At the tactical board during the timeout, Taoka Moichi's voice was a bit graver than before: "Uozumi, Daimoto Tadunobu's lower body is more stable than yours; don't try to go head-to-head with him in the paint."
He drew a box under the basket with chalk. "Stand in this position. If he tries to push inside, you shift half a step to the side and cut off his path—use skill, don't rely on brute force."
Uozumi rubbed his arm, which was sore from jostling with Ben Wallace earlier, and responded in a muffled voice, "Understood, Coach."
Taoka then turned to Gu Jin and Sendoh: "Hei Huang will definitely stick to Gu Jin. Sendoh, you should cut from the baseline more often. Gu Jin, after using a screen, move towards the free-throw line. If Ben Wallace dares to help defend, pass to Sendoh for a backdoor cut—as long as they split one of them, an opportunity will arise."
He paused, then clapped his hands suddenly. "Uozumi, protect the basket. Everyone else, stick to your man. Don't get disorganized!"
"Yes!" The players' responses carried a hint of defiance. Ikegami's hand, gripping his towel, was clenching tightly—he had been beaten half a time while defending Tsuchiya earlier, and this round he was determined to get back at him.
On the other side, in Daiei's resting area, Morita Masanobu didn't touch the tactical board.
He pulled Hei Huang into a corner, his back to the others, his knuckles white.
The call from the school board was still ringing in his ears: "Morita, I don't demand that you win, but if this game is too ugly a loss, you know the consequences." He took a deep breath, his voice squeezed out as if from between his teeth: "Hei Huang, I have a task for you."
Hei Huang frowned: "Coach, do we need to change our defensive strategy?"
"Not strategy." Morita Masanobu's gaze swept across Ryonan's half-court, landing on Uozumi and Gu Jin. "Gu Jin's mid-range shot and Uozumi's positioning in the paint are their weak points. No matter what method you use, one of them must go down—"
Hei Huang's pupils suddenly constricted: "Are you saying to draw a foul?"
"Drawing a foul isn't realistic in the current situation; by the time they foul out with five, the game will be almost over." Morita Masanobu's finger poked his kneepad. "Take one out, do it discreetly."
"Coach, why do we have to do this? Do you really think we'll lose?" Hei Huang clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
He had played basketball for so many years; although his movements were often aggressive, that was just habit. He had never done anything like this.
"If you don't do it, you won't play again," Morita said coldly.
Hei Huang looked at Morita's gaze, which was like a stone staring at him, and the breathing of his teammates behind him was so close—he finally gritted his teeth, a single word squeezed from his throat: "...Alright."
The referee's whistle broke the silence of the timeout.
Daiei initiated the offense first.
Tsuchiya Jun used Hei Huang's screen to drive to the free-throw line, then passed the ball to Ben Wallace under the basket. Ben Wallace caught the ball and jumped, attempting a layup over Uozumi's arm.
"Bang!"
Ben Wallace's shot hit the front rim and bounced out. Uozumi jumped for the rebound, colliding with Ben Wallace in mid-air.
As he landed, he suddenly gasped, his right leg stumbled half a step, and his hand clutched his knee tightly—at the moment of landing, his ankle felt as if it had been hooked by something, and a piercing pain climbed up his calf. The basketball also slipped out of bounds!
"Uozumi!" Taoka yelled from the sideline.
Hei Huang stood at the edge of the paint, his eyes somewhat evasive, his foot subtly retreating half an inch—when Uozumi jumped, he pretended to rush towards the basket, but his toe inadvertently extended to where Uozumi would land. That trip was as light as a feather, yet enough to throw off his landing balance.
"What happened?" The referee walked over and asked.
"Nothing." Uozumi gritted his teeth and waved his hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "I just didn't land steadily." He tried to move his ankle, his brows furrowing in pain—it was clear he couldn't continue playing.
Gu Jin ran over to help Uozumi, his fingertips brushing against his hot ankle, then suddenly looked up at Hei Huang.
He was the closest just now, and although he didn't see the details clearly, he caught a glimpse of Hei Huang's foot retracting—that was no accident.
"What did you just do?" Gu Jin's voice was cold, his usually smiling eyes now like ice.
Hei Huang turned his face away: "I didn't do anything. He just didn't land steadily himself."
"Didn't land steadily?" Gu Jin helped Uozumi walk towards the bench. As he passed Hei Huang, his shoulder deliberately bumped him, with much more force than when Hei Huang had bumped him earlier. "Just play basketball; is playing dirty like this interesting?"
Hei Huang was knocked back half a step, his face turning pale: "Watch your words."
"Me, watch my words?" Gu Jin turned back, his eyes like they were tempered in fire. "You'd better watch out later too—anyone can play dirty if they want to."
Taoka had already substituted Uozumi with reserve center Sugadaira. He patted Gu Jin's back and said in a low voice, "Don't be impulsive. We're a man down now, so we need to stay calm. When the time is right, I'll send Sakuragi in to support."
Gu Jin took a deep breath, watching Uozumi rub his ankle on the bench, the fire in his heart burning ever more fiercely.
As he turned and walked onto the court, his fingertips ground against the surface of the ball—since the opponent wanted to play dirty, he would fight back in the toughest way possible.
Daiei continued their offensive possession. Tsuchiya Jun advanced with the ball, and Hei Huang immediately stepped up to set a screen for Tsuchiya.
Gu Jin deliberately slowed down half a step while going around the screen, his elbow "accidentally" hitting Hei Huang's waist. Hei Huang stumbled, and the rhythm of his screen was completely disrupted.
"What are you doing?" Hei Huang growled.
"Nothing." Gu Jin tugged at his jersey, his eyes as cold as ice. "I didn't land steadily just now; I just borrowed you for support."
Tsuchiya Jun didn't get the screen, so he could only pass the ball to the perimeter, where Ikegami intercepted it cleanly.
Ryonan had a fast break opportunity! Sendoh sprinted ahead with the ball, Gu Jin right behind him.
Ben Wallace chased Sendoh back on defense, while Hei Huang stared intently at Gu Jin, intending to bump him when he received the pass—but Gu Jin didn't wait for the pass. He suddenly accelerated, darting past Hei Huang, then abruptly stopped his feet before the free-throw line, and immediately jumped with both feet simultaneously!
It was a huge jump step. He was like a taut bow, twisting in mid-air to avoid Ben Wallace's block, gripping the ball with his right hand and slamming it into the basket!
"Bang!"
Amidst the resounding thud of the basketball hitting the rim, Gu Jin's shoulders were still slightly heaving as he landed.
"Travel! He definitely traveled!" Daiei's bench suddenly erupted, Morita Masanobu abruptly stood up and shouted—that jump step just now looked like his feet landed one after the other, which indeed could easily be mistaken.
The referee frowned and glanced at the baseline referee, who shook his head and made the signal for a valid score: "Both feet jumped simultaneously, good shot!"
67:51.
As Gu Jin turned, he met Hei Huang's gaze.
He didn't speak, just raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. As his fingertips grazed his brow bone, the anger in his eyes turned into undisguised provocation—this dunk was payback for Uozumi.
The Ryonan fans in the stands were already crazy. Shimamura Yoko, holding a cheering stick, had screamed herself hoarse but was still jumping: "Gu Jin! Go!"
Hei Huang clenched his fists, his knuckles white.
He knew that Gu Jin's jump step just now was not an ordinary offensive move—it was telling him: even if you play dirty, I can still win.
And on the sidelines, Morita Masanobu looked at the score on the tactical board and suddenly felt the chalk in his hand become incredibly heavy.
He knew that this game had probably already spiraled out of control.
