Chapter 16: Chapter 16 : VS Kaijo VII - The Beginning of the End
The third quarter had already finished, and right to Furihata's prediction, the game became harder for Seirin.
Kaijo was able to overturn the score once again, and now the scoreboard is showing 99-97 for the home court's lead. Fortunately, even though they managed to gain the lead again, Seirin also didn't let them widen the gap, as they could always score whenever Kaijo scores too.
However, right now, Seirin is facing its biggest weakness. Stamina.
Furihata could see Izuki, Mitobe, and Hyuga sweated a lot, and their breaths are getting heavier. He is also on the same board and he could feel his muscles stiffen due to the tiredness. Out of five players who played until the end of the third quarter, only Kagami didn't show any sign of fatigue. But that is because he came in the middle of the game, substituting Tsuchida.
Riko also saw that and sighed as a headache came to her head.
"Okay, I know all of you are tired, but can I get your attention?" She clapped, gaining the attention of her players.
"The last quarter would be the hardest and the most demanding battle in this game. That is why Junpei and Mitobe, you two will start from the bench." The two three mentioned nodded their head.
"As for Izuki and Furihata, I am sorry, but I need one of you to stay on the court at the beginning of the quarter. Whoever played at the beginning of the quarter would only need to play for the first four minutes before Junpei and Mitobe go once again. I haven't decided who will go first, so-"
"I will go first if you don't mind." Izuki raised his hand, cutting Riko's speech. "I know my own limit, so even though I have four minutes to rest a bit, if I play again for more than five minutes, I think I will collapse. Besides, Hyuga and Furihata-kun also created amazing duo with their three-pointer. It would be stupid to separate them now."
Riko pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Okay, thank you Izuki. You don't need to think about scoring or assisting anymore. Just focus on defense and keep the tempo slow." Seeing how tired Izuki is, forcing him to conduct any offense would do more harm than good. "As for our offense, Kagami-kun, Kuroko-kun, we will have to rely on you two again. Can you do it?"
"Sure, let us handle it!" Kagami grinned excitedly. However, Riko ignored it as her attention is now on Kuroko.
"Kuroko-kun, you didn't play in the third quarter. How long do you think your ability could last in this quarter?" Kuroko didn't give the answer immediately. He spends a few seconds thinking before shrugging,
"I don't know. If I do it wisely, I think I can do it for the entire quarter. But the result wouldn't be effective."
Riko nodded, had already guessed the answer.
"Don't hold back. Just do your best to help Kagami handle Kise either in offense or defense. I don't care if it will not be for the entire quarter, but as long as you and Kagami can stop Kise until Junpei, Mitobe, and Furihata-kun are back on the court, that would be good for us."
"I understand." Kuroko nodded as Riko finished explaining his role.
"Koganei, Tsuchida." Riko turned her attention to her two classmates. "With Junpei and Furihata-kun off the court, all the offense would be on Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun's hands. I need you two to take care of our defense. It doesn't need to be perfect, and you don't need to face Kise on your own. If Kise managed to pass Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun, just let him score and prepare for the offense. And protect Izuki. He will be a big target in the next quarter."
"Yes, Coach!" The two players nodded seriously.
"And the last thing I want to say is, I know you are angry with Kaijo's treatment and want to win this game badly. But I want you to know that it is just a friendly game, and it is okay if you lose. Hear me first and don't protest." Riko raised her hand, stopping Kagami from saying anything.
"I know it is hard for you to accept, especially for Kagami-kun who really wants to win against Kise. But I rather you lose this game and come back stronger for the next tournament than have you win this game by forcing yourself more than your limit and potentially risking an injury. We don't need that to happen right now, you got it?"
The mood of the senior members suddenly turned somber, no doubt thinking about Kiyoshi's injury.
"Don't worry. We will not force ourselves." Hyuga said with conviction, and the other senpai nodded in agreement.
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Furihata started the last quarter from the bench, observing the game carefully. While the combination between Kagami and Kuroko still could produce several points for Seirin, they couldn't stop Kise completely.
Kise managed to break their defense and score seven points from one three-pointer and two dunks, while the combination between Kagami and Kuroko was able to score four points.
Fortunately for Seirin, the other players did their job marvelously. Koganei managed to force Moriyama to make two bad three-point jumpers. But the one who stood out the most is definitely Tsuchida. The quiet power forward managed to block a layup attempt from Kasamatsu and win the aerial battle for a rebound against Kobori and Hayakawa twice.
Overall, while their offense is stagnant, their defense did a very wonderful job.
"So, what do you think?" Riko suddenly asked, snapping his thought. Furihata keeps his eyes on the court and sighed,
"The senpai sure is amazing." Hyuga who overheard what he said snorted.
"Of course, we are, Brat. Just because you won one quarter against us doesn't mean we are weak or slouch either. We almost went through the national tournament when we were just rookies, you know?"
Furihata nodded, already knowing that fact.
"I know it. But seeing this from the bench is a different matter. Tsuchida-senpai is completely different than when he played against us the first year. I thought he was just a normal three-and-D player, but now he looks like a defensive beast. And while Koganei-senpai's offense is not reliable, his wild and unpredictable demeanor really annoyed every opponent he faces, and he is also a tough defender."
"I can see where you come from," Riko nodded. "Honestly, when we played scrimmage for senpai against rookies, Tsuchida is not in his best condition. He just came back from some sort of winter school in Tokyo, but because we didn't have any more players, so, we kinda forced him to play."
Furihata nodded at the explanation while still observing the game. Kagami just did a putback dunk from Koganei's miss shoot, winning a rebound contest against Hayakawa and Kobori.
"I don't get it. Why did they let Kagami-kun do whatever he wants inside the paint area? Why not let Kise guard him like before?" Hyuga suddenly asked.
"It is because they are preparing for us, Senpai," Furihata replied, gaining Hyuga and Riko's attention. "They see us as the bigger threat against them, at least bigger than Kagami. Sure, Kagami is amazing. His athleticism could only be matched by Kise. But as long as Kise could score more than Kagami, they would be alright. Kagami cannot handle the offense alone, so they just let Kagami do whatever he wants to make him tired and when we are back to the court, Kise would start targeting Kagami knowing his stamina is better."
"That is what I thought." Riko nodded, a deep frown could be seen on her face. Kise just score another two points from a fadeaway jumper. Now the score is 120-113 for Kaijo.
"Junpei, Furihata-kun, get ready. The next time the referee paused the game, you will go for Koganei and Izuki. We need every three-point shoots we can do right now."
"Yes, Coach!"
"This will be our last chance to close the score or even think about overtaking them. Make sure to give your best. Now, go!"
They both go to the side of the court, preparing themselves to be on the game. When the pass from Izuki to Kuroko is deflected by Kise, they both went in.
"Phantom, we need to score. If you see Red cannot pass Kise's guard, do everything to give him more space against Kise or just send the ball to me or whoever in the three-point area. Can you do it?" Furihata asked Kuroko.
"Sure, I can do that."
"Good."
The game resumed with the ball in Furihata's hand. He stood outside of the court, observing his teammates to see who is ready to get his inbound pass. But then, he saw Kuroko sneakily get behind Kise, setting a screen for the red-hair to get away. It seems like Kuroko listened to what he said about creating space for Kagami.
"Red, run!" He shouted without hesitation. Kagami who also caught Kuroko's movement suddenly ran toward the screen. Kise tries to follow him, but when he turned around, his eyes widened at the sight of Kuroko that suddenly appeared in front of him.
"A screen?!"
While Kuroko is far weaker than Kise, a second is enough for Kagami to escape Kise's guard. Kagami runs to the free-throw spot and jumped as high as possible, knowing Furihata's intention.
And Furihata didn't disappoint Kagami. When he saw Kagami take a stance to fly, he quickly sends the ball into the air, close to the board. When the ball arrived in front of him, Kagami grinned. He grabbed the ball, and after seeing that nobody tries to stop him, he slammed it down.
"LET'S GOOO!!!" He roared after the ball went in, another two points for Seirin.
120-115
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