Starting Lineups
Kainan High School
PG: Shinichi Maki (#4, 3rd Year)
SG: Jin Soichiro (#6, 3rd Year)
SF: Kiyota Nobunaga (#10, 1st Year)
PF: Muto Tadashi (#9, 3rd Year)
C: Takasago Kazuma (#5, 3rd Year)
Shoyo High School
PG: Fujima Kenji (#4, 3rd Year, Captain)
SG: Kazushi Hasegawa (#6, 3rd Year)
SF: Mitsuru Nagano (#7, 3rd Year)
PF: Shoichi Takano (#8, 3rd Year)
C: Hanagata Toru (#5, 3rd Year)
The opening whistle echoed.
Shoyo seized control immediately.
Fujima Kenji calmly directed traffic, threading a bounce pass into the paint. Hanagata Toru caught it cleanly, turned his shoulder, and rose into a smooth fadeaway over Takasago Kazuma.
Swish.
Shoyo struck first.
From that moment on, Fujima entered full "commander mode." Using Shoyo's overwhelming height advantage, he orchestrated a series of inside plays—high-low passes, lob feeds, and deep post entries.
Hanagata and Takano punished the paint.
Kazushi Hasegawa used his height to smother Jin Soichiro, denying him clean looks and forcing Kainan's ace shooter into silence.
Five minutes passed.
Jin: 0 points.
By the 10-minute mark, the scoreboard read:
Shoyo 22 — Kainan 15
The paint scoring told the story: 16–4.
Shoyo's advantage was undeniable.
At the 13-minute mark, Kainan head coach Takato finally made his move.
The white jerseys began cutting relentlessly—off-ball screens, misdirection, rapid switches.
Then—
Jin Soichiro broke free.
One three.
Then another.
Then a third.
Three consecutive shots pierced the net, instantly slicing the deficit to a single point.
The arena stirred.
Sensing the shift, Fujima took matters into his own hands.
He attacked off the dribble, forcing rotations, then fed Hanagata inside again and again. Fouls piled up. Points followed.
By halftime:
Shoyo 43 — Kainan 38
Shoyo still led.
"Shoyo is leading…" Ikegami murmured, leaning forward.
"They're fighting hard," Sendo said with a grin.
But Uozumi cut in bluntly, "This isn't over."
Akashi nodded, eyes sharp.
"The first half was only testing the waters. The real battle starts now."
And he was right.
The second half opened with a completely different Kainan.
Shinichi Maki lowered his center of gravity—and charged.
He bulldozed through Shoyo's defense, forcing his way into the paint again and again. Two defenders bounced off him like paper.
Layup.
And-one.
Then—
Maki rose over Hanagata and hammered down a dunk, shaking the rim and the arena.
Kainan's fast-break system ignited.
Kiyota Nobunaga exploded downcourt, stealing passes and finishing with violent dunks. Jin, freed by constant screens, began raining threes once more.
Midway through the half:
Kainan 65 — Shoyo 61
The lead had changed hands.
The final ten minutes arrived like a storm.
Maki attacked again—harder, faster.
He split the defense, absorbed contact from Hanagata mid-air, and flipped the ball in with one hand.
Foul.
Moments later, Kiyota intercepted a pass and finished with a one-handed slam.
Shoyo tried to respond.
But Fujima's passes were cut off.
One interception turned into a Jin fast-break three.
Another possession ended in a forced out-of-bounds.
In just three minutes—
12–2 run.
The score ballooned to:
Kainan 77 — Shoyo 63
Timeout.
But panic had already crept into Shoyo's faces.
Their height—once a weapon—had become a burden. Against Kainan's speed and rotation, they were a step slow everywhere.
After play resumed, Hanagata scored once inside.
It didn't matter.
Maki dictated everything.
Drive. Kick-out.
Jin—three.
Kiyota—steal. Fast break. Block.
With five minutes left:
Kainan 88 — Shoyo 70
Shoyo's legs were gone. Confidence followed.
Missed free throws. Sloppy passes. Late rotations.
The final blow came swiftly.
Maki thundered down the court and dunked over two defenders.
Jin followed with another cold-blooded three.
Two minutes remained.
The scoreboard read:
Kainan 104 — Shoyo 82
Final Whistle
Beep—
The whistle sliced through the roaring gym.
Silence followed.
All eyes fixed on the scoreboard.
A 22-point gap.
Shoyo had challenged the king—
and been crushed.
The stands buzzed.
"So this is Kainan…"
"The second-ranked team never stood a chance."
"They weren't even at full throttle."
Sendo leaned back, exhaling.
"Bigger gap than I thought."
"Still the king," Koshino muttered in awe.
Akashi stood.
"Let's go," he said calmly. "It's our turn next."
Ryonan rose with him.
Across the arena, Shohoku stood as well.
Akagi's voice rang out.
"Enough watching. Next is Ryonan."
The afternoon battle awaited.
And the Final Four had only just begun.