Sannoh Kogyo's bench.
At this moment, everything on the bench seemed normal.
Players were drinking water, wiping sweat, and their expressions were natural.
However, there was a persistent heavy atmosphere lingering in the air.
Domoto Goro observed the players and was filled with worry.
The current unfavorable situation was entirely caused by Aoi.
To turn the game around, they had to start by restricting Aoi.
But the problem was—how could they effectively contain that guy?
After thinking for a long time, Domoto Goro finally spoke. "Ichinokura, take a rest."
He then turned his gaze toward a young player sitting in the corner, his eyes filled with expectation and helplessness. "Matsumoto, you'll replace Ichinokura on the court."
Matsumoto, named Matsumoto Minoru, was also a shooting guard, wearing jersey number 6.
He was the second strongest player on the team after Sawakita Eiji, known as Sannoh's "second ace."
Matsumoto Minoru's eyes were firm, and he nodded to Domoto Goro without hesitation, replying in a calm and strong voice, "Understood..."
Domoto Goro gave a serious instruction. "Matsumoto, assist Sawakita in guarding their #9. Do your best to disrupt his rhythm and don't let him score easily again."
...
Shohoku's bench.
Shimizu Kanon was also explaining tactics.
She held a stack of Sannoh Kogyo player information and spoke seriously, "The pace of the game is now leaning in our favor. If Sannoh wants to change their current disadvantage, they'll likely try to control Saku-chan's rhythm. There's a high chance they'll make player adjustments. For safety, we need to shift our attack focus."
She paused, then slowly turned her gaze toward Miyagi Ryota, speaking softly, "Miyagi-senpai, you might need to take a rest now."
Miyagi Ryota wiped the sweat from his face, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately kept it to himself.
He knew his condition. On the court, he was probably the easiest target. Subbing out was the right choice.
At that moment, Shimizu Kanon turned her head and looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi, saying, "Sakuragi-kun, you'll replace Miyagi-senpai on the court."
Hm?
Sakuragi Hanamichi heard his name, as if struck by electricity, and instantly stood up from his seat.
His eyes widened, and his face was full of disbelief, excitement, and nervousness mixed together.
He couldn't believe he was going on the court so soon. His voice slightly trembled as he asked, "Is it true? You want me to play?"
Shimizu Kanon smiled and nodded, looking at Sakuragi Hanamichi's excited face. "It's true, it's your turn."
"Alright... leave it to me, the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi!" Sakuragi Hanamichi said loudly, his face full of confidence, as if he already saw himself dominating the court.
...
The timeout ended quickly.
Boo...
The whistle blew.
The game resumed.
As both teams returned to the court, everyone noticed the player changes.
"Sannoh seems to have substituted."
"Looks like Shohoku did too. They put in a guy with red hair."
"The coaches seem to be on the same page."
"I heard Shohoku's coach is quite an amazing person!"
...
The crowd's murmurs filled the air as players from various schools also began to think deeply.
In one corner of the stands, the players from Kainan High, who had exited the game earlier, were watching intently.
Shinzou Ichirou's gaze was locked on the court. Seeing both teams make substitutions at the same time, he said with mild surprise, "They both made substitutions at the same time."
Kiyota Nobunaga's eyes were fixed on Sakuragi Hanamichi, and he felt an inexplicable surge of anger. He grumbled, "That damn red-haired monkey."
Maki Shinichi focused his attention on Matsumoto Minoru from Sannoh, slowly speaking, "They put in Matsumoto, huh? Trying to turn things around with him. But…"
He slowly shifted his gaze toward Aoi on Shohoku's side. The memory of their previous encounter flashed in his mind.
Aoi's calm demeanor had made Maki's heart waver, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Could it really be that easy?"
Maki Shinichi had always had a lingering doubt.
Ever since their last game, he felt that Aoi had not given his all.
The Sannoh players, seeing Shohoku's red-haired player come onto the court, couldn't help but be surprised.
They hadn't expected Shohoku to substitute either, and especially not a tall player.
"Is it because we were targeting them too much? So they brought in a tall guy?" Fukatsu Kazunari thought to himself.
Matsumoto Minoru stood beside Sawakita Eiji. Together, they watched Aoi walk onto the court.
Sawakita Eiji turned to Matsumoto Minoru and said, "I'll be counting on you soon."
Matsumoto Minoru's expression became serious as he responded, "Don't worry! I admit his skills are beyond what we expected, but we won't go down so easily."
Sawakita Eiji smiled lightly and said, "Let's hope so!"
The game quickly resumed.
Sawakita Eiji was dribbling the ball, initiating the attack.
Just as Aoi was preparing to move forward for defense, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
Hm?
Aoi looked up at the person, and it was Matsumoto Minoru.
Matsumoto Minoru had a slight smile on his face as he spoke to Aoi. "I won't let you disturb our ace."
Aoi ignored him, his figure flashing as he swiftly moved past Matsumoto Minoru's side with incredible speed.
Matsumoto Minoru widened his eyes, his face showing a stunned expression. He gasped, "Such speed."
But he quickly regained his senses, turning and chasing after Aoi.
Sawakita Eiji, seeing Aoi charging toward him, seemed to have anticipated it, showing no surprise on his face.
When Aoi reached him, he decisively passed the ball toward Matsumoto Minoru.
A pass?
Aoi's eyes narrowed, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.
Matsumoto Minoru caught the ball firmly and without hesitation, continued charging toward Shohoku's basket.
When he reached the three-point line, Sakuragi Hanamichi quickly arrived and blocked his path.
Matsumoto Minoru suddenly stopped, then jumped and took a shot right in front of Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Seeing this, Sakuragi Hanamichi jumped to block, shouting, "Watch my big dunk!"
Whoosh...
However, the next moment, the basketball flew right past Sakuragi Hanamichi's head.
What?
Sakuragi Hanamichi widened his eyes, momentarily unable to react. He hadn't expected the shot to be released so fast.
At this point, his arm, already in motion, couldn't stop.
Bang...
There was a loud smack as Sakuragi Hanamichi's hand landed directly on Matsumoto Minoru's palm.
Boo...
The referee immediately blew the whistle.
At the same time...
The basketball traced a beautiful arc in the air and finally dropped into the basket.
Swish...
The clear sound of the net echoed.
The ball went through the hoop.
The referee's voice was heard over the crowd. "Shohoku #10, hitting the hand foul, the shot counts, and an additional free throw."
Boom...
A burst of excited cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Wow! As expected of Matsumoto, coming on and getting a 3+1."
"Impressive! No wonder he's Sannoh's outside ace. Truly living up to the name."
"Sannoh is Sannoh. Shohoku can't compare to them."
"Well done, Matsumoto! Show Shohoku your strength."
"Go Matsumoto, let Shohoku know your power."
...
"Dammit!" Sakuragi Hanamichi's face was filled with frustration as he helplessly raised his hand.
He hadn't expected to foul just after stepping on the court. He was full of regret.
Akagi Takenori quickly walked up to him and patiently reminded him, "Don't rush to block just because the opponent is shooting. Matsumoto Minoru is a good outside shooter, and his release is much faster than others. You need to stay calm."
"I understand," Sakuragi Hanamichi mumbled, quietly noting Akagi's advice in his mind.
Mitsui Hisashi stared at Matsumoto Minoru, his eyes filled with shock. He thought to himself, "So, this is the 'second ace' Matsumoto Minoru. His strength is second only to Sawakita Eiji. He must have deliberately drawn the foul just now! To release the shot before Sakuragi's hand even reached him, and still make it—he's no joke."
Mitsui Hisashi believed that, under defense, he could never shoot as fast as Matsumoto Minoru, let alone guarantee the shot's accuracy.
Swish...
The ball went through the net.
Matsumoto Minoru calmly sank the free throw.
Shohoku 35 – 31 Sannoh Kogyo.
Matsumoto Minoru made a spectacular 3+1 as soon as he came on the court.
This result surprised everyone.
Aoi immediately recognized that Matsumoto Minoru was a strong outside shooter.
He looked at Sawakita Eiji and said quietly, "Is this your goal?"
Sawakita Eiji shrugged, a smile on his face. "What can we do? If we don't draw him away, it'll be a big problem."
Aoi's face remained calm. "You don't think this will make everything easier, do you?"
Sawakita Eiji shook his head and said seriously, "I didn't think that."
Matsumoto Minoru's 3+1 seemed to signal a shift, with the game's momentum gradually swinging toward Sannoh.
In the next few possessions, Sawakita Eiji and Matsumoto Minoru worked seamlessly together.
They used a strategy where one drew Aoi's attention, while the other focused on offense, continuously scoring with impressive results.
By the 15th minute of the first half, Sannoh had finally managed to catch up and even take the lead.
Shohoku 41 – 42 Sannoh Kogyo.