Daiei Academy, as expected, made comprehensive adjustments on both offense and defense!
On defense, they decisively abandoned their previous half-court man-to-man coverage and quickly switched to an impenetrable 2-3 zone defense.
During an offensive possession, Koshino tried to drive from the wing with the ball, but was firmly blocked by the opponent's zone defense barrier. In a hurry, he tried to pass the ball to the weak side, but due to that half-beat of hesitation, the ball was precisely intercepted by a defensive player who had slanted in.
"Damn it!" Koshino clenched his fist and stomped his foot in annoyance.
"Don't worry about it, get back on defense first." Sendo's voice came from behind him, calm but with a comforting power. As he retreated, he scanned Daiei's defensive positioning, and a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.
Taoka Moichi quickly walked to the sideline and shouted to the court: "Koshino! Don't let that last turnover affect you, stick to the strategy!"
Turning his head, he looked at Sakuragi beside him and tapped the tactics board with his fingertip: "See? The moment they switched to a zone defense, the overall defensive layering and toughness immediately increased."
Sakuragi frowned, staring at the court, nodding as if he understood, with un-wiped sweat still on his forehead.
Taoka Moichi suddenly asked: "Why do you think they suddenly abandoned man-to-man?"
Sakuragi stared at the Daiei players' movements, then suddenly clapped his hands: "I know! They definitely couldn't stop Gu Jin's drives!"
Taoka Moichi's mouth twitched, neither confirming nor denying: "Yes, but not entirely. Look at Tsuchiya Jun—before, with man-to-man, he had to stick to Sendo, unable to do anything else; now with the zone defense, the defensive pressure is spread out, allowing him to be the core of the counterattack."
No sooner had he spoken than Tsuchiya Jun had already rushed to the frontcourt with the stolen ball.
He didn't rush to attack, but instead slowed down and observed for two seconds, then suddenly flicked his wrist, and the basketball flew accurately to the corner—Tamaki Otoko was already waiting there, catching the ball, jumping, and shooting in one smooth motion.
"Swish!" A three-pointer, nothing but net! The scoreboard jumped to 28:16.
Daiei's bench immediately erupted in cheers, and Morita Masanobu clapped his hands vigorously on the sidelines.
Sakuragi stared wide-eyed: "Just said he could lead the counterattack, and he already assisted!"
"That's the effect of tactical adjustments," Taoka Moichi said, pointing to the court. "A zone defense not only defends but also saves stamina for core players, giving them more freedom on offense."
Ryonan's offensive possession quickly came.
Sendo held the ball at the top of the arc and signaled, and Gu Jin immediately understood, using Uozumi's screen to cut back from the inside, deliberately drawing Onodera Ritsu to the free-throw line—Daiei's zone defense had just converged when Sendo passed the ball to the weak side!
Uekusa received the ball beyond the three-point line. Tamaki Otoko had just rushed over when Uekusa flipped his wrist and passed the ball back to the cutting Sendo.
Sendo had an open shot when he received the ball, and easily scored with a jump shot.
"2 points! 30:16!" The commentator's voice rang out, "Ryonan broke the zone defense with passing!"
As Sendo landed, he high-fived Uekusa, and the corner of his eye caught Tsuchiya Jun staring at him, with a hint of seriousness in his gaze.
In the next possession, Daiei's ball was once again in Tsuchiya Jun's hands.
After advancing to the frontcourt, he suddenly faked a dribble move against Sendo, as if to go one-on-one—Sendo immediately lowered his center of gravity to defend, not expecting it to be a fake. Tsuchiya Jun used a screen to suddenly pass the ball to Daimoto Tadunobu cutting through the middle!
Uozumi had just come over to help when Daimoto received the ball, but he calmly turned and hit a hook shot, the ball bouncing off the backboard and into the basket.
"30:18 now, that Daimoto scored too!" At this point, Aida Hikoichi also seemed to understand what Coach Taoka had said.
Sakuragi, watching from the sidelines, was so anxious he slapped his thigh: "They scored again! Let's score another one quickly!"
"Don't rush, clearly see their defensive weaknesses," Taoka Moichi said, holding him back. "What does a zone defense fear? It fears quick ball movement and inside-out coordination."
Indeed, Ryonan's next offense was played with more patience.
Koshino handled the ball on the perimeter, and Gu Jin suddenly cut back from the inside, shaking off Onodera Ritsu to rush to the basket—Sendo understood perfectly, flicking his wrist to deliver an alley-oop! Gu Jin jumped to catch the ball, and against Ben Wallace's help defense, he slammed the ball into the hoop!
"Bang!" The rim let out a dull thud, 32:18!
Gu Jin landed, clenching his fist and letting out a low roar, and Ryonan's bench instantly erupted.
Morita Masanobu's brow furrowed again as he shouted to the court: "Watch the paint! Don't let him receive the ball easily!"
After Daiei inbounded the ball, Tsuchiya Jun slowly advanced with it.
This time he didn't look for teammates but stopped beyond the three-point line, dribbling the ball at Sendo—the stance was unmistakable: this time it would be a one-on-one.
Sendo raised an eyebrow, spread his arms, and stood firm, a fighting spirit finally ignited in his eyes.
The roar from the stands suddenly intensified, and even the reporters on the sidelines leaned forward—everyone knew the real showdown had begun.
"Watch for him to pass," Sendo whispered to his teammates, his gaze fixed on Tsuchiya Jun with the ball.
Tsuchiya Jun slowly dribbled beyond the three-point line, his shoulder slightly tilted to the left, and his wrist feinted in Daimoto Tadunobu's direction—the posture was identical to when he assisted Daimoto earlier. Gu Jin instinctively converged towards the paint, preparing to help defend, but as soon as he moved, he abruptly stopped: "Damn it, it's a fake!"
Before he finished speaking, Tsuchiya Jun had already gathered the ball and jumped. Sendo quickly reached out to block, his fingertips almost touching the basketball, but he was still half a beat too slow—Tsuchiya Jun's shooting motion was clean and crisp, and with a slight flick of his wrist, the basketball, spinning, flew towards the hoop.
"Swish!" Nothing but net.
The scoreboard jumped to 32:21. The cheers from Daiei's bench almost lifted the roof, and a hint of a smile finally appeared on Morita Masanobu's tense face.
Ryonan's bench instantly fell silent. Ikegami's eyes widened, and for a long time, he couldn't recover, muttering: "That Tsuchiya Jun... just fooled Sendo?"
Having partnered with Sendo for so long, he knew perfectly well how accurate Sendo's defensive anticipation was. To be faked out like that and concede a three-pointer only showed how terrifying the opponent's rhythm control was.
Taoka Moichi tapped his fingertip on the tactics board, his voice steady: "This Tsuchiya Jun is the same type of player as Sendo—he can play by himself, and he can also involve his teammates. Even his mind for faking out defenders is just as agile."
He paused, looking at Sendo, who was bending down to pick up the ball on the court, with conviction in his eyes, "But I believe Sendo will never lose."
Sakuragi clenched his fists beside him: "Exactly! How could Sendo lose to a guy like that!"
Sakuragi shouted towards the court: "Gu Jin, you help defend him later too!"
Taoka Moichi suddenly smiled: "Sakuragi, Sendo doesn't need anyone's help. Look at Sendo's eyes, I'm very familiar with that look. This kid is finally starting to get serious."
On the court, Sendo had just passed the ball to Koshino, and as he looked up, his gaze met Tsuchiya Jun's.
Tsuchiya Jun raised an eyebrow, with a hint of a challenging smile;
Sendo, however, merely curved his lips, the annoyance of being faked out long gone from his eyes, replaced only by an increasingly bright fighting spirit—like a hunter encountering equally matched prey.
"Time to get serious," Sendo quietly told himself, stepping forward, ready for the next possession.
