Seeing this, Reo Mibuchi smiled.
"Superstitious kid, you're out of options now, aren't you? We're not going to let you catch the ball so easily."
Shintaro Midorima adjusted his glasses, his expression calm as ever.
"You think I'm out of options?"
Reo Mibuchi shot back:
"Oh? You still have something left?"
Shintaro Midorima turned and met his gaze.
"Don't you know? Right now, the air is my home court."
Reo Mibuchi froze for a moment, then suddenly realized something and shouted:
"Kotaro! Cut him off!"
But it was already too late.
Shintaro Midorima exploded upward from where he stood.
At the same time, Kazunari Takao lofted the ball high into the air.
Reo Mibuchi and Kotaro Hayama could only look up as Midorima caught the pass midair.
After securing the ball, Midorima landed smoothly. Holding it, he said:
"So, do you still think you can stop me?"
With that, he jumped again on the spot, going straight into his shooting form.
Kotaro Hayama and Reo Mibuchi clenched their teeth and leaped after him.
But they had no way of stopping the shot.
Right now, Shintaro Midorima was practically unstoppable.
As long as the ball reached his hands, it was guaranteed points.
Swish!
Three points.
39–42.
Kotaro Hayama scratched his head, looking uncomfortable.
"Man… we really can't stop him. If this keeps up, we can't keep going for twos."
Reo Mibuchi nodded.
"Yeah. If we keep settling for twos, we'll just end up like frogs in boiling water."
Kotaro Hayama replied:
"Then it's all on you now, Reo."
Reo Mibuchi gave a small nod.
"Yeah. But I'll need your help too… help me keep that superstitious kid in check."
...
Possession switched.
Rakuzan ball.
As soon as Rakuzan's point guard crossed half-court, he passed to Reo Mibuchi.
The moment Reo Mibuchi caught it, Kotaro Hayama stepped in to set a screen.
Using the screen, Mibuchi created space, took a step back, and rose for a shot.
Kiyoshi Miyaji rushed over to contest.
But this wasn't an ordinary shot. It was [Heaven].
There was no way Miyaji could stop it.
Just like that, the game fell into a stalemate.
Reo Mibuchi and Shintaro Midorima traded three after three.
There were no other breakthroughs. The match had turned into a pure three-point duel.
Rakuzan couldn't stop Midorima's solo threes.
And Shūtoku couldn't break Rakuzan's pick-and-roll offense.
The second quarter ended with the score still tied.
66–66.
Halftime.
Both teams headed back to the locker rooms.
...
While the players rested, conversations continued off the court.
Over at the Kirisaki Daiichi side,
Atsushi Murasakibara kept munching on potato chips, with a whole bag of snacks piled at his feet.
Throughout the first half, his mouth never stopped moving.
Shogo Haizaki chewed his gum, blew a bubble, then popped it.
"Looks like this game's all about who cracks first. Whoever slips up loses."
"But under normal circumstances, Midorima shouldn't miss, right?"
Shuzo Nijimura stroked his chin.
"No. There's another factor that will decide this game."
"Stamina."
Makoto Hanamiya said:
"Reo's stamina probably can't compare to Midorima's."
Shuzo Nijimura suddenly laughed.
"Of course not. Midorima has already trained himself to that level. What is Mibuchi supposed to use to compete with him in stamina?"
"But even if Mibuchi runs out of gas, Rakuzan probably still has a plan."
Shogo Haizaki frowned.
"Huh? No way. Rakuzan can't even stop Midorima."
Shuzo Nijimura smiled mysteriously.
"They can't stop Midorima himself."
"But what if they stop the one passing to him, Takao?"
"The rest of Shūtoku don't have that kind of precision in their passes."
...
Rakuzan locker room.
Eiji Shirogane glanced at the tactics board in his hand, then spoke:
"In the second half, Reo and Chihiro Mayuzumi will double-team Midorima."
"Kotaro, you'll guard Shūtoku's point guard one-on-one."
"Remember, Kotaro. I want you to shut him down completely. If possible, blind those 'eyes' of his."
Kotaro Hayama grinned, showing his sharp teeth.
"Don't worry, Coach. I'll lock him down."
"After all, I want to see what an hawk does without its 'eyes'."
Eiji Shirogane nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
He then turned to Eikichi Nebuya.
"Eikichi, the paint is yours. I trust you won't let them break into the key so easily."
Eikichi Nebuya was busy eating, replying casually:
"Got it. But the first half was seriously boring. All those threes from the perimeter… I was basically standing there doing nothing. All this muscle, and I didn't even get to use it."
"How am I supposed to face my master like this?"
After saying that, he went right back to eating.
Eiji Shirogane was already used to it and ignored him, continuing with the rest of his instructions.
...
Shūtoku side.
Masaaki Nakatani kept rubbing his chin, deep in thought.
At this point, it had become a direct contest between him and Eiji Shirogane.
He had to figure out what Eiji Shirogane was planning for the second half.
The score was tied, and all their offense relied on Shintaro Midorima.
If Midorima were shut down, even for just one or two possessions, the game could quickly turn against them.
Nakatani continued thinking, running through possibilities in his mind.
'Eiji… what are you planning?'
He glanced at Shinsuke Kimura and muttered:
"Could it be… subbing Kimura out for another guard?"
He had a rough idea of what might be coming.
But he couldn't be certain.
Masaaki Nakatani tapped his head lightly.
"What a headache… Rakuzan…"
...
"Beep! The third quarter begins! Both teams, take the court!"
Both sides adjusted their uniforms and stepped back onto the court.
Eiji Shirogane glanced at Shūtoku's lineup.
Seeing that Shinsuke Kimura was still on the floor, he smiled faintly.
'Nakatani… looks like you've lost this round.'
...
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