Damn it…
Rukawa Kaede felt his face burn.
The fast break had been chased down and blocked from behind—it felt less like the ball was swatted away and more like his face had been slapped in front of the entire arena.
Humiliation flooded his chest.
Blocked… from behind…
That was something Rukawa could hardly tolerate.
From behind them, Nango had seen the entire sequence clearly. He wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the scoreboard.
36 : 27.
The gap stubbornly hovered between seven and nine points.
Shohoku couldn't push the lead into double digits.
Sannoh couldn't close it either.
It was as if both teams had reached a silent agreement—
a tense, grinding stalemate.
Using the brief pause created by the block, Sannoh's players quickly exchanged words. By the time Shohoku prepared to inbound the ball, the change was already obvious.
Kawata Masashi had stepped out of the paint.
Now, he was guarding Nango.
Miyagi received the inbound.
Once again, he and Nango initiated a pick-and-roll.
Bastard…
You're really looking down on me?
After slipping past Fukatsu and Nango, Miyagi noticed something strange.
Kawata didn't step up to stop him.
Instead, his attention was fixed entirely on Nango.
That alone irritated Miyagi.
Grinding his teeth, he lowered his center of gravity and charged straight at Kawata.
Kawata had intended to let Miyagi shoot.
But he hadn't expected Miyagi to dare attack him directly.
Looking for trouble?
Fine—don't blame me.
Miyagi relied on speed, keeping his body low, trying to force his way through.
But Kawata wasn't slow.
He turned instantly, stuck to Miyagi's side, and deliberately bumped him with his body, disrupting his balance and pushing him off his driving line.
It was like a motorcycle colliding with a car.
No matter how fast the motorcycle was, once it got hit, its trajectory would inevitably be knocked off course.
On top of that, Kawata's right arm remained raised the entire time—
patient, waiting.
Waiting for Miyagi to shoot.
At this point, shooting was impossible.
Miyagi had no choice but to retreat, dribbling back beyond the three-point line.
Shohoku's offense reset.
"Sannoh has started targeting Miyagi," Coach Takato muttered, rolling his stiff neck.
Maki did the same and smiled faintly.
"At the start of the game, Shohoku kept targeting Fukatsu. Now it's Sannoh's turn to return the favor."
The earlier defensive situation had actually been an accident.
Sannoh's original plan had been to let Miyagi shoot after the pick-and-roll.
When studying Shohoku's footage, they had discovered Miyagi's weakness:
Spot-up shots? Decent accuracy.
Shots while moving? Highly inconsistent.
That was exactly what Takato meant—
Sannoh was attacking Miyagi's limitations.
Miyagi knew this better than anyone.
Which only made him more determined to prove them wrong.
Unfortunately, Kawata Masashi was far more troublesome than he had imagined.
When Kawata first joined Sannoh, he was a guard.
Then he grew twenty-five centimeters in a single year, shifting from guard to small forward—and eventually to center.
That explosive growth, combined with brutal training, gave him skills across multiple positions.
But as Endo once told Nango—
Being able to do everything means you can't perfect everything.
Which also meant inconsistency.
Yet that flaw barely mattered.
Sannoh had Sawakita to shoulder the offense.
Kawata only needed to be his deputy.
Where Kawata truly excelled was defense.
His footwork could keep up with guards.
His range extended to the three-point line.
His strength allowed him to wrestle with true centers.
Together with Fukatsu and Sawakita, he formed the backbone of Sannoh's defensive system.
And more importantly—
His physique was extremely similar to Nango's.
In other words, Miyagi trying to attack Kawata was no different from trying to go one-on-one with Nango.
The result was obvious.
After several forced changes of direction, Miyagi—smothered by pressure—released a high-difficulty fadeaway.
He wasn't good at shooting on the move.
Add that level of difficulty—
The ball didn't just miss.
It didn't even touch the rim.
A clean air ball.
Little Kawata caught it easily.
"Sannoh finally has an opening," Ikegami muttered anxiously. "Shohoku's offensive efficiency has dropped."
"It won't be that easy," Coach Taoka replied calmly. "Shohoku's transition defense is fast. Sannoh will still have to play half-court offense."
As he spoke, his eyes locked onto Nango.
I need to find a way to avoid this kid…
Two excellent scoring chances had already been destroyed by Nango's rotations.
Fukatsu knew the key was to draw him out of the paint.
He exchanged glances with Kawata and Matsumoto.
Both understood immediately.
Kawata sprinted outward.
Because Kawata had three-point range, Nango couldn't ignore him—and was forced to follow.
The moment Nango left the paint, Matsumoto moved.
He faked repeatedly, trying to shake Mitsui, but this time Mitsui refused to budge.
Not again.
After being burned earlier, Mitsui wasn't about to let Matsumoto slip by.
But when one door closed, another opened.
On the weak side—
Sawakita shook free.
He cut straight into the paint.
Fukatsu immediately attempted a low pass.
But his expression darkened.
"Damn it… that kid again!"
Even after being pulled out, Nango had anticipated this.
He had been watching Fukatsu the entire time.
The instant Fukatsu prepared to pass, Nango spun back and raised both arms, blocking his vision.
That brief delay was enough.
Rukawa Kaede recovered.
He reattached himself to Sawakita.
Hyuga Yuichi chuckled from the stands.
"This kid… he's finally figuring it out."
However—
Nango's rotation left Kawata momentarily open near the arc.
Fukatsu didn't pass to him.
Instead, he sent the ball inside—
to Little Kawata.
Why was Little Kawata free?
Because when Sawakita cut in, Sakuragi stepped up to help.
That single step gave Little Kawata his opening.
By the time Sakuragi turned back—
It was too late.
Little Kawata had already lifted the ball and finished at the rim.
Two points.
Coach Domoto clenched his fist, excitement flashing across his face.
"Excellent! The momentum is starting to shift!"
On the bench, Akagi felt a faint unease.
As expected… Sakuragi alone can't hold everything.
If this continues, I'll need to go back in.
"Damn it…" Sakuragi muttered, staring at the floor.
He blamed himself for being a step too slow.
Behind him, Rukawa clicked his tongue.
He knew the truth.
This started because I let Sawakita get free.
Big Kawata pressed down hard on Little Kawata's head.
"Good job! Keep it up! One point at a time—tie it before halftime!"
"Yes… Big brother," Little Kawata replied, wincing.