Chapter 144: Miracle?
Hikoichi's heart went cold. Missing the shot at a moment like this was practically the same as throwing away the game!
"Rebound!"
Kawata Masashi boxed out position at the crucial moment. Nobe Masahiro secured the board, avoided Fukuda Kicchou's pressure, and passed to Fukatsu Kazunari.
Sawakita Eiji immediately leaked out!
When Sannoh had a lead, they usually controlled tempo and played halfcourt sets, but that didn't mean they'd pass up a golden fast-break opportunity!
"Whoosh!"
Sawakita caught Fukatsu's outlet pass with only Yagami Sorato back on defense.
Frontcourt one-on-one!
Sawakita decelerated outside the three-point line, suddenly executing a massive between-the-legs into behind-the-back combination. Yagami planted hard to contest.
But in that split-second opening, Sawakita pulled up for three!
"Swish!"
Nothing but net!
Ryonan 88, Sannoh Industrial 95.
"Beautiful shot, Sawakita!!"
"Sannoh!! Sannoh!!"
Less than four minutes remained. The gap had widened to seven!
"That Ryonan kid's useless after all!"
"Barely any time left and the lead keeps growing. They're done."
The arena's cheers uniformly favored Sannoh Industrial. A seven-point deficit might not seem like much, but between two evenly-matched teams, it was enough to decide the outcome.
"I... I'm sorry!" Hikoichi hung his head, not daring to look at his teammates' faces.
"Idiot! What are you doing—get ready for the next possession!" Uozumi Jun understood the pressure of shooting in moments like this, but the game was far from over!
"Sawakita got in your head just now, didn't he?" Sendoh Akira thought aloud. "Hikoichi, next time be even more decisive with your shot."
"Y-yes!"
Possession changed. Ryonan on offense.
After Sendoh dribbled past halfcourt, Yagami Sorato called for the ball on the right wing.
"Still haven't given up?" Sawakita Eiji set his defensive stance, eager to engage.
"Sorato..." In the stands, Chinatsu Yuika watched the figure at the three-point line with tense anticipation.
"Whoosh!"
The ball cut through the air. Yagami caught it and exploded right!
Sawakita slid to cut him off. They collided, and as Yagami's body went backward, his wrist flicked—the ball bounced off the floor, threading between Sawakita's legs!
"A pass?!"
Sendoh cut diagonally into the paint from the left. Fukatsu chased from behind while Nobe Masahiro collapsed the defense, blocking his drive.
Double team!
"Smack!"
The ball threaded through the gap. Fukuda Kicchou caught it, rose in one motion, and floated it home.
Ryonan 90, Sannoh Industrial 95.
"Beautiful teamwork!"
"The passing between Yagami and Sendoh was so fast even the camera couldn't track it!"
Five points!
Possession changed. Sannoh on offense.
After Fukatsu crossed halfcourt, he lobbed it inside.
Kawata Masashi caught it with his back to Uozumi, backed him down, spun, hook shot—one fluid motion.
Uozumi read the spin direction and jumped with maximum effort to contest!
"Swish!"
The ball had high arc, dropping cleanly through.
Ryonan 90, Sannoh Industrial 97.
Can't stop him!
Beyond the perimeter duo of Fukatsu and Sawakita, Sannoh's interior had an absolutely reliable scorer.
Possession changed. Ryonan on offense.
After Sendoh penetrated inside, he attacked the rim directly, trying to draw a foul for an and-one. But Kawata chose the safest approach—standing his ground with hands raised high.
Sendoh scored an unremarkable two points.
Ryonan 92, Sannoh Industrial 97.
Possession changed. Sannoh on offense.
Fukatsu continued feeding Kawata in the post for isolations. Uozumi's defensive aggression increased—one hand slapping hard across Kawata's forearm.
The whistle blew.
"Ryonan number four, shooting foul!"
Uozumi's foul count had stayed manageable all game. This was only his third, no impact there. He just hoped that hack had affected Kawata's touch.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
But Kawata calmly sank both free throws.
Ryonan 92, Sannoh Industrial 99.
Time ticked away. Ryonan's offense performed fine. But the deficit refused to shrink.
Final minute. The arena had gone quiet. Sannoh's cheering section seemed to be gathering energy, waiting for their team's victorious moment.
The whistle blew.
Coach Taoka called their final timeout.
"Coach Taoka probably wanted to save this timeout for intentional fouling strategy at the end, right? But with this deficit, if he doesn't call it now there might not be another chance..."
"It's about over."
"Will Ryonan lose?"
"So this is reality?"
"If only I'd made that three-pointer..."
"Just the final four. But..."
Each Ryonan player was lost in thought. They'd performed well this game—turnovers significantly reduced, game rhythm controlled decently. But—
The opponent was too strong. Sannoh had never panicked from start to finish.
"Coach! Coach!" Yagami Sorato's shout pulled everyone's attention back. "What's the plan from here?"
"Ah...!" Coach Taoka snapped back to awareness. Just now, he'd involuntarily let his mind wander too.
"Either way, if we can't successfully defend them, everything's pointless!" Coach Taoka's timeout was meant to emphasize defense. After all, Ryonan's offense couldn't improve beyond this.
"Double-team Kawata and Sawakita from here! Fukuda, you need to help Uozumi grab rebounds in the paint!"
"Yes!"
"Let us..." Coach Taoka paused. "Have no regrets at the end!"
The players exchanged glances, each sensing the resolve in the others' eyes.
"???"
Yagami Sorato frowned. What was this—like they were planning to end things here?
"Coach, what's the offensive plan?"
"Huh?"
Before Coach Taoka could answer, Yagami simply grabbed the tactical board. "Hikoichi, Sendoh-senpai—"
"We're settling this with three-pointers from here on!"
"Full-court press on defense. Try to steal the ball, then leave it to me and Sendoh-senpai. If necessary, foul Sannoh directly. Send them to the free throw line, we go straight to fast break!"
"Full-court press? Three-pointers? But—"
"Uozumi-senpai, Fukuda-senpai, the paint is yours." Yagami interrupted Coach Taoka again. "We'll shoot without hesitation. You grab the boards and fire them back out. We'll keep shooting."
"I'll fight like hell for them!!" Uozumi's response carried noticeably more intensity than before.
"The seven-point deficit we couldn't close—to come back in the final minute seems like a miracle." Yagami spoke slowly. "But I've never relied on miracles."
"I only know that none of us want to lose anymore!"
Play resumed. Ryonan's ball.
Yagami inbounded from the baseline. Sendoh caught it and pushed quickly.
Just past halfcourt, Fukatsu rushed up on Sendoh. Sendoh immediately swung it backward.
Yagami caught the pass, took two small steps forward, showed zero hesitation, and pulled up!
"Huh?!" Sawakita was completely unprepared. He stood a full step away from Yagami—which also meant Yagami was at least two meters beyond the three-point line!
"???"
Uozumi and Fukuda were equally baffled. Didn't they agree the offense would be more reliable with them grabbing boards?
They weren't even in position yet?! He just shot!!
"Swish!"
Nothing but net!
Ryonan 95, Sannoh Industrial 99.
On the sideline, Coach Taoka slowly closed his eyes. What could he say? He was used to it by now.
"Great shot!!" After adjusting his mindset, Coach Taoka's eyes snapped open as he clenched both fists and shouted.
From the baseline inbound to the ball dropping through—just 4.6 seconds for Ryonan to complete a three-point possession.
55.4 seconds remained.
Immediately after, Ryonan didn't retreat quickly on defense. Instead, they swarmed Sannoh's players, disrupting the inbound.
Full-court press!
But Sannoh didn't panic. They still led by four with possession. Just control the tempo and there'd be no problem.
Kawata Masashi inbounded to Fukatsu through Uozumi's harassment.
Sendoh immediately trapped, but Fukatsu showed no weakness, pushing forward rapidly.
Under the full-court man-to-man pressure, Fukatsu could only race past halfcourt. Sendoh's defensive aggression increased. Fukatsu passed right to Sawakita Eiji.
Fukuda Kicchou immediately rotated up, trapping Sawakita with Yagami!
Sawakita completely hadn't expected Ryonan's trap to be this decisive. He'd thought Yagami would battle him one-on-one to the end!
"Smack!"
Yagami risked the foul, pressuring aggressively and swatting the ball from Sawakita's hands.
Fukuda controlled it and sprinted toward Sannoh's end!
Ryonan counter!!
"Damn it!"
Fukatsu and Sawakita chased hard. Sendoh and Yagami trailed behind.
Fukuda attacked the paint and was immediately cut off by Sawakita. Without wasting time, he fired it back to Yagami.
Fukatsu read it quickly, lunging at Yagami.
"Smack!"
The ball changed trajectory mid-air, flying to the opposite side!
"This kid too?!!"
Sendoh caught it and raised up without hesitation.
"Sendoh watch out!!" Uozumi roared.
Kawata Masashi leaped from behind for the block—his speed somehow faster than everyone else's!
But Sendoh calmly made the most rational choice. He brought the raised ball back down. Kawata flew past him.
Pump fake!!
Only then did Sendoh rise for the shot.
"Swish!"
That one too!!
Ryonan 98, Sannoh Industrial 99.
40 seconds left!
Only down one!
Ryonan had closed six points in twenty seconds!!!
Coach Domoto Goro shot to his feet in shock. What just happened?! The secure victory?! Maintained for a full four minutes—that massive seven-point lead?!
The whistle blew.
"Sannoh requests timeout."
The fans in attendance hadn't processed what happened yet. For a moment, the arena stayed quiet—but the atmosphere was completely different from before!
"Hmph. That's why I say three-pointers dictate games." From one corner of the stands, Midorima Shintaro said haughtily.
"Those guys..." Aomine Daiki's eyes flashed. Back then, Touou and Ryonan had also fought to the final moment.
"Ryonan!! Ryonan!!"
Suddenly, Ryonan cheers erupted in the arena, mixed with calls for Yagami Sorato and Sendoh Akira. But then they were quickly drowned by a wave of boos—Sannoh's fans had panicked.
"That... that was amazing, Sorato! Sendoh-senpai!" Hikoichi shouted excitedly, even more thrilled than when he scored himself.
"Don't let your guard down. The game's not over."
Though Yagami felt incredibly excited—his hands even trembling slightly beyond his control—his thinking remained unusually calm.
"We're definitely going to win!" Sendoh said seriously. His state was the exact opposite of Yagami's—his mind couldn't stop racing with excitement.
"How can those two do that?!" Coach Domoto couldn't help but wonder. Those were completely unreasonable shot attempts!
The timeout ended. Sannoh chose to inbound frontcourt.
They'd run a quick attack. That way, after Ryonan's possession, Sannoh would still have one final shot opportunity.
"Let's just score first." Fukatsu Kazunari still maintained a level head.
Both teams returned to the court. Ichinokura Satoshi inbounded from the sideline.
Sawakita caught it and immediately attacked. Yagami and Fukuda trapped.
"Whoosh!"
The ball found the open Nobe Masahiro. Fukuda immediately recovered, spinning to contest. Forget about defensive IQ—his defensive effort was absolutely unquestionable!
Nobe had no choice but to drift baseline, adjusting for the shot.
"Rhythm's off! Rebound!" Sendoh shouted.
"Clang!"
The ball hammered off the rim.
Uozumi and Kawata battled for position under the basket, both leaping with maximum effort.
"It's mine!!" Uozumi's height advantage got him there first.
"Smack!"
But Kawata came from behind, swatting it away.
Fukatsu caught it, faked toward Sawakita, and Sendoh tried to intercept. Fukatsu calmly pulled it back and rose for the mid-range jumper.
"Swish!"
Two-pointer good!
Ryonan 98, Sannoh Industrial 101.
28 seconds left!
Sannoh's offense took longer than Coach Domoto had planned, but it was fine. Even if Ryonan hit a buzzer-beating three to tie and force overtime, Sannoh would still have the advantage!
They'd just been rattled a bit by Yagami and Sendoh's two three-pointers. But as long as game time extended, Sannoh feared no team!
Besides, every Ryonan player looked like they were running on fumes.
Possession changed. Ryonan on offense.
Sendoh completely ignored the clock, still pushing at full speed. His pace was shocking—two seconds to cross halfcourt.
Fukatsu came up to meet Sendoh, but the fatal issue was that Ichinokura had also been drawn to him—after nearly a full game of high-intensity defense, his brain instinctively watched Sendoh.
Hikoichi ran free!
Sendoh passed without hesitation.
"Ichinokura!!"
Ichinokura scrambled to recover. Sawakita also closed out hard on Hikoichi.
Hikoichi caught it. No adjustment. Straight into the three-point shot.
The ball traced an arc through the air.
"Clang!"
The brick sounded like it hammered into Hikoichi's heart. His expression instantly went pale.
"Rebound!!"
Fukuda crashed the paint for position. Uozumi swatted the ball back outside.
Yagami controlled it. Sawakita had already recovered, pressing tight.
"I won't let you shoot again!"
"We'll see about that."
Yagami stepped back hard. Sawakita lunged forward.
"Bang!"
Yagami exploded into the paint.
"Don't foul!!" Coach Domoto shouted from the sideline.
Ryonan's two-pointer meant nothing. After they scored, whether time remained or not favored Sannoh.
"Bang!"
Just as Ichinokura hesitated about collapsing on Yagami, the ball bounced past him. The previously dejected Hikoichi had somehow created separation again.
"My only job is to keep running! Then catch and—shoot the three!"
Hikoichi caught Yagami's pass. It felt like that afternoon long ago—the instant he received it, the touch was perfect, the final trace of doubt evaporating completely.
"Whoosh!"
Hikoichi launched his third three-pointer!
"Swish!"
Nothing but net!
Ryonan 101, Sannoh Industrial 101.
Tied up!!
Eight seconds left!
"You've made a critical error!" Coach Domoto looked toward Coach Taoka on Ryonan's bench, assuming it was a tactical mistake.
Score tied. Eight seconds remaining. Sannoh's ball.
The game's initiative still rested in Sannoh's hands!
Kawata inbounded from the baseline. The instant Fukatsu caught it, Sendoh grabbed him.
"???"
"What's Ryonan doing?"
Everyone assumed Ryonan's optimal play was defending this possession to force overtime, where they might have a sliver of hope.
But—
"That's Fukatsu, though."
"They've lost their minds. There's no time left. They don't even have a timeout!"
The whistle blew.
The referee called it. Fukatsu looked at Sendoh with a strange expression. "You guys are really crazy."
"Haha, I think so too." Sendoh grinned.
When Yagami had given him that look earlier, he'd thought the same thing. But he'd immediately decided to do it.
Fukatsu calmly sank both free throws.
Ryonan 101, Sannoh Industrial 103.
Possession changed. Ryonan's ball.
Ryonan's actions told everyone they didn't want overtime. Which meant they had only one option now—a three-pointer!
Sannoh Industrial full-court press!
Sendoh caught Uozumi's baseline inbound and pushed quickly.
Yagami ran alongside for support.
Hikoichi and Fukuda crossed paths beyond the arc. Even knowing Fukuda had no three-point range, Sannoh didn't dare leave him open at a time like this.
Sendoh didn't play games. Past halfcourt, he and Yagami crossed toward the top of the key.
"Who's shooting?!"
Fukatsu and Sawakita chased both. Three seconds left. Kawata readied himself to explode from the paint.
The ball changed hands to Yagami.
Yagami stepped back, creating distance from the arc.
"It's him! Deep three?!"
Fukatsu and Sawakita's pupils contracted. Both lunged at Yagami.
Yagami rose, his body leaning back in the air, shooting form completely distorted.
"Whoosh!"
But it wasn't a shot!
The ball went left. Sendoh had been waiting at the forty-five degree mark on the wing.
"How could he?!"
"Whoosh!"
Sendoh pulled up—
"Swish!"
Three-pointer good!!!
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