The practice match between Shohoku and Ryonan continued, with the score at 6:2 and Shohoku temporarily in the lead. However, Ryonan's players were beginning to adapt to Shohoku's offensive tempo and prepared to launch a counterattack.
Sendoh stood outside the three-point line, gently dribbling the basketball with a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on Kaede Rukawa.
"Well, it seems you actually have some skills," Sendoh said with a smile.
Kaede Rukawa did not reply; his gaze held only icy fighting spirit.
"Then let's see if you can stop me."
Just as the words left his lips, Sendoh suddenly accelerated into a drive!
Kaede Rukawa instantly stepped back, attempting to block Sendoh's path.
Yet Sendoh's footwork was exceptionally fluid. With an initial left-side shimmy, just as Kaede Rukawa prepared to adjust his center of gravity, Sendoh executed a sudden crossover and left the defender in the dust in an instant!
"Tch..." Kaede Rukawa reacted with blistering speed, quickly giving chase, but Sendoh had already charged into the paint.
Takenori Akagi immediately stepped up to help defend, spreading his arms wide to cut off Sendoh's shooting angle.
Without the slightest hesitation, Sendoh adjusted his motion mid-air and went up for a reverse layup!
"Swish—"
The ball went in! 6:4!
Sendoh had torn a seam open in Shohoku's offense and defense system using pure individual brilliance.
"This guy... is too strong!" Satoru Kakuta said in astonishment.
Kiminobu Kogure also furrowed his brow. "Sendoh is certainly no ordinary opponent."
Coach Anzai sat on the sideline, narrowing his eyes slightly as a faint smile touched his lips. "Ho ho... He's finally getting serious."
Shohoku went on the attack, with Shin Saionji advancing the ball to the front court. Ryonan clearly stepped up their defense as Uekusa and Koshino pressed up simultaneously, attempting to seal off his driving lanes.
"Trying to trap me?" Shin Saionji smiled faintly.
The Demon King's Eye instantly parsed the defensive line!
Shin Saionji dribbled with light-footed agility, starting with a pump fake. Koshino immediately stepped forward to contest, yet—
His defense completely clawed at empty air!
Shin Saionji executed a sudden change of direction, driving straight through the gap between the two defenders like a slithering serpent!
"What?!" Uekusa and Koshino cried out in shock.
The moment he surged into the paint, Jun Uozumi rushed over immediately, stretching out his arms to block!
Yet Shin Saionji simply flicked his hand, sending the basketball precisely to Kogure on the wing!
"Chance!" Kogure did not hesitate, rising up for a jump shot!
"Swish—!"
8:4! Shohoku continued to widen their lead!
"This guy..." Coach Taoka furrowed his brow. "His passing choices are far too calm; he's completely controlling the tempo."
On the Shohoku bench, Ayako swung her fist excitedly. "Great shot! Shin Saionji's passes are truly pinpoint!"
Yasuda nodded. "And his drive just now had such a strong sense of rhythm; there was simply no finding an opening to lock him down."
Just as everyone was immersed in the tense atmosphere of the match, a roar suddenly erupted from outside the court—
"Damn it!! Let me play!!"
Everyone was startled. Turning their heads, they saw Hanamichi Sakuragi wildly waving his arms on the sidelines, glaring angrily at the players on the court.
"How come they get to play in the game while I'm stuck sitting here watching?! Shohoku's genius should be the one out there!"
Ayako shot him a sideways glance. "You haven't even mastered your dribbling, and you want to play?"
"What does dribbling matter?! I'm a genius!!" Sakuragi roared.
The players on the court were disrupted for a split second by Sakuragi's shouting. Akagi bellowed directly, "Shut up!!"
"Ha?!" Sakuragi glared at Akagi defiantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Coach Anzai maintained his smile, taking a gentle sip of tea without a word.
The match continued with Ryonan's possession. Sendoh held the ball once again; this time, rather than rushing to drive, he carefully observed Shin Saionji's positioning.
"Hmm..." Sendoh narrowed his eyes, a meaningful smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Looks like you're the real core of Shohoku."
He suddenly accelerated into a drive, and Shin Saionji immediately met him head-on!
Sendoh and Shin Saionji clashed face-to-face, both of them possessing extremely nimble footwork. Sendoh attempted a crossover to shake him, but Shin Saionji anticipated it precisely, locking down every step to perfection!
"Oh? You can actually keep up with me?" Sendoh chuckled softly.
Shin Saionji said nothing, his gaze remaining calm.
Sendoh abruptly came to a sudden halt, feigning a jump shot!
Yet—
Shin Saionji remained completely unfazed, holding his ground firmly without jumping!
"Tch, saw right through it, did you?" Sendoh sighed lightly, then decisively passed the ball to Uozumi down in the post!
Uozumi caught the ball and attempted a forceful attack, but Akagi had already established position beforehand, anchoring his body firmly against Uozumi!
"Damn it...!" Uozumi tried to power up, but Akagi's defensive strength completely overwhelmed him!
"Uozumi, you aren't qualified to match up against me yet!" Akagi violently swiped his hand down—
Smack!
He directly batted Uozumi's shot away with a single slap!
"Wahahaha!!" The Shohoku bench erupted!
"The captain is too strong!" Kakuta shouted excitedly.
Coach Taoka wore an ugly expression. "Akagi's strength is even greater than I anticipated... Uozumi can't move him at all."
Sendoh, on the other hand, merely smiled faintly. "Now that's more like it."
Shohoku launched a fast break. Shin Saionji quickly pushed the ball upcourt as Koshino and Uekusa moved to intercept!
"You're out of chances!" Uekusa shouted.
Yet Shin Saionji simply smiled faintly, instantly executing a super-high-speed change of direction to shake off both defenders!
"What?!" Uekusa and Koshino were shocked.
Instead of taking the shot himself, he decisively passed the ball to Kaede Rukawa, who was cutting into space!
Kaede Rukawa caught the ball and, without the slightest hesitation, rose up for a jump shot right in Sendoh's face!
Sendoh immediately leaped to contest, but Kaede Rukawa adjusted his release angle, and the basketball sailed flawlessly over Sendoh's fingertips—
"Swish—!"
10:4! Shohoku continued to expand their advantage!
Sendoh froze for a fraction of a second, then a smirk crept onto the corner of his mouth. "This guy... he's finally getting serious."
The match continued, and the clash between Shohoku and Ryonan entered a white-hot phase. Shin Saionji's playmaking ability, Akagi's dominance in the paint, and the duel between Kaede Rukawa and Sendoh made the gunpowder in this practice match thicker by the moment!
Meanwhile, Hanamichi Sakuragi on the sidelines was still wildly shouting, "Damn it!! Exactly when do I get to play?!"
Ayako covered her ears with a look of utter helplessness and muttered under her breath, "Such a troublesome guy..."
Inside the Ryonan Basketball Gymnasium, Shohoku led 10:4 as the match entered an even more intense stage of confrontation.
Ryonan's players wore solemn expressions, and Coach Taoka stood on the sideline, keeping his eyes locked on the unfolding situation. He knew that if adjustments weren't made soon, Shohoku might completely take control of the game's tempo!
Sendoh stood in the backcourt, gently patting the basketball while that relaxed smile still lingered on his face.
"Time to get about halfway serious."
Shohoku's defense was already standing ready, with Kaede Rukawa locked onto Sendoh while Akagi once again zeroed in on Uozumi, denying him any easy catches.
Uekusa dribbled the ball upcourt with Shin Saionji stepping up to defend. His gaze was sharp, and the Demon King's Eye had already begun parsing Ryonan's offensive movements.
Ryonan's offensive tactics began to shift—they no longer relied blindly on Sendoh's isolation plays, instead generating open opportunities through increased off-ball movement!
Uekusa executed a sudden change of direction, directly dishing the ball to Koshino, who drove on momentum!
"Here's our chance!"
Koshino surged into the paint, preparing to lay the ball up, but—
"Whack!"
Shin Saionji anticipated the play ahead of time, executing a precise steal that directly disrupted Ryonan's offense!
"What?!" Both Uekusa and Koshino stood frozen in shock!
Shohoku rapidly mounted a fast break, with Shin Saionji rushing the ball toward the front court at blistering speed before Ryonan's defense could fully recover!
"Rukawa!"
Without hesitation, he fired a pass to Kaede Rukawa, who had already sprinted all the way to the front court!
Catching the ball and facing the recovering Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa did not hesitate for a second, immediately accelerating into a drive!
Sendoh backpedaled rapidly, attempting to cut off his driving angle.
Yet Kaede Rukawa suddenly pulled up short, elevating for a jump shot!
Just as Sendoh prepared to leap and contest, he realized Kaede Rukawa's shooting motion was even faster than he had imagined!
"Swish—!"
The ball went in! 12:4! Shohoku continued to pad their lead!
After landing, Sendoh let out a soft breath, a smile still resting at the corner of his mouth. "This kid is pretty tough to deal with."
The pressure on Ryonan's players was mounting steadily. Shohoku's offensive momentum was like a violent storm, and Ryonan had yet to find an effective response.
Coach Taoka muttered low from the sideline, "We cannot afford to let them dictate our rhythm any longer."
On Ryonan's offensive possession, Sendoh finally discarded any hesitation; he was going to use his individual brilliance to change the flow of the game!
Holding the ball against Kaede Rukawa, Sendoh gave a slight shimmy of his shoulders, causing Kaede Rukawa to immediately raise his defensive stance.
The next second, Sendoh abruptly executed a step-back, widening the distance directly before pulling up for a decisive jump shot!
"Tch..." Kaede Rukawa leaped instantly to contest, but Sendoh's release point was extremely high, sending the ball swishing smoothly right past his fingertips!
12:6! Ryonan finally broke their scoring drought!
Over on the Shohoku bench outside the court, Hanamichi Sakuragi was still grumbling discontentedly, "Just let me play already! Watch me take them all down with one punch!"
Ayako massaged her brow in exasperation. "Even if you did get on the court, you wouldn't be of any help."
"Hey!!" Sakuragi bellowed. "You guys are underestimating a genius!"
"Alright, Sakuragi," Coach Anzai chuckled softly. "For now, just watch how they perform."
On Shohoku's offensive turn, Shin Saionji regained control of the tempo, dribbling leisurely while observing Ryonan's defensive setup.
This time, Coach Taoka had already made adjustments, with Ryonan attempting a zone defense in an effort to seal off Shohoku's driving paths!
Shin Saionji smiled faintly, suddenly accelerating his feet to drive!
Uekusa and Koshino hurried back to intercept, but—
The Demon King's Eye had already parsed out the optimal offensive route!
Shin Saionji executed an instantaneous crossover, shedding his defenders and charging into the paint!
Uozumi immediately stepped up to block!
Yet instead of forcing a shot, Shin Saionji executed a tight pullback dribble, swiftly whipping the ball out to an open Akagi!
Akagi caught the ball, and facing Uozumi's recovering defense, he showed zero hesitation, powering straight up for a thunderous dunk!
14:6!
Shohoku's relentless onslaught made things increasingly grueling for Ryonan's players; their tactical adjustments were entirely incapable of containing Shin Saionji's passing and Akagi's dominance inside!
Coach Taoka's expression grew steadily uglier, knowing that if this continued, Ryonan might be utterly crushed by Shohoku!
Sendoh caught his breath, glancing toward Shin Saionji on the court. For the first time, he felt a intense wave of intrigue toward this freshman.
"Your brand of basketball... is truly obnoxious," Sendoh chuckled softly.
Shin Saionji offered a calm smile. "Right back at you."
On Ryonan's attack, Sendoh held the ball. Knowing that mere ball movement could not tear open Shohoku's defense, he chose to take matters into his own hands!
He suddenly accelerated, beating Kaede Rukawa off the dribble and charging straight for the rim!
Yet the moment he leaped, Shin Saionji anticipated the move in advance, appearing right at his landing spot!
Sendoh adjusted mid-air on the fly, contorting his body for a tough layup to evade Shin Saionji's block!
"Tch... what a quick reaction," Shin Saionji murmured under his breath.
The ball banked off the glass and dropped through the net, 14:8!
Yet Shohoku showed not a shred of panic. Shin Saionji advanced the ball, knowing Ryonan's defense was shifting and that they had to ramp the tempo right back up!
Shin Saionji suddenly accelerated past Uekusa, hurtling straight toward the basket!
Ryonan's defense was torn completely apart!
"Damn it! Stop him!" Coach Taoka roared from the sidelines.
Uozumi rushed forward to meet him, but Shin Saionji abruptly came to a dead stop, elevated, and flicked his wrist to loft the ball high toward the rim!
"What?!"
Every pair of eyes focused on the air above.
They saw Akagi spring suddenly into the sky, rising over Uozumi's defense to throw down a monstrous one-handed slam!
"Bang—!!"
The entire basketball gymnasium instantly exploded!
16:8! Shohoku completely took command of the game's rhythm!
Panting heavily, Ryonan's players were beginning to feel the crushing pressure Shohoku was inflicting upon them!
Coach Taoka wore a grim face, fully aware that if he didn't call something soon, the game would spiral entirely out of control!
"Time-out!"
Ryonan finally called a time-out as the match entered a tactical adjustment phase!
On the Shohoku bench, Hanamichi Sakuragi continued to roar in grievance, "Damn it! Why am I still not allowed to play?!"