Because of their earlier exchange, Shohoku failed to settle into their half-court formation in time. By contrast, Sannoh had already completed their defensive setup, waiting patiently for Shohoku to step into the snare.
Seeing this, Nango didn't say a word.
He lowered his stance, exploded forward, and charged straight toward Sannoh's restricted area.
Both teams were momentarily stunned.
The Shohoku players thought, Is Nango insane? Charging in like that?
The Sannoh players thought, Is this kid mocking us? Just forcing his way in?
It was only natural. This was essentially one against five—a reckless, almost suicidal choice.
But because it was Nango, Shohoku, though puzzled, trusted him completely.
Sannoh, on the other hand, felt both anger and caution. Instinctively, all five defenders collapsed toward him.
Outside the three-point line, Fukatsu stayed glued to Nango's side, waiting for Kawata to step up and complete the double-team. This time, both were confident—Nango had no passing options.
Two steps from Kawata, Nango suddenly dipped lower and accelerated again, pulling free from Fukatsu. He kept the ball in his right hand and attacked Kawata's left shoulder.
Kawata reacted instantly, spreading his arms and sliding laterally.
Just as they closed to half a step—
Nango snapped the ball to his left hand.
His torso twisted mid-stride, direction changing in a heartbeat.
In the commentary booth, Fujiwara's jaw dropped.
"Ohoho! A close-range change of direction! Kawata is completely shaken off—what an incredible move!"
"Now only Mikio is under the basket! What will Nango choose?"
"A floater? No! He went around him! A reverse layup—no! He passed it out!"
Every Sannoh player had been drawn to Nango.
That was all he needed.
"Number 14—Mitsui Hisashi—catches! Three-point shot—good!"
"A simple play!" Fujiwara exclaimed. "But devastatingly effective!"
Big Kawata exploded again, grabbing his younger brother by the collar. "Idiot! How could you let him spin around you?! Cut off his angle!"
"I know…" Little Kawata looked ready to cry. He'd been scolded more in this single game than in the past week combined. At this point, he could only pray Nango would stop attacking the paint—or his big brother really would scold him to tears.
With Nango now glued to him defensively, Fukatsu didn't even bother bringing the ball up himself. He let Matsumoto handle the advance while he drifted toward the sideline, deliberately acting as bait.
Nango followed him closely, exactly as Fukatsu intended.
This was the same tactic Nango had once used against Maki—only with two differences.
First, Fukatsu was still remotely controlling the offense.
Second, he didn't retreat to the corner.
The corner limited his vision. If he was going to command the game, he needed a wider view.
Even without touching the ball, Fukatsu felt uneasy leaving everything to Matsumoto. In his eyes, Matsumoto wasn't much different from Sawakita—both preferred shooting over passing. Fukatsu needed to personally direct the offense to feel at ease.
Nango felt uneasy as well.
If Shohoku held a large lead, he wouldn't mind shadowing Fukatsu. But now Sannoh's offense was gaining momentum. He couldn't afford to just stand there and watch.
On the wing, Sawakita faked repeatedly, then burst forward with explosive speed, momentarily slipping past Rukawa Kaede.
But that alone wasn't enough.
The instant he received the ball, Rukawa would recover.
So Sawakita deliberately brushed past Little Kawata's screen and sprinted out again. Rukawa was delayed just long enough by Little Kawata's body.
That was the opening.
Matsumoto handed the ball over.
Sawakita took it and immediately drove, once again attacking Little Kawata.
Rukawa finally caught up and tried to pursue—but Big Kawata stepped in, sealing him off completely.
Damn it!
Is this basketball or hide-and-seek?!
Rukawa was seething. Sawakita was fast like a rabbit—and kept circling those "tree stumps," exhausting him to no end.
With Rukawa shaken off, Sawakita burst into the paint. Akagi stepped up to contest—
—and Sawakita passed.
Big Kawata caught it and rose to shoot, but Sakuragi rotated in time and leapt to block.
Kawata grinned.
Instead of shooting, he flicked the ball backward.
Little Kawata had already slipped behind the defense.
Catch.
Shoot.
Score.
Fujiwara sighed in admiration. "A perfect brotherly collaboration! This kind of chemistry is incredibly rare—what an outstanding connection between the Kawata brothers!"
Shohoku had no time to marvel.
They grabbed the ball and pushed immediately.
After crossing half-court, Nango accelerated once more, blew past Fukatsu, then lofted the ball over Kawata's head to Sakuragi.
This time, Sakuragi didn't rush.
He steadied himself for half a beat—
—and knocked it down cleanly.
The next several possessions turned into a furious exchange.
For Sannoh, Matsumoto and Sawakita repeatedly used Little Kawata's screens to penetrate and feed Kawata, who either finished himself or assisted his brother, spinning Akagi and Sakuragi into constant rotation.
For Shohoku, Nango tore through Fukatsu and Kawata again and again, turning their defense into a sieve before feeding Akagi and Sakuragi to vent their frustration inside.
The relentless offensive display sent waves of gasps through the arena.
On the sidelines, Coach Takato spoke calmly. "It looks spectacular, but Shohoku is still at a disadvantage."
Maki nodded. "These continuous high-intensity sprints—even Nango won't hold up forever. His breathing is already much heavier."
"So they either change tactics," Kiyota added, "or sub Nango out for a breather. Otherwise, it'll be hard to last until the end."
"Well said," Maki smiled. "Now it depends on Coach Anzai and on Nango."
Coach Takato's eyes fixed on a certain handsome first-year. "The choice isn't difficult. Shohoku still has a sharp blade they haven't drawn yet."
Maki and Kiyota both knew who he meant.
Kiyota snorted softly, clearly unconvinced.
Maki, however, frowned slightly.
Rukawa Kaede is far stronger than the average rookie… but letting him face Sawakita one-on-one now?
In experience and skill, the national champion still has the upper hand.
Maki's thoughts drifted back to Sawakita's terrifying performance against Kainan the previous year
and a sense of foreboding quietly spread.