"I didn't expect Nango-kun couldn't do anything against Shoyo's captain either…" Yohei muttered, surprised. Nango had always seemed reliable, but seeing him fail to stop Fujima made Yohei suddenly feel unsure.
Noma sighed. "No matter how skilled he is, Nango-kun is still just a first-year."
Takamiya frowned anxiously. "Has Shohoku still not found a solution?"
Haruko and Kano in the front row were too nervous to speak.
"Fujima, well done!" Shoyo players surrounded Fujima, praising him. His basket had started the second half perfectly and further lowered Shohoku's morale.
Miyagi took the inbound pass, trying to rally his team. "Cheer up, let's get one back!"
Kogure clapped, "The second half has just begun. It's only one basket. Let's focus on scoring next."
Seeing morale rise slightly, Miyagi dribbled, intending to pass to Akagi. But Hanagata fronted him, making the pass difficult.
Nango swiftly shrugged off Nagano, who was guarding him, and ran over to help. He didn't care about appearances or morale—he knew that if he didn't act, Shohoku might truly struggle to turn the game around.
With the ball, facing Nagano, Nango thought: Fujima is fast? I'm fast too!
He took two steps back, then accelerated, charging toward Nagano at full speed. Onlookers gasped—if Nango collided with Nagano, the latter would likely fall hard.
Nagano hesitated under Nango's fierce aura, but Nango didn't intend to collide. He spun past cleanly, brushing slightly against him.
Two long strides took him outside the restricted area. He grabbed the ball and jumped. Hasegawa on the baseline had no time to react and could only watch as Nango charged into the restricted area.
Hanagata leapt to interfere, but he didn't dare clash head-on. He tried to block from the side, but…
"Bang!"
"Whoa!!!"
The stadium erupted! Nango pressed down over Hanagata with his left hand and completed a powerful dunk!
Hanagata staggered, landing on the floor, dazed from the impact. The crowd was stunned.
"Ah!!! Nango-kun is amazing!" Kano cheered, pulling Haruko along.
"Shoyo's four-eyes just sat down!" Noma pointed at Hanagata lying prone.
Takamiya adjusted his glasses. "Just like that tall beanpole from Ryonan."
Okusu held his head in disbelief. "That Nango-kun… unbelievable!"
Kano turned to the Sakuragi gang. "Right? Nango-kun is incredible!"
Even Yohei and the others could only nod in amazement.
Sendo, remembering past battles with Nango, laughed. "Shoyo's in for big trouble."
Shoyo players quickly gathered. "Hanagata, are you okay?"
"I'm fine… don't worry," Hanagata replied, still catching his breath.
Fujima, acting as both player and strategist, immediately addressed defense. "Hasegawa, Nango-kun is your responsibility. Don't let him get into a rhythm."
Hasegawa nodded. "Understood."
Fujima patted his teammates. "Come on, let's get one back."
Shoyo attacked. Fujima set a pick-and-roll with Takano to go one-on-one against Sakuragi. Sakuragi was fooled by Fujima's fake, but when Nango rushed over, Fujima passed to Takano. Takano's shot missed, and Akagi grabbed the rebound.
Shoyo retreated, preventing a fast break. Miyagi brought the ball across half-court and passed to Akagi, who used his strength to score a hook shot over Hanagata.
Poor Hanagata, recently dunked over by Nango, now got scored on by Akagi. Embarrassed, he could only watch.
Fujima read the defense. With Hanagata pulled to Akagi, he passed out to Miyagi, who tipped the ball but couldn't fast break. Akagi received the ball again and tried to pass to Sakuragi, but two 1.9-meter Shoyo defenders blocked his path.
Nango and Miyagi immediately cut inside. Akagi found Nango at the free-throw line and passed.
Nango moved to the right, Hasegawa guarding him closely on the left. Hasegawa maintained a half-step distance: You won't get past me this time.
They reached the baseline. Nango briefly stopped, eyes scanning for an opening. Hasegawa reached for the ball. Nango flicked it out, stepping along the baseline, squeezing through a tiny gap without stepping out of bounds.
Hasegawa quickly recovered, still trying to tap the ball. Hanagata rushed in to double-team. He was determined to stop Nango one-on-one.
Three tall Shoyo players leapt together. Nango, in the middle, seemed trapped—but suddenly he arched over Hanagata, flicked the ball at the perfect angle, and scored as it bounced off the backboard.
The stadium went silent. Everyone stared in disbelief.
Nango held his back, quietly muttering, "Damn… almost threw out my back…"
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