"They split up last year's top-four teams into different groups."
Akei's sharp gaze locked onto the list:
Group A:
Kainan University Affiliated High School
Sarashina High
Kusaka High
Daihoku High
Group B:
Shoyo High
Kasuga Daiichi
Kakuno High
Odagiri High
Group C:
Ryonan High
Miuradai High
Takenozono Academy
Tsukubu High
Group D:
Takezato High
Mokuji High
Nanbara High
Shohoku High
"As expected, they separated the top four," Koshino Hiroaki muttered, arms folded.
Ikegami Ryoji nodded. "Yeah, they're saving the excitement for later rounds — keeping the heavyweights apart to build suspense."
But Uekusa Tomoyuki frowned. "Hold on... why does our group look like a death zone? Group C is stacked with strong teams!"
Everyone leaned in again — and the more they looked, the more it seemed true.
The other groups had plenty of unfamiliar names. But Group C was packed with powerhouses.
Was this deliberate? Were the organizers targeting Ryonan?
Ake didn't seem to care. To him, it didn't matter who stood across the court.
Aida Hikoichi scratched his head. "Uh… maybe it's because we were too eye-catching? Four straight 100-point wins, plus that 150-point game — hard not to attract attention."
Koshino grinned. "Doesn't matter. We'll just beat whoever's in front of us."
"Wait, there's more," Aida said, raising a hand. "This time, the organizers changed the format — the top 16 will use a round-robin instead of single elimination."
He continued, "So, each team in a group will play at least two games."
The players murmured among themselves, debating strategies and possible matchups.
Ake silently studied Group C again.
Miuradai. Takenozono. Tsukubu.
The names stirred faint memories. In the original anime timeline, they were all Shohoku's opponents.
He wasn't surprised — only thoughtful.
Then his gaze drifted toward Group D.
Mokuji. Nanbara.
Unfamiliar names — likely new forces born from this year's chaos.
And Takezato— a team that, in the original story, lost to Ryonan in the semifinals.
A faint smile touched Ake's lips.
"A round-robin, huh? Interesting…"
His mismatched eyes gleamed — calm, deep, and unreadable.