Chapter 157: Strategic Layout
"Sorato," Sendoh called out to Yagami, walking to his side. "That last shot was a bit rushed."
Though the final result was good—Ikegami's putback secured two points—Yagami's three-pointer couldn't have been taken with missing as the premise. By all logic, he should have left those one or two seconds on the clock.
"Uh..." Yagami scratched his face. "Mainly when Akashi closed out, if I didn't shoot quickly, there'd be no chance for the three."
"As I thought," Sendoh had found it strange. At that moment, either a pump-fake drive-and-kick, or cutting inside for a two would have been more reliable than forcing a contested three over Akashi. "You're a bit obsessive-compulsive."
"Ahaha." Yagami laughed awkwardly.
If that final shot had dropped, Ryonan would've ended the first quarter with a ten-point lead.
"Excellent work! Everyone's feeling great in the first quarter!" Coach Taoka forcefully tapped his tactical board, surveying the players gathered around him. "However, we don't have the luxury of carelessness until the final buzzer. Rakuzan absolutely isn't a team that'll waver over this point differential!"
"Yes!" the players answered in unison.
"Moving forward, we maintain our tempo."
"Fukuda, your defensive assignment is staying glued to their number five (Mayuzumi). Don't let him leave your sight to pass easily." Coach Taoka marked their positions on the board. "Your defensive experience struggles against this facilitator type, so remember—prioritize defending his catches and shots. If he tries to drive, trust your teammates' help defense. Your job is immediately returning to the collapsed defensive line to secure rebounds with Uozumi!"
"Understood!" After the Touou battle, Fukuda no longer resented Coach Taoka's defensive instruction. Though he might not always execute perfectly, his attitude had transformed completely.
"Ikegami, Uozumi, Yagami," Coach Taoka turned to the others. "Lock down whoever's in front of you! No matter how fancy the passing, someone ultimately has to put the ball in the basket. As long as you shut down each finishing point, their offensive chain will stutter!"
"Yes!" the three responded together.
"Uozumi, maintain your physicality against Nebuya, but watch your foul count," Coach Taoka added.
"Yes!" Uozumi's voice boomed. Finally facing a player of his own type felt refreshingly novel.
Finally, Taoka's gaze settled on his two cores, his tone carrying barely detectable approval. "Sendoh, your defense on Akashi exceeds my expectations. You're not only limiting his direct attacks defensively, but offensively your playmaking and three-point shooting apply real pressure."
"I'd wager Rakuzan finds you extremely troublesome right now."
Sendoh smiled without speaking.
"Yagami, your first-quarter offense was highly effective, whether drive-and-kick or individual finishing."
"Rakuzan now must respect both your three-point threat and collapse their defense for your drives. So moving forward, when your penetration disrupts their formation, remember to scan for teammates' positions."
"The game's just beginning. Don't shoulder all finishing responsibilities yourself. I absolutely need you playing the full game."
"Got it!" Yagami answered seriously.
Taoka nodded. Ryonan had deployed their strongest lineup from the start precisely to seize the initiative and establish psychological advantage. But this carried a hidden danger—Yagami and Sendoh's stamina expenditure. Whether sustained high-intensity individual offense or battling an Akashi-level opponent on both ends demanded tremendous effort.
This was only the first quarter. The marathon continued.
Ideally, they'd extend the lead to twenty by halftime, sealing victory decisively.
Spectator section, near Rakuzan's cheering area.
"What's going on..." dissatisfied voices emerged from Rakuzan students. "I only heard that Yagami was one of Ryonan's dual aces. Fine, Hayama getting locked down—but why can't even Mibuchi and Nebuya handle their matchups?"
"Exactly! Those two guys have zero name recognition!" Though Uozumi stood 202cm tall, Rakuzan had just defeated the 208cm Murasakibara yesterday. Naturally they wouldn't respect Uozumi now.
Rakuzan trailing after the first quarter had occurred only twice since Akashi joined the team.
The first was yesterday against Yosen, also featuring a Generation of Miracles member. The second was now—facing "unknown" Ryonan.
More unacceptable was that this nine-point deficit was Rakuzan's largest all year!
"These idiots," Moriyama Yoshitaka, seated in a nearby section, couldn't help scoffing at the chatter. "Ryonan legitimately beat Sannoh and stands on the national finals floor. Where do these guys get their contemptuous confidence?"
Kasamatsu Yukio beside him crossed his arms, nodding analytically. "Offense aside, but defensively Ikegami and Uozumi are absolutely nationally ranked nuisances."
"Ikegami's tenacity and experience against shooters, Uozumi's rim protection and rebounding—few can handle them casually."
Kise Ryota rested his chin in thought, his gaze drifting between the resting Akashi and Ryonan's bench. "This makes it quite tricky for little Akashi..."
He recalled his first practice match against Ryonan, when they'd already shown promise. Now they'd completely transformed.
If Rakuzan already needed Akashi frequently leveraging individual ability to forcibly control the offense and stabilize things, then Kise dared conclude—they absolutely couldn't maintain it through the final buzzer.
TWEET!
The whistle sounded. The brief intermission ended as both teams retook the court.
Rakuzan players' expressions had visibly tightened compared to the first quarter's end, pressure clearly etched in their brows. Though Ryonan led, no relaxation showed on their faces either. Uozumi even slapped his own cheeks forcefully, roaring quietly to energize himself and teammates.
"Rakuzan's other players look more tense than before," Takao Kazunari remarked from the stands.
"Naturally." Midorima Shintaro's voice remained steady. "For Akashi, victory is inevitable. Anything short of championship is failure."
"So Rakuzan's others constantly exist under this pressure?" Takao looked at Midorima, who neither confirmed nor denied.
"Tch, sounds exhausting..."
On court, the referee handed the ball to Rakuzan's baseline player. The second quarter officially began.
Akashi received the inbound, advancing steadily. The first quarter's deficit appeared not to have affected his composure.
Past halfcourt, Sendoh defended up. Akashi directly flicked his wrist, passing to Mibuchi Reo positioned outside the left three-point line.
Ikegami immediately stepped up, maintaining distance.
"I hate persistent men," Mibuchi said, stepping back with the ball at chest level. His eyes swept past Ikegami toward the rim as his knees bent slightly, his entire body rising subtly.
"This bastard." Ikegami's nerves tensed. He immediately closed out, his weight rising.
"I'm talking about you!" Mibuchi's gathering motion flowed smoothly. His center of gravity dropped sharply, his ball-hand quickly lowering as his left foot swiftly stepped forward, slipping past Ikegami's side!
Perfect shot fake!
Ikegami had anticipated this, quickly resetting his weight to pursue.
But Mibuchi didn't charge the paint—he simply used the one-step separation to rise lightly, his wrist gently releasing.
At his height, as long as he jumped early, Ikegami could barely contest.
The ball traced a flat arc, dropping precisely through the net.
Swish!
Mid-range!
Ryonan 27, Rakuzan 20
"Beautiful shot! Reo-neesan!" Hayama shouted excitedly.
Mibuchi flipped his hair, elegantly turning to get back.
"Nee...san?" Ikegami's body shuddered. A chill ran through him.
Ryonan's possession.
Sendoh brought the ball past halfcourt. Not planning to engage Akashi, he passed directly to Yagami. Ikegami quickly stepped up for the screen. Yagami used the pick to cut inside.
Mibuchi's switch came late. Yagami exploded into the paint at extreme speed. Nebuya rotated over.
Yagami didn't pause, rising on the move. In the air, a small-amplitude body adjustment avoided Nebuya's contest as he floated the ball toward the backboard.
Swish!
Bank shot!
Ryonan 29, Rakuzan 20
"Yagami attacks the rim again! Rakuzan still can't stop Ryonan's offensive momentum!"
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi dribbled to the top. Mibuchi on the left suddenly stopped and reversed, using an off-ball screen from Mayuzumi to shake Ikegami.
"Fukuda! Help!" Ikegami shouted.
More than Fukuda's blown coverage, he worried about Mibuchi's movement. Previously he'd used screens to curl out for perimeter looks—now he was cutting to the rim?!
Bang!
Akashi's bounce pass skimmed the floor at high speed, delivered perfectly into Mibuchi's hands.
The instant Mibuchi caught it, both feet had entered the paint. Fukuda switched over, but immediately got fooled by a crossover.
"This idiot only has agility points in offense!" Ikegami shouted in frustration.
Mibuchi attacked the basket. Uozumi roared, rotating over. In a flash, Mibuchi launched skyward, challenging Uozumi's contest, his right hand decisively pushing the ball toward the rim.
Uozumi jumped, his massive frame and long arms nearly sealing every layup angle.
However, just as contact was about to occur, Mibuchi half-turned in midair. The ball instantly switched from right to left hand, using position shift and angle change to evade Uozumi's frontal contest zone.
Then his left arm extended gracefully, wrist gently flicking. The ball carried slight spin toward the backboard.
Tap... swish!
A soft bank sound followed by crisp nylon.
Two points!
Ryonan 29, Rakuzan 22
"Wh-what?!" Ikegami, pursuing from behind, stared in disbelief. He'd never expected such finesse under those circumstances.
"I don't want colliding with such crude men."
Mibuchi landed gracefully, steadying after a stagger. He raised his chin slightly, adjusting his slightly disheveled hair, that smile deepening—elegance tinged with faint pride.
"Spectacular! Mibuchi beats three defenders for an acrobatic reverse layup!" the announcer's voice brimmed with admiration. "Such flexibility! Such composure! Elegant—truly elegant!"
Applause and gasps rippled through the stands.
Ryonan's possession.
Sendoh dribbled past halfcourt, his gaze briefly meeting Akashi waiting at the top.
Just as Akashi moved, Sendoh tossed the ball to Yagami, even smiling at Akashi.
"I feel like your two aces especially enjoy provoking Akashi," Nebuya said with a strange expression to Uozumi. "They'll regret it."
Still have energy for small talk? Uozumi growled, intensifying his box-out pressure.
"???" Nebuya was forced into full positioning effort. "Wait, why suddenly—the ball isn't even here yet!"
On the perimeter, Yagami received, his body quickly assuming attack stance.
Hayama immediately lowered his stance, arms spread, determined to erase his first-quarter defensive humiliation.
Bang-bang-bang!
Yagami executed consecutive crossovers. Hayama's weight instinctively followed. At that moment, Yagami's left hand explosively drove the ball forward, his body launching like an arrow from Hayama's right!
"So fast!" Hayama's heart jumped. Maybe it was his imagination, but Yagami seemed even faster than the first quarter.
Yagami attacked the paint with the ball. Hayama spun to chase. Nebuya and Mayuzumi simultaneously collapsed.
"Yagami!"
Fukuda's offensive awareness far exceeded his defense. He quickly cut baseline.
Yagami rose defiantly into the defense! In the air, he forcibly twisted his torso, right hand raising the ball high, eyes glancing toward the cutting Fukuda.
Nebuya and Mayuzumi's defensive attention inevitably split between his elevated ball hand and sight line.
Yagami's ball hand subtly redirected. The ball threaded under Nebuya's ribs, delivered deep to Uozumi!
"Him again?!"
Uozumi caught it with no one in front. He roared, gripping the ball with both hands, exploding upward to slam it violently through!
BOOM!!!
Uozumi's two-handed dunk!
Ryonan 31, Rakuzan 22
"Airborne fake pass! Yagami's vision and passing audacity are stunning! Uozumi's finish equally decisive!"
Rakuzan's possession.
Akashi's expression remained unchanged. After crossing midcourt, he didn't continue feeding the hot-handed Mibuchi. Instead, after brief observation at the top, he passed to Mayuzumi establishing position in the left short corner.
Fukuda remembered Coach Taoka's words, staying glued to Mayuzumi, especially sealing his post spin and direct shot angles.
Mayuzumi caught it, facing away from Fukuda while faking a pass. Fukuda didn't bite.
"So you've gotten slightly smarter."
Mayuzumi backed in slightly, testing the defensive pressure, then suddenly pivoted on his left foot as if spinning baseline.
Fukuda immediately slid to cut off the lane.
Mayuzumi's body quickly reversed to face the basket, rising and releasing—movements concise, efficient, without excess.
"What?"
Fukuda watched his opponent elevate in front of him, the ball sailing overhead.
Swish!
The ball answered through the net.
Ryonan 31, Rakuzan 24
"Tch, not that easy to handle after all?" Coach Taoka's expression grew grave. Rakuzan's offensive approach looked completely different from the first quarter!