Little Kawata's basket instantly lifted Sannoh's morale.
Their players became noticeably more aggressive on both ends of the court. Mitsui and Rukawa Kaede were tightly marked, barely given any breathing room.
Only Nango and Miyagi still had space to operate.
Another pick-and-roll formed—but just like before, Sannoh deliberately left Miyagi open.
And exactly as they anticipated, the already frustrated Miyagi missed again.
Little Kawata secured the rebound cleanly.
After receiving the ball, Fukatsu slowed the pace, dribbling forward while calling out loudly,
"Don't rush! Take it slow!"
"Damn it…!"
Watching Fukatsu deliberately drag out the possession, Miyagi felt a surge of anger. To him, this was blatant contempt—as if Sannoh believed Shohoku couldn't score or stop them even if they tried.
Determined to crush Fukatsu's arrogance, Miyagi gambled again, lunging in for a steal.
And failed again.
Fukatsu reacted instantly, turning past him with ease. He stopped behind the three-point line and rose up smoothly.
Swish!
The long-range shot dropped cleanly, cutting the score to just a four-point gap.
"Nice shot!"
Big Kawata slapped Fukatsu's hand, and the rest of Sannoh quickly gathered around him, praising the decisive play.
Mitsui stared at the stunned Miyagi and muttered angrily,
"This idiot… what the hell is he thinking?! How can he gamble like that now?"
And he wasn't the only one thinking it.
To most spectators, Miyagi's play was far too reckless. Not only did it hurt Shohoku's momentum, it energized Sannoh even more.
If Shohoku couldn't calm down, forget about catching up—they might even get overtaken.
Nango pressed his lips together, saying nothing. This time, he couldn't go back to take the inbound for Miyagi. All he could do was wait in the frontcourt.
Miyagi brought the ball over half-court.
Nango moved up—but not for a pick-and-roll.
Instead, he exchanged a quick handoff with Miyagi.
He was taking over.
I knew you'd do this.
Fukatsu and Kawata immediately stepped up, forming a hard double-team. Their intention was clear—no shot, no hesitation.
They completely ignored Miyagi standing open to the side.
But this time, Nango's desire to attack was overwhelming.
He crossed the ball between his legs, stepped back sharply, instantly creating separation from both defenders. Then he lowered his center of gravity and burst forward into the gap.
Fukatsu accelerated at once, cutting in front of Nango, attempting to slow him down so Kawata could re-form the double-team.
Nango paused—
—but his feet never stopped.
As the ball bounced back into his right hand, he spun sharply, slipping cleanly through the narrow gap between Fukatsu and Kawata.
Impossible!
The move completely exceeded both defenders' expectations. Fukatsu and Kawata froze for a split second, and the crowd gasped audibly.
Nango's movement was fluid, explosive, and precise. Combined with his tall frame, the visual impact was overwhelming.
And he wasn't finished.
As soon as Nango crossed the three-point line, Sawakita rushed over to help.
But it was already too late.
Nango was at full speed.
All Sawakita could do was chase from behind, hoping Little Kawata in the paint could slow Nango down and give him a chance for a chase-down block.
The next second, Nango's lead foot landed on the free-throw line.
He gathered the ball with both hands and suddenly feinted a pass toward Rukawa Kaede.
Sawakita instinctively halted, turning his body to intercept—
—but it was a fake.
Nango pulled the ball back to his chest, took two more strides, and leapt.
Little Kawata lumbered forward, but Nango was already in shooting motion. With his right knee raised, he released the ball in a riding-archer form.
The close-range shot dropped steadily through the net.
Kiyota chuckled.
"Nango's really on fire today. Everything's going in."
"Looks like it," Maki said with a raised brow and a faint smile.
"Sannoh's having some terrible luck."
Coach Takato, however, shook his head calmly.
"But this situation isn't necessarily bad for Sannoh. Nango won't stay perfect forever. On that last play, Rukawa, Miyagi, and Sakuragi were all open—but he didn't pass. If he keeps playing like this, Sannoh's defense becomes very simple."
Stopping a team is difficult.
Stopping a single player is far easier.
And as Takato said, Nango couldn't remain this accurate forever. Eventually, his shooting would return to normal.
Sannoh's players exchanged glances.
Now, they truly understood Coach Domoto's words.
This freshman really did live up to the description—
"Fukatsu plus Sawakita."
There was one and a half minutes left in the first half.
If both teams used up their shot clocks, Sannoh would have two offensive possessions, while Shohoku would only get one.
Given the situation, Fukatsu wasn't anxious at all. He calmly searched for the best opportunity.
Sawakita and Rukawa stayed in the corners.
Nango and Kawata positioned themselves in the mid-range.
Then—
Sawakita spoke.
"Do you know how our coach evaluates you?"
He deliberately tried to distract Nango.
Nango ignored him, focusing entirely on Fukatsu's movements.
Seeing no response, Sawakita smirked.
"He said you're like a combination of me and Fukatsu. How about it? Feel honored?"
Rukawa frowned.
Although it sounded like praise, it reeked of arrogance.
"Fukatsu plus you?" Nango paused deliberately, then looked offended.
"Are you insulting me?"
Sawakita froze.
After realizing what that meant, he snapped,
"You brat! Don't be ungrateful!"
"Pfft—"
Rukawa couldn't hold it in and laughed, a rare smile spreading across his face.
"Sorry. Couldn't help it."
Sawakita's anger exploded.
He jumped and shouted toward the perimeter,
"Fukatsu! Pass me the ball! I'll teach these two brats a lesson!"
Here we go again…
Fukatsu's expression darkened. He couldn't even be bothered to look at Sawakita and turned his head away.
Seeing this, Nango added fuel to the fire.
"See? You can't even get the ball. Now that is insulting me."
Sawakita was about to explode—
—but Kawata finally snapped.
"Idiot!" Kawata barked angrily.
"Are you going to shut up?! Look at the time!"
Then he turned to Nango, eyes sharp.
"Kid, don't act innocent when you're clearly taking advantage."
"Oh?" Nango met his gaze directly, unfazed.
"You got a problem?"
"Hmph." Kawata laughed coldly.
He immediately backed into Nango, spread his arms wide, and called out,
"Fukatsu!"
Now even Kawata…?
Fukatsu felt increasingly confused.
But compared to Sawakita, he trusted Kawata far more. Kawata knew restraint—he wouldn't act recklessly.
So Fukatsu passed the ball.