Nango had watched the matchup between Sendoh and Rukawa Kaede many times before.
He knew their strengths inside out.
In pure one-on-one situations, the two were evenly matched in both skill and athleticism. Most of the time, it simply came down to who made the shot.
Because of this, Nango stayed close to Tsuchiya, keeping him in front while remaining ready to help at any moment.
On the perimeter, Sendoh held the ball at his left hip, head slightly lowered, his eyes calmly scanning the court.
Once the spacing fully opened, his gaze locked onto Rukawa Kaede.
Rukawa crouched low in a defensive stance.
Left hand extended.
Right hand hovering near the ball.
The distance between them was minimal.
Sendoh curled his lips into a smile.
"Looks like not only your offense has improved. Your defense too."
Rukawa's face remained expressionless.
"Last time we didn't decide a winner. This time will be different. Be prepared."
Sendoh's smile slowly faded.
This guy's aura is completely different from before…
He must've gained a lot from the National Tournament.
But I haven't been standing still either.
Sendoh became serious.
He gave a quick left-right hand feint—
Then exploded forward.
Rukawa reacted instantly, sliding laterally as both players drove toward the baseline.
Good… I'm in front of him.
Rukawa calculated quickly.
From here, he can only pull up.
He deliberately controlled his pace, waiting for the moment Sendoh stopped so he could contest the shot.
About a step and a half from the short corner—
Sendoh planted his left foot.
Now!
Rukawa stepped in—
But Sendoh used his planted leg as a pivot and spun behind him.
Rukawa, who had recently become obsessed with mastering his own pull-up fadeaway, completely misread the move.
He was left a half-step behind.
Nango?!
When Sendoh completed the spin, Nango was already in front of him.
Only one step away.
Still closing.
Sendoh jumped anyway.
Nango rose to contest, knowing full well it probably wouldn't be enough.
In midair, Sendoh flicked the ball behind his back.
A pass.
Tsuchiya caught it and turned to shoot in one motion.
Kawata, who had been guarding the paint, immediately abandoned Morishige and rushed over.
Tsuchiya raised the ball.
Kawata didn't bite.
He stayed grounded.
Sure enough, Tsuchiya dropped the ball back down and kicked it inside.
To Morishige Hiroshi.
"Careful!"
Fukatsu shouted.
But Hiroshi had already raised his hands to receive the pass.
Too late.
"Smack!"
Maki, who had rotated from the weak side, sliced the ball cleanly out of Hiroshi's hands.
Anzai Jitsurei chuckled.
Red Team's help defense and rotations are excellent.
Even if Morishige kicked it back out, Moroboshi was already sliding toward the free-throw line.
Sendoh frowned.
They're way too in sync.
If I'd known, I should've taken the shot myself.
Fukatsu felt the same pressure.
Kawata was already a defensive anchor.
Now add Nango and Maki—
Breaking through was becoming extremely difficult.
Before he could think further, Red Team pushed the ball back on offense.
This time, Nango didn't go for a pick-and-roll.
After crossing half-court, he moved directly to the left block, sealed Tsuchiya behind him, and called for the ball.
Maki delivered the pass, then drifted to the opposite side to create space.
Fukatsu immediately left Maki and rushed to double-team Nango.
He knew Tsuchiya alone had no chance.
Nango protected the ball tightly.
Back to the basket.
No room to turn.
If he tried to face up, he'd be forced toward the baseline.
With no better option, he kicked the ball back out.
Maki caught it at the top and attacked instantly.
Two strong steps—
Pull-up.
"Snap!"
Morishige Hiroshi reached out with one massive hand and caught the ball in midair.
He caught it.
Not tipped.
Not deflected.
Caught.
Nango froze.
"H-He caught Maki's shot?!"
Jin nearly jumped off the bench.
"Maki got his hat taken?! What kind of monster is Morishige Hiroshi?!"
The entire court fell into stunned silence.
Blocking Maki's shot alone was shocking.
Catching it cleanly was even more absurd.
Anzai Jitsurei shook his head, smiling.
"This kid's talent is simply outrageous."
Sakuragi swallowed hard, unable to say a single word.
Maki himself was momentarily stunned.
His face heated up.
Fortunately, his skin tone hid the blush.
Morishige, on the other hand, looked completely calm.
He had done this kind of thing many times before.
Fukatsu took the ball from Hiroshi and pushed up the court.
Maki immediately picked him up full court, pressure never dropping.
As expected of Maki…
Even after something like that, he didn't lose focus.
What Fukatsu didn't know was that Maki was repeating to himself:
Calm down.
It's just a normal block.
Nothing special.
It was the first time in his basketball career that someone had caught his shot out of the air.
All he could do was minimize its impact.
Morishige's "hat grab" greatly boosted Blue Team's morale.
After all—
The most terrifying monster on the court was standing on their side.