Ryonan's offensive possession began.
Uekusa dribbled the ball up the court and immediately passed it to Sendo.
Tsuchiya Jun instantly stuck to him—this time he didn't give Sendo any chance to observe his teammates, his arms spread straight, blocking even the passing lanes tightly.
"Still using that trick?" Sendo chuckled softly, his fingertips suddenly accelerating his dribble.
The basketball bounced rapidly between his palm and the ground, then suddenly changed direction, attempting to break through from the right side, but Tsuchiya Jun seemed glued to him, shifting sideways in sync to block the path.
Someone in the stands whispered, "Tsuchiya's defense is too stable, isn't it?"
Taoka Moichi, however, stroked his chin and smiled—he saw Sendo's left foot quietly retreat half a step, a sign that he was preparing to exert force.
Sure enough, Sendo suddenly collected the ball, his left shoulder pressing down sharply to the left, feigning a turn to cut into the restricted area.
Tsuchiya Jun immediately moved to the left to block, and just as their centers of gravity were about to cross, Sendo's footwork suddenly changed—his right foot drew a small arc around his left foot, lightly retreating to the side and back, while his body, using the inertia of the twist, instantly flashed out half a step from Tsuchiya Jun's right side!
"This step is..." Ikegami's eyes widened sharply from the bench.
This was clearly the Kashgar Step that Gu Jin had taught last time!
It uses the staggered positioning of the feet to disrupt the defender's center of gravity, making it more concealed than a conventional crossover step and more demanding on body coordination.
He had practiced it for so long without grasping the knack, and he never expected Sendo to have mastered it, let alone use it against Tsuchiya Jun!
Tsuchiya Jun obviously didn't anticipate it either; the moment his center of gravity shifted, Sendo had already seized the gap.
He didn't rush for a layup, but instead, using the space of that half-step, he flicked his wrist and dished the ball to the weak side—Uekusa was running out from behind a screen, and when he received the ball, he had an open look, so he decisively jumped for a three-pointer!
"Swish!" The basketball went through the net cleanly. 35:21!
The Ryonan bench completely erupted, Koshino slapped his thigh and shouted, "Sendo's step was too cool! It looks just like Gu Jin's move last time!"
Gu Jin couldn't help but smile either—that step just now was more fluid than when he demonstrated it, and Sendo even added a subtle wrist flick during the retreat, bringing out the essence of "deceiving the center of gravity" even more thoroughly. This guy is indeed a genius; a little study is all it takes for him to grasp it, and he can even make it his own.
Tsuchiya Jun stood in place, staring at Sendo's back for two seconds, a clear ripple appearing in his eyes for the first time.
He had clearly judged Sendo's breakthrough direction correctly just now, but that bizarre retreat step completely threw off his rhythm.
"That step is called the Gu Jin Step, what do you think? Isn't our team's Gu Jin amazing?" Sendo said to Tsuchiya Jun with a smile on his face as he walked back to mid-court.
Tsuchiya Jun didn't speak, only patted the ball, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.
In the next possession, Tsuchiya Jun attempted to respond with a similar isolation play, but Sendo's defense was noticeably more focused—he no longer rushed to block the breakthrough path, but instead gave half a step of distance, his eyes fixed on Tsuchiya Jun's footwork.
Tsuchiya Jun made two consecutive changes of direction but couldn't find an opportunity, forced to pass the ball to Tamaki. This time, Uekusa's defense was quicker, directly reaching out to disrupt the shot, and the basketball bounced off the rim.
The rebound was secured by Gu Jin, who immediately threw the ball to Sendo upon landing.
After receiving the ball, Sendo didn't wait for Daiei to get back on defense, but instead dribbled towards the frontcourt—Tsuchiya Jun also chased quickly, and the two formed another one-on-one near the three-point line.
The spectators in the stands held their breath: Another matchup!
This time, Sendo didn't dribble, but directly faced Tsuchiya Jun with the ball.
He stepped forward with his left foot, leaned slightly forward, and then suddenly accelerated—Tsuchiya Jun immediately shifted sideways, but saw Sendo's right foot again draw a small arc, still the Kashgar Step! But this time it was a fake!
The moment Tsuchiya Jun's center of gravity shifted backward, Sendo suddenly retracted his foot, pulled the ball to his left with his left hand, and, using the inertia of his body, rose for a pull-up jumper! The entire movement was fluid, from the foot fake to the shot release, without even a 0.5-second pause.
Tsuchiya Jun quickly jumped to block, but his fingertips only touched air.
The basketball arced high through the air, steadily dropping into the basket.
"37:21! Ryonan has scored 5 consecutive points!" The commentator's voice was filled with excitement. "He not only used his footwork to break through and pass, but also used a fake of that footwork to complete a pull-up! His adaptability is astonishing!"
As Sendo landed, he deliberately winked at Ikegami on the bench.
Ikegami smiled and gave him a thumbs-up—this guy hadn't just "learned" it; he had clearly mastered the footwork and made it his own.
Taoka Moichi on the sideline laughed heartily, patting Sakuragi's shoulder and saying, "See that? That's Sendo! Things from others always become even more powerful weapons in his hands."
Sakuragi's eyes sparkled as he mimicked the footwork on his knee: "This genius can learn it too! And I'll definitely be even better than him!"
Meanwhile, in Daiei's lounge area, Morita Masanobu silently watched the court—he finally understood that Ryonan's most formidable threats were not just the suddenly explosive Gu Jin, but also Sendo, who could evolve at any moment during the game.
In those two possessions, Sendo used Tsuchiya Jun's most skilled "rhythm deception" to turn the tables, which was no longer just a contest of skill, but an overwhelming display of basketball instinct.
When Tsuchiya Jun received the inbound pass, his eyes had completely settled.
He raised his hand, signaling to his teammates: "Slow down the pace, run plays."
Daiei's offense suddenly slowed down.
Tamaki Otoko roamed outside the three-point line, while Onodera Ritsu set screens near the free-throw line, no longer relying on fast breaks as before.
Tsuchiya Jun held the ball and observed for two seconds, then suddenly handed it to Onodera, who had cut in—Onodera didn't stop the ball, immediately passing it back to Daimoto Tadunobu in the middle.
When Daimoto received the ball, Uozumi had just closed in on him, but he didn't force the shot. Instead, he flicked his wrist, dishing the ball to Tsuchiya on the other side.
These passes were lightning-fast; Ryonan's zone defense had just shifted with the ball when Tsuchiya received it outside the three-point line, with only half a step of open space in front of him.
"No good!" Taoka Moichi shouted from the stands.
The moment Tsuchiya Jun jumped, Sendo only managed to lunge in front of him, but it was too late—the basketball arced quickly and flatly, sinking steadily into the basket.
"Swish!" 37:24! The deficit narrowed to 13 points.
Before Ryonan could recover, Daiei's defense immediately followed.
This time, they didn't stick to a zone defense, but suddenly switched to man-to-man trapping as Ryonan passed the ball—Koshino had just received a pass from Sendo when Tamaki Otoko and Onodera Ritsu simultaneously pounced, and the ball was forcefully stolen!
"Fast break!" Tsuchiya Jun shouted as he rushed towards the frontcourt, and Onodera, who stole the ball, immediately threw it to him.
Sendo desperately chased back, but Tsuchiya shook him off by half a step with an acceleration.
Just as he was about to go for a layup, Gu Jin suddenly chased up from behind and to the side, leaping high to block—but Tsuchiya suddenly collected the ball in mid-air, flicked his wrist, and dished it to the trailing Tamaki!
Tamaki shot again from outside the three-point line, and it went through the net cleanly! 37:27!
In just 20 seconds, Daiei scored 6 consecutive points! The Daiei fans in the stands instantly erupted, their cheers almost drowning out the home crowd's applause.
Morita Masanobu waved his arms from the sideline: "That's it! Keep this rhythm!"
Ryonan's offense became anxious.
Koshino wanted to quickly push forward and find an opportunity, but he was tightly guarded by Daiei's defense, forced to pass the ball to Sendo.
This time, Tsuchiya Jun gave Sendo no room to adjust, pressing him tightly, not even allowing space for a turn.
Sendo tried to use the Kashgar Step to break free, but Tsuchiya's footwork seemed welded to him, forcing him towards the sideline.
"Pass the ball! Sendo!" Gu Jin shouted from the paint.
