They looked discouraged. Should I call a timeout? Coach Maeda glanced at the scoreboard, sweat glistening at her temples. Then again, only two minutes remain. I'll just let it play out for now, she thought, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes toward the court.
"Inbound the ball to me!" shouted Haruko from near the half-court line, her voice cutting through the sharp squeak of sneakers and bouncing balls.
Kazue passed it to her immediately. The leather left her fingertips and smacked lightly into Haruko's palms. Haruko turned and began dribbling up the court, eyes scanning.
As she approached the three-point line, a defender closed in. Haruko's eyes flicked toward Kotone.
"Screen on your left," said Chizuru flatly as she suddenly switched with her teammate and stepped in Haruko's path. The air between them tightened.
Startled but reactive, Haruko instantly switched her dribble between her legs, cutting sharply right. Chizuru's body followed, but she couldn't mirror the angle in time.
"She's shifty," Chizuru thought, twisting her hips to catch up, her hair whipping sideways from the motion.
Haruko drove hard into the paint. As she neared the basket, she faked a hard step to the right, pulling a defender with her. In one fluid motion, she pivoted and sliced to the left with a clean euro step. Her left foot landed firm; her right propelled her off the ground.
The basketball rolled off her fingertips with perfect control, hit the backboard, and dropped through the net.
"That was amazing, Haruko!" Sayaka's voice was full of awe, her eyes wide with admiration.
"That was a euro step! She executed it perfectly just now. Where did that girl learn such an advanced technique?" thought Coach Yamaoka, frozen on the sideline, his clipboard momentarily forgotten at his side.
On the next possession, Chizuru's teammate created space with a tight screen. Chizuru stepped behind it smoothly and shot a three. The ball arced high, then dropped clean through the hoop.
The crowd murmured, stirred by her precision.
As the final seconds of the quarter ticked away, Suzume took her defender off the dribble. Her form was tight, her release confident. The shot swished through the net just as the buzzer rang.
End of the first quarter.
"That Chizuru girl is amazing," said Sayaka, wiping sweat from her brow as she gulped water on the bench.
"Yes, she's already scored fourteen points for her team, and most of them were from three-pointers. If we want to win, we have to stop her first," said Suzume, holding her towel loosely around her neck.
"You guys should pass the ball to me more. I'm getting bored of just setting screens," said Kotone, adjusting her ponytail with a mildly annoyed look.
"You're right about that, Suzume. Stopping Chizuru is the key to winning this game. We'll double-team her for the rest of the game," Coach Maeda announced, pacing slowly behind them, arms crossed.
"That won't be necessary, Coach. I'll guard her alone," said Haruko calmly, toweling off her arms and locking eyes with Maeda.
"Are you sure about this, Haruko?" Coach Maeda asked, her brow furrowing.
"Yes. I've figured out a flaw in how they play. It's true that Chizuru is exceptional, but guarding her isn't as difficult as it seems," Haruko said as she stood, her voice firm. She turned to Sayaka. "Also, Sayaka, when I tell you to run, just do it. We'll catch up to them for sure."
"Yeah, you got it, Haruko!" Sayaka replied with enthusiasm, bouncing lightly on her toes.
The referee blew the whistle, and the second quarter began. Chizuru received the ball and dribbled up the court with casual confidence. The soles of her shoes slapped lightly against the hardwood with every quick step.
Haruko was waiting, positioned squarely in front of her with knees bent and arms low.
"She seems like their best player. How about I make an example out of her?" Chizuru thought, her lips curling into a confident smirk. She went for a behind-the-back move—but before her hand could recover the ball, Haruko struck like a whip.
The basketball popped loose and rolled behind Chizuru.
"No way, how did she—?" thought Chizuru, freezing momentarily in disbelief.
"Sayaka! Run!" shouted Haruko as she scooped up the ball and hurled it down the court.
Sayaka accelerated like a sprinter, received the pass in stride, and laid it up off the backboard. The ball hit softly and dropped in.
"Nice one, Sayaka!" called Kazue, her voice rising over the cheers.
"That was just a fluke. There's no way these losers can stop me," muttered Chizuru under her breath, glaring at Haruko.
But when she attacked again, Haruko matched her footwork, keeping her body in perfect alignment. Each time Chizuru tried to pivot, Haruko was already there, breathing steady but heavy.
"I can't get past her. She's so intense," thought Chizuru, frustration creeping in.
"Chizuru, pass!" shouted one of her teammates, sensing the delay.
Chizuru reluctantly tried to pass, but Haruko stripped the ball before it even left her hands.
"Sayaka!" Haruko called again.
"I'm on it, Haruko!" replied Sayaka, catching the pass in motion and finishing at the rim.
"Switch up the offense, Chizuru! Stop playing selfishly. They've adjusted their defense to you, so share the ball more!" yelled Coach Yamaoka, his voice sharp.
Chizuru followed the instruction on the next play, dishing to a teammate who scored an uncontested layup.
Back on offense, Suzume slipped a pass into Kotone in the paint. Kotone squared up and used her height to finish cleanly.
The ball was quickly inbounded by Misono. Chizuru pushed the pace, slicing through defenders before scoring a layup.
Then Haruko pulled up confidently from behind the arc and sank a three-pointer.
The pace was now frantic. Chizuru tried again, but Haruko stole the ball and fed Kazue, who scored off a hard cut.
Frustrated, Chizuru stepped into a three-pointer and drilled it. But Hachioji responded immediately—Sayaka ran the lane and finished another fast break layup.
On the next play, the opposition scored another quick basket. Kazue, unfazed, set a screen for Haruko and then cut hard. Haruko hit her in stride and Kazue finished with a clean layup.
"We need to stop them on this play if we want to win," said Haruko, her voice calm but breath short.
"You heard the captain. Let's do it!" said Kazue, wiping sweat from her brow.
The bench erupted, the first-years chanting, "Defense! Defense!" Their voices blended with the echo of sneakers and bouncing balls.
As Chizuru caught the inbound pass, she paused to scan the court.
"To be honest, I never expected them to be this good, considering the data I collected on them last year. They are a strong team. I need to extend our lead," she thought, locking in.
She launched a three—but Haruko leaped into her space and tipped the shot at the peak.
"Crap, she threw off my rhythm! Grab the rebound!" shouted Chizuru.
"Rebound, Kotone!" barked Haruko.
"Alright, Haruko, there's no need to be so vulgar," Kotone grumbled under her breath as she hauled in the rebound, hugging the ball tightly.
She quickly passed it to Haruko, who bolted downcourt in a blur.
Chizuru, burning with urgency, sprinted back to defend. Haruko saw her shadow trailing, switched hands, crossed through her legs, then stepped back sharply. She rose and released a three-pointer. The arc was tight. The net swished.
"Nice one, girl!" Sayaka high-fived Haruko with a bright smile.
"Not bad, Captain. You really are something else," Kazue added, nodding.
"Could it be that this girl is better than me?" Chizuru thought, the doubt sinking deep into her chest. "It seems that way."
On the next trip down, Haruko stripped Chizuru again and passed to Kazue for a layup.
A teammate from Misono tried to answer with a drive, but Kotone stepped up and swatted the ball off the glass, regaining control. She passed ahead to Sayaka, who scored easily again.
Though the opponents managed to score a layup in response, Hachioji was undeterred.
Suzume knocked down a mid-range jumper from the wing, her shot snapping the net crisply.
Time slipped by quickly. On their final possession, Haruko took her defender one-on-one, pulling up for a short two-pointer.
The ball dropped in just as the whistle blew to mark the end of the third quarter.