Thud...
Akagi Takenori and Kawata Masashi almost simultaneously pushed off the ground, leaping high, like two lions ready to pounce, stretching out their strong hands toward the basketball in midair.
Under the intense gaze of the entire audience, their hands almost touched the ball at the same time.
However, under their combined force, the ball quickly bounced out of their hands and flew toward the Sannoh side.
In an instant, both teams ignited like barrels of gunpowder and sprang into action.
Mitsui Hisashi's sharp eyes and swift feet quickly moved him forward, attempting to catch the ball that was about to fall.
But Ichinokura Satoshi was faster. His body flashed, and he beat Mitsui to the ball.
The moment his hand touched the ball, its trajectory changed and it flew sideways.
Ichinokura pushed Mitsui aside and immediately chased after the ball without hesitation.
Just then, a red blur passed by Ichinokura's vision, like a fleeting shadow.
The next second, the ball disappeared into thin air.
Ichinokura's eyes widened in surprise, and his heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly turned his head in the direction where the shadow had vanished.
He saw a figure wearing Shohoku's #9 jersey, dribbling the ball, speeding like lightning toward Sannoh's basket, like a red streak of light, strikingly obvious.
"Such speed!" Ichinokura thought in awe.
He always considered himself one of the fastest among his peers, but in that split second, he didn't even have a chance to react.
The other Sannoh players were also stunned by this unexpected scene.
They knew from the match footage that Shohoku's #9 had incredible speed, but seeing it firsthand was far more intense than in the video.
"Such speed!" Shimizu Kanon yelled, her emotions soaring as she cheered loudly for Aoi Kunisaku.
Shimizu Kanon's eyes were fixed on Aoi Kunisaku's back.
At that moment, Aoi Kunisaku charged into Sannoh's inner line like a missile.
He forcefully pushed off the ground, jumped high, and with unstoppable momentum, he grabbed the ball with both hands, slamming it toward the hoop.
However, just as the ball was about to dunk into the basket, a large hand, as strong as a vice, suddenly reached out from the side. With a whooshing sound, it forcefully swatted the ball away.
"Huh?" Aoi Kunisaku felt a shock. His pupils constricted as he quickly turned to see the person responsible.
It was Sawakita Eiji, wearing Sannoh's #9 jersey, widely regarded as Japan's number one high school player.
After the ball was swatted away by Sawakita, it landed perfectly in the hands of Fukatsu Kazunari, who had arrived just in time.
Fukatsu Kazunari, quick to react, sped off with the ball, crossing the halfway line in the blink of an eye.
Miyagi Ryota immediately dashed forward, trying to block him.
But Fukatsu Kazunari executed a seemingly normal change of direction, followed by a convincing fake move, easily breaking through Miyagi's defense.
"That guy... did he decide to break through while changing direction?" Miyagi thought in shock.
He hadn't expected Fukatsu's movements to be so fluid. Before he even realized it, he was already left behind, unable to catch up.
"This guy..." Miyagi thought, eyes wide in disbelief.
He had seen Aoi Kunisaku break through opponents with the ball before.
But now, witnessing Fukatsu, the so-called "strongest high school point guard," in action, he couldn't help but marvel, "No wonder he's called the strongest point guard in high school."
Fukatsu, full of unstoppable energy, broke through Shohoku's defense and was about to approach Akagi.
Instead of going for a layup, he saw the defense closing in. He calmly surveyed the court, and with perfect precision, passed the ball to the right, finding Ichinokura Satoshi, who had already gotten open.
Ichinokura caught the ball and didn't hesitate. He immediately jumped up and shot from beyond the three-point line.
Mitsui, seeing the shot, panicked. He had no way to stop it.
Whoosh...
The ball left Ichinokura's hands, cutting through the air in a perfect arc.
But before it even traveled far, a large hand, fast as lightning, shot out from nowhere.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang through the arena.
Everyone looked in disbelief, only to see Aoi Kunisaku appear in front of Ichinokura, having just made a powerful block.
"When did he get there?" Ichinokura thought, staring at Aoi Kunisaku in shock.
He was sure there had been no one in front of him when he shot.
Could it be that Aoi Kunisaku appeared after the ball was released?
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. How fast must Aoi Kunisaku be to pull off such an incredible move?
At this moment, Sawakita Eiji was the most impacted.
He had watched the entire series of offensive and defensive plays unfold, and beyond the shock, there was a growing sense of excitement.
Aoi Kunisaku's speed exceeded his imagination. They had almost landed at the same time, but Aoi Kunisaku had taken off first, leaving him far behind in an instant.
No matter how hard he tried to catch up, Ichinokura Satoshi could not close the gap with Aoi Kunisaku. In fact, the distance between them only grew wider. He could only watch helplessly as Aoi Kunisaku successfully blocked Ichinokura's shot.
The game had just started, and both teams had quickly exchanged one offense and one defense.
The series of moves was so fast, it left the spectators outside the court unable to react in time.
When everyone finally recovered, the entire arena was ignited. The sound of deafening cheers and shouts rolled over in waves, as if ready to blow the roof off.
"Wow! That offense and defense was so fast, I couldn't see anything clearly."
"To start so fiercely, Shohoku is not bad at all!"
"Did you see that? Shohoku's #9, his speed is insane!"
"I wonder what will happen next? I'm so excited."
...
The murmurs of the audience continued, but the other teams who had come to watch were all grave, their expressions uncertain.
Their eyes were all focused on Aoi Kunisaku.
They had just witnessed it clearly.
At the moment Aoi Kunisaku started, he pulled away from Sawakita Eiji by a large margin. Sawakita tried to catch up but couldn't.
This clearly indicated that in terms of speed, Sawakita had already fallen behind.
On the court, the ball went out of bounds, giving Sannoh the chance to inbound.
Ichinokura Satoshi, with the sharpness of an eagle, quickly scanned the positions of everyone on the court. His eyes finally locked on Shohoku's Akagi Takenori in the paint.
In an instant, a bold idea flashed through his mind.
His eyes sparkled as he didn't hesitate for a moment. He threw the ball high toward Shohoku's basket.
This sudden move shocked everyone on the court.
Shohoku's players were left confused, completely baffled by Ichinokura's unexpected action.
Who was he passing to?
Wait...
Looking at the strange trajectory of the ball, Akagi Takenori's heart skipped a beat. It was as if he suddenly realized something. He turned instinctively to look at Kawata Masashi.
But just then, Kawata Masashi moved.
Like an enraged bull, Kawata dashed towards Akagi, slamming into him with force.
Caught off guard, Akagi staggered back two steps, losing his balance.
At that moment, the key area under the basket was firmly under Kawata's control.
Kawata jumped up, caught the ball, and immediately spun in the air, ready to unleash a powerful dunk.
An alley-oop dunk?
Seeing this, Shohoku's players gasped and held their breath.
Akagi gritted his teeth, trying to regain his balance with all his might.
Though he had lost his position, his eyes were firm as he leaped to try and stop the dunk.
But unfortunately, his movements were a half-step too slow.
Judging by the distance, it seemed almost impossible to block the shot.
In the nick of time, a black shadow suddenly appeared behind Kawata Masashi.
It was none other than Aoi Kunisaku.
With a swift motion, Aoi raised his hand high and, with the force of a thunderbolt, slapped the ball away.
Kawata felt the ball lighten in his hand as it collided with the backboard and flew off.
Kawata's eyes widened in disbelief.
How could this be?
The other Sannoh players were equally stunned, staring blankly at the scene, their minds completely blank.
When did this guy show up?
Sawakita Eiji, watching Aoi Kunisaku block Kawata, let out a slow breath and whispered, "He really is amazing."
Miyagi Ryota quickly picked up the ball as it flew off, steadied himself, and rushed full-speed toward Sannoh's half-court.
Time passed quickly as both teams engaged in intense back-and-forth offense and defense.
In the blink of an eye, 2 minutes had passed.
Surprisingly, neither Shohoku nor Sannoh had scored a point in those 2 minutes.
Both teams exchanged fierce attacks and defense, leaving no room for the other, with each refusing to give an inch. The tension in the game had escalated to an extreme, and the intensity surpassed expectations.
This thrilling and passionate scene ignited the audience's enthusiasm. The deafening cheers and screams reverberated in waves, each louder than the last.
The sports reporters were in a frenzy, their cameras clicking non-stop from the start of the match, never pausing, afraid of missing any exciting moment.
Shimizu Kanon, full of excitement, stared at the court, murmuring in awe, "This is incredible. I didn't expect both teams to clash so fiercely right from the start."
However, for the coaches of both teams, the current situation had them frowning.
On the court, both teams had their back-and-forth, and it was hard to tell who was controlling the tempo.
After thinking for a while, Takeda Goro stood up and walked toward the referee's table.
Whistle...
A sharp whistle pierced the air, bringing the intense, deadlocked match to a sudden halt.
Sannoh requested a timeout.