The Ryonan inbound play was obvious to everyone: get the ball to Sendoh. He was their only option.
As the players took the court, Riki looked at his team. "They're going to Sendoh. We all know it. He knows it. We have to stop it anyway."
Teo positioned himself at the rim. Bornok was on the ball. Renz and Drei denied every other passing option.
The referee's whistle blew. The Ryonan player faked a pass one way, then another. Sendoh used a maze of screens, weaving to get open.
He broke free at the top of the key for just a split second. The pass flew towards him.
But Riki, fighting through the last screen, lunged. He didn't go for the steal. He threw his body into the passing lane, getting a fingertip on the ball.
It was enough.
The ball wobbled, its trajectory altered. Sendoh caught it, but he was off-balance, forced to turn away from the basket. He launched a desperate, fading three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.
The ball arced high, but it was short. It hit the front of the rim and bounced away.
Final Score: Flowstate 78, Ryonan 77.
For a moment, there was silence, then exhausted cheers. They had done it. They had beaten the genius by making someone else beat them.
Sendoh walked over to Riki, his easy smile back, now tinged with respect. "You redirected the redirector. Good game." He then looked at Teo. "That pass... you saw it too."
Teo simply nodded.
As Sendoh walked off, Riki looked at the bracket board. It was updating again. Their next opponent: Kainan, the championship team known for its relentless fundamentals and flawless execution.
The cycle was ready to begin anew. A moment to breathe, a new challenge to face. In The City, the game never ended.