Chapter Eighty-Five: Three-Point Showdown!
"PAP!"
Shutoku center Otsubo Taisuke used his height advantage to overpower Takasago Kazuma, tipping the ball toward his teammates.
Takao Kazunari secured possession steadily. Shutoku's players quickly pressed forward into position.
"Takao!"
Wing player Miyaji Kiyoshi spotted his opportunity and called loudly for the ball.
Facing Maki Shinichi's extremely oppressive defense, Takao Kazunari found an opening and passed it out.
After receiving, Miyaji Kiyoshi faced the mere 178cm Kiyota Nobunaga before him. Without hesitation, he played high over him. The instant he drew defensive attention, he keenly observed Otsubo Taisuke cutting to the paint from the left.
"Swish!"
A precise pass threaded through the defense.
Otsubo Taisuke caught it, stepped, took flight, and with a powerful one-handed tomahawk slam, hammered the ball viciously through the rim!
"BANG!"
Shutoku High School struck first!
Shutoku 2 - Kainan 0
Possession changed. Maki Shinichi pushed the ball quickly forward.
Takao Kazunari stepped up defensively but couldn't create any interference. Maki Shinichi simply bulldozed him, forcing his way toward the paint's depths.
After entering past the free-throw line, Shutoku's wing Miyaji Kiyoshi had already collapsed, forming a double-team with Takao Kazunari.
Maki used his arm to separate Takao Kazunari and pulled up directly.
Powerful core strength let him stabilize his posture mid-air. His wrist calmly released the ball.
The basketball traced a flat arc and went cleanly through.
"Swish!"
Kainan's offense was equally steady.
Shutoku 2 - Kainan 2
"This old man's like a bulldozer." Takao Kazunari rubbed his chest, grumbling internally.
Possession changed. Shutoku's offense.
"Nobunaga, switch!"
Maki Shinichi's composed voice rang out. He quickly swapped defensive assignments with Kiyota Nobunaga.
Against the 191cm Miyaji Kiyoshi, defending was truly too difficult for Kiyota Nobunaga. Marking the agile first-year Takao Kazunari was more suitable.
"Hey, hey, you're not looking down on me because I'm just a first-year, are you?" After dribbling past halfcourt, Takao Kazunari discovered that oppressively intense old man had switched away. His tone relaxed somewhat.
"What are you saying? I'm Kanagawa's Best Rookie... one of them." Kiyota Nobunaga stuttered slightly. "Being matched against me is your honor!"
"Pfft, nice 'one of them.'"
Before Takao Kazunari's words finished, his form suddenly dropped as he accelerated from the left side.
"So fast!" Kiyota Nobunaga's heart stirred slightly with surprise, but his footwork stayed perfectly composed. Relying on excellent athletic ability, he stuck tightly to the opponent's right side without yielding any space.
Takao Kazunari cut into the paint and found Kainan's center steadily guarding the basket, not rashly helping. He didn't force a shot. Instead, he used a concealed behind-the-back pass to distribute left to the 45-degree three-point line.
There, Midorima Shintaro had already positioned himself. With perfect chemistry, he caught, stepped back, and jumped—the motion flowing seamlessly!
"What? Taking a shot from that position?!"
Jin Soichiro had originally been defending with his feet on the three-point line. Midorima Shintaro's sudden stepback meant he pulled up directly from nearly a meter beyond the arc!
Jin Soichiro jumped forward to contest, his fingertips nowhere near the basketball.
"Swish!"
After tracing a nearly perfect, elongated arc through the air, the basketball went cleanly through!
Shutoku 5 - Kainan 2
"This guy's shot selection is way too exaggerated. It's like he has zero distance concept." Koshino Hiroaki sighed while watching the court.
Ikegami Ryoji deeply agreed: "This unreasonable playing style is exactly like a certain willful guy on our team."
"No, no, no, when Ikegami-senpai shoots like that, it's called wasteful." Hearing this, Yagami Sorato turned his head and shook his finger. "Our shots are built on sufficient confidence. Hit percentage says everything."
"Hmph." Ikegami Ryoji snorted lightly but didn't refute.
Speaking of hit percentage, his recent training had gradually shown results. His mid-range spot-up shooting percentage per hundred shots had stably broken through 80%. Though he couldn't compare to Sendoh Akira and Yagami Sorato, in team scrimmages, Ikegami Ryoji's shots had become increasingly decisive and confident.
On court, Kainan launched a new offensive wave.
Maki Shinichi dribbled past halfcourt. Shutoku immediately responded, switching to the taller Miyaji Kiyoshi for defense.
Facing a different defender, Maki Shinichi displayed his comprehensive offensive arsenal. Earlier against Takao Kazunari, he'd chosen to crush with power. Now facing Miyaji Kiyoshi, he didn't hesitate to accelerate, beating his opponent in one step and knifing into the restricted area!
Takasago Kazuma wasn't under the basket. Otsubo Taisuke stepped up to help without burden.
Just as Miyaji Kiyoshi pursued from behind, forming a trap with Otsubo Taisuke, Maki calmly passed to the perimeter.
Takasago Kazuma received beyond the three-point line. Jin Soichiro simultaneously ran toward him.
Takasago Kazuma understood immediately. He turned sideways, using his broad body to firmly screen the pursuing Midorima Shintaro while hand-delivering the ball.
Jin Soichiro caught, adjusted, jumped, shot!
"Swish!"
Another three-pointer. Kainan's response was timely!
Shutoku 5 - Kainan 5
The two teams traded blows from the opening, neither yielding, simultaneously displaying the three-point showdown spectators most wanted to see.
Shutoku 25 - Kainan 24
The first quarter ended with only a 1-point difference.
Midorima Shintaro: 3-for-3 on three-pointers. Jin Soichiro: 2-for-3 on three-pointers.
The second quarter began. Kainan's possession.
Maki held the ball at the top of the arc. After observing teammates' positioning, he calmly lobbed it inside.
After receiving, Takasago Kazuma made a fake move toward the rim. After drawing Otsubo Taisuke's defense, he passed to Kiyota Nobunaga cutting from the wing into the paint.
After catching, Kiyota Nobunaga charged directly into the paint and took flight one step inside the free-throw line.
Otsubo Taisuke quickly released Takasago Kazuma and helped right. His massive frame blocked Kiyota Nobunaga's path.
However, Kiyota Nobunaga tucked and folded mid-air, nimbly threading beneath Otsubo Taisuke's extended arms before softly lifting the ball upward with both hands.
The basketball dropped through the rim.
Two points good!
Shutoku 25 - Kainan 26
"Wow! A 178cm guard actually daring to charge into the paint and directly challenge a center 20cm taller!"
"This Kanagawa first-year is amazing!"
The stands erupted with exclamations. Kiyota Nobunaga preened proudly.
"Not bad, you punk!" Even Takao Kazunari couldn't help praising.
Possession changed. Shutoku's offense.
After Takao Kazunari drove and passed to Kimura Shinsuke, the instant Kiyota Nobunaga's defense relaxed, the basketball was quickly passed back to Takao Kazunari's hands.
Through the back-and-forth ball movement, Takao Kazunari had created space from Kiyota Nobunaga. He pulled up for a jumper at one step's distance.
"Swish!"
Two points good.
Shutoku 27 - Kainan 26
"Nobunaga, focus!" Maki shouted loudly.
"Yes!" Kiyota Nobunaga jolted sharply, shaking his head to dispel distractions.
He quickly inbounded from the baseline, looking unhappily toward Takao Kazunari. "Damn, getting fooled by such a cheap trick."
After receiving, Maki Shinichi pushed steadily forward.
Despite defending him, Miyaji Kiyoshi held a full 7cm height advantage, but before Maki Shinichi, this advantage seemed nonexistent. He combined speed and power—just one acceleration tore through the defense again, knifing deep into the paint.
Maki's forceful penetration drew Shutoku's interior collapse. With a perfectly timed bounce pass, he precisely delivered the ball to Takasago Kazuma's hands under the basket.
Catch, jump, floater—with no interference, Takasago Kazuma easily sent the ball through the rim.
Two points good!
Shutoku 27 - Kainan 28
"Uozumi, watch Takasago's positioning carefully." Coach Taoka crossed his arms. "Compared to when they faced us, Kainan's offensive system is obviously much richer and more varied."
"Watch how Takasago coordinates with teammates."
"Yes, Coach." Uozumi Jun said seriously.
Yagami Sorato's gaze remained locked on Maki Shinichi throughout. He had to admit, his presence greatly elevated Kainan's other players' threat level.
Takasago Kazuma's offensive role had become extremely flexible—he could both lurk under the basket, receiving Maki Shinichi's passes after breaking down the defense to complete efficient "finishes," or step up high to use solid screens creating shooting space for Jin Soichiro, playing the facilitating pivot.
And Shutoku's center Otsubo Taisuke had to guard the paint because they had no player capable of single-defending Maki. Once he rashly left the restricted area, Maki Shinichi's drives would be like entering an empty realm.
Possession changed. Shutoku's offense.
Takao Kazunari pushed the ball forward. Kiyota Nobunaga immediately stuck tight defensively.
Takao prepared to repeat his trick—using back-and-forth passing to scatter Kiyota Nobunaga's attention, then using a shot fake to draw Kiyota's defense before cutting to the basket.
Either finishing himself or passing to Otsubo-senpai would be good options.
"Takao!"
Just as he thought this, Kainan's defense suddenly changed rhythm.
Maki actually abandoned Miyaji Kiyoshi without hesitation, pouncing up to form a double-team!
"What?!"
Takao's heart tightened, but his vision was extremely broad. He quickly found the open Miyaji Kiyoshi and passed it out.
"PAP!"
However, Maki Shinichi had completely seen through his intentions.
Maki's trapping pressure was just a feint. The instant Takao Kazunari passed, he suddenly stopped and intercepted the pass from the middle.
A clean steal! After snatching the ball, Maki instantly exploded forward.
Shutoku's players desperately retreated.
Maki Shinichi took three large strides into the paint, taking flight. He looked ready to finish this fast break with a dunk.
"Maki!/Maki-senpai, watch out!" Teammates' warnings came from behind.
A powerful oppressive presence suddenly closed in!
"How is this possible?! The one catching up is actually him?!"
Midorima Shintaro appeared behind Maki Shinichi. His long arms rose, looking ready to viciously pin the ball against the backboard!
At the critical moment, Maki Shinichi displayed astonishing core strength and basketball IQ. He forcibly gathered the ball mid-air, avoiding Midorima Shintaro's block, then smoothly delivered it behind his head.
Jin Soichiro received beyond the three-point line. Catch, adjust, jump, shoot.
"Swish!"
Three-pointer good!
Shutoku 27 - Kainan 31