Score: Kuzuryu High 18, Kitasumi High 16
After Coach Koga's timeout, Kitasumi returned to the court with renewed focus and defensive adjustments. Their official jerseys were now on, and their body language had shifted from casual to serious.
"Alright," Tarou said to his teammates as they broke from the huddle. "No more playing around. Let's show them what a real team looks like."
Kitasumi's possession started with structure and precision. Hasebe brought the ball up, immediately running a pick-and-roll with Konishi at the top of the key. The play was textbook—Konishi set a solid screen, Hasebe attacked the gap, and when Momoharu hedged hard to prevent penetration, Konishi rolled to the basket.
Hasebe delivered a perfect bounce pass. Konishi caught it and finished with a powerful dunk over Yasuhara's weak-side help attempt.
18-18.
"Good rotation!" Nao called from the bench. "But we need to communicate switches earlier!"
Chiaki brought the ball up for Kuzuryu, his eyes immediately scanning the court. He noticed something—Kitasumi's defense had adjusted. They were no longer just chasing Sora around screens. They were fighting through more aggressively, denying him easy catches.
Smart, Chiaki thought. But let's see if they can sustain that energy.
He initiated the motion offense again. Sora immediately began his movement, but this time his defender—a quick, athletic wing—was glued to him, fighting through every screen with desperate energy.
Sora came off Momoharu's screen on the left block, but his defender went over the top, staying attached. Sora relocated to the corner, his defender right on his hip.
Chiaki saw it—they were prioritizing Sora, treating him like the primary threat based on word-of-mouth from Tokiwa's scouting report and those early three-pointers.
Perfect, Chiaki thought. If they're that focused on Sora...
He hit Kenji with a pass on the weak side. Kenji faced up his defender in isolation—one-on-one, no help coming because Sora's defender couldn't leave him.
Kenji took his man off the dribble with a nasty hesitation move, then attacked the rim. He elevated over Konishi's contest and finished with a smooth floater.
20-18, Kuzuryu.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Momoharu shouted.
But on the next possession, Tarou showed why he was Kitasumi's ace.
He isolated Sora on the left wing, sizing him up with that cocky smirk.
"Let's see what you've got, shorty."
Tarou attacked with a quick first step, using his size and strength advantage to create space. Sora's lateral quickness—enhanced from the Miyagi integration—allowed him to stay in front initially, his footwork precise from Nao's drilling.
But Tarou was experienced. He used a stop-and-go move, freezing Sora with a hesitation, then exploded past him.
Kenji rotated over to help, but Tarou had already released his signature stop-and-go shot—that irregular form making it impossible to time the contest properly.
SWISH.
20-20.
"Sora!" Nao called out. "Don't get discouraged! Keep fighting!"
Sora nodded, but internally he was processing. He's good. Really good. But I'm faster. I just need to use it differently.
Chiaki brought the ball up, and this time he looked directly at Sora.
"MOTION!" he called out, but there was something different in his tone—a signal.
Sora understood immediately.
Instead of running off screens like usual, Sora called for the ball at the top of the key.
His defender sagged slightly, clearly more concerned about Sora's off-ball movement than his on-ball creation.
Big mistake.
Chiaki delivered the pass. Sora caught it, took one dribble to his right, and before his defender could close out properly—
A three-pointer from 30 feet, releasing so quickly his defender was still two steps away.
The trajectory was perfect, the rotation pure. The ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity before—
SWISH.
23-20, Kuzuryu.
"DID HE JUST—" Nabe jumped off the bench. "FROM THAT FAR?!"
Tokiwa's eyes widened at the sideline. That range. That quick release. He's not just a catch-and-shoot player. He can create his own shot off the dribble too.
Tarou's competitive grin faltered slightly. "Okay. So you've got some skills."
Kitasumi answered back immediately. They ran their offense through Konishi in the post, and this time the veteran center showed his full arsenal—a quick spin move baseline, then a powerful dunk over Momoharu's contest.
23-22, Kuzuryu.
But Kuzuryu's next possession is where Sora truly announced himself.
Chiaki pushed the pace in transition. Sora sprinted up the right wing, his speed from the Miyagi integration—allowing him to blow past defenders in the open court.
Chiaki hit him with a perfect lead pass.
Sora caught it in stride at the three-point line, one defender scrambling to close out, another rotating over to help.
But Sora's eagle eye from the Izuki integration saw everything—Kenji trailing on the left wing, Momoharu filling the paint, the angles and passing lanes lighting up in his mind like a tactical map.
The defender committed to the contest.
Sora pump-faked—a perfect imitation of Himuro's moves. The defender left his feet.
Sora exploded past him with one dribble, his speed leaving the help defender flat-footed.
Now it was just him and the rim.
He elevated, and even at 153 cm, his elite jumping ability allowed him to finish over Konishi's outstretched hand with a reverse layup that kissed off the glass.
25-22, Kuzuryu.
The gym erupted.
"THAT'S MY BOY!" Yasuhara was screaming.
Madoka was on her feet, eyes wide. "That speed! That body control!"
Even Coach Koga looked impressed. "That first-year... he's special."
Kitasumi tried to answer, but Kuzuryu's defense was locked in now. Tarou's shot was contested by Kenji, clanking off the rim.
Momoharu grabbed the rebound, immediately outleting to Chiaki.
"PUSH!" Nao screamed from the bench.
Transition offense—Kuzuryu's bread and butter.
Sora was already sprinting up the court, his speed creating a numbers advantage before Kitasumi's defense could set.
Chiaki drove into the paint, drawing two defenders, then kicked it out to Sora spotting up in the corner.
Wide. Open.
Sora didn't hesitate
SWISH.
Another three-pointer.
28-22, Kuzuryu.
Tarou called for the ball, clearly frustrated. "Give me the ball! I'll shut this kid up!"
He isolated Sora again, but this time Sora was ready.
Tarou tried the same stop-and-go move, but Sora's enhanced lateral quickness allowed him to stay in front. When Tarou tried to use his size to back Sora down, Sora fought through it
Tarou forced up a contested shot.
CLANG.
Momoharu grabbed the rebound.
"TRANSITION!" Chiaki yelled.
This time, it was a true fast break.
Sora pushed the ball himself, his ball-handling secure, his vision seeing Kenji filling the left lane and Momoharu trailing in the middle.
Two defenders scrambled back, trying to stop the three-on-two.
Sora attacked the middle, drawing both defenders toward him like a magnet—even in transition.
At the last second, he delivered a no-look pass to Kenji on the wing.
Kenji caught it in rhythm and buried the open three-pointer.
31-22, Kuzuryu.
timeout of the game—called by Kitasumi High.
As the teams walked to their benches, the entire gym was buzzing.
"NINE-POINT LEAD!" Nabe was screaming. "WE'RE UP NINE AGAINST A VETERAN TEAM!"
----
Kitasumi Bench
Coach Koga's expression was serious. "Alright, enough. That first-year, number 1—Kurumatani—is not just a spot-up shooter. He's a complete offensive threat."
"But he's so small!" Tarou protested. "How is he—"
"Size doesn't matter when you can shoot from 30 feet, move like lightning, and make perfect reads in transition," Koga interrupted. "They've been using him as bait for their motion offense, but he's the engine. Everything runs through his movement and shooting."
He looked at his team. "New defensive priority: No more sagging off Kurumatani. Treat him like the primary scorer. Face-guard him if you have to. And Tarou—"
"Yeah, Coach?"
"Start showing us why you're the ace. We need your scoring now."
Tarou's competitive fire reignited. "Don't worry. I'm just getting started."
-----
Nao was trying to keep her excitement contained. "Excellent execution, everyone! Sora, that was elite-level off-ball and on-ball play. Kenji, your spacing and decision-making were perfect. Chiaki, your reads were brilliant."
"But?" Momoharu prompted.
"But Kitasumi is going to adjust. They'll start face-guarding Sora, which means Kenji, you'll have even more isolation opportunities. Momoharu, be ready for dump-offs when they help. Chiaki, keep being the decision-maker."
Sora was breathing hard but grinning. "That was fun! Kabachi-san is really good!"
"You're better," Kenji said bluntly. "Don't let him in your head."
The timeout ended. Both teams returned to the court.
But something had shifted. Kitasumi's body language was different—this was no longer a casual practice match.
This was war.
And Sora Kurumatani had just declared himself a legitimate threat.
-----
Game Resumes - Kitasumi Possession
Tarou brought the ball up himself this time, his eyes locked on the basket with singular focus.
He waved off the pick-and-roll, clearly wanting to make a statement.
"ISOLATION!" he called out.
His teammates spread the floor. Tarou faced Sora one-on-one at the top of the key.
"You're good, shorty," Tarou said. "But let me show you the difference between us."
He attacked with a series of dribble moves—crossover, between the legs, behind the back—his ball-handling smooth and confident.
Sora stayed low, his defensive stance perfect from Nao's drilling, his lateral quickness allowing him to slide with each move.
But Tarou had another gear.
He used a devastating in-and-out dribble, freezing Sora for just a fraction of a second, then exploded toward the rim.
Sora recovered, but Tarou elevated, performing his signature stop-and-go shot in mid-air.
The ball hung at the peak of his jump for an impossibly long moment—that irregular form making it nearly unblockable—then he released it with perfect touch.
SWISH.
31-24, Kuzuryu.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Tarou pounded his chest.
But Sora wasn't intimidated. If anything, his eyes were gleaming with excitement.
He's amazing. But I can match him.
Chiaki brought the ball up and passed to Sora, and this time Sora didn't wait for the offense to develop.
"SCREEN!" he called out.
Momoharu set a high pick-and-roll at the top of the key. Sora attacked off the screen with explosive speed, his first step so quick that his defender was immediately caught on Momoharu's body.
The help defender rotated over, but Sora had already made his decision.
Instead of driving all the way, he pulled up from 20 feet—right at the free-throw line extended—with that pure, textbook form.
SWISH.
33-24, Kuzuryu.
The back-and-forth continued, each team trading baskets, but Sora was matching Tarou shot for shot.
Tarou would score on an isolation play.
Sora would answer with a three-pointer.
Tarou would hit a mid-range jumper.
Sora would respond with a drive-and-kick that led to a Kenji layup.
By the time the second quarter was winding down, the score had become:
Kuzuryu High: 38 Kitasumi High: 32
And Sora had personally scored 15 points in the second quarter alone.
As both teams headed to halftime, one thing was clear:
Sora Kurumatani wasn't just a system player.
He was a legitimate ace.
And Kitasumi High had seriously underestimated him.