章 156: Chapter 156 : Shutoku's New Strategy
However, that didn't put them at ease. They all looked at each other with solemn gazes, knowing that this game was way harder than they thought. At first, this was supposed to be their revenge. However, they didn't expect Seirin would show a drastic improvement since their last game. Now, they had to think of a way out of this problematic situation.
'42 – 33, huh?' Nakatani, Shutoku's head coach mused as he took a glance at the scoreboard. 'Well, not bad. It is still within the reach. We would be able to overturn the score in the second half.'
He was still optimistic about this game. However, the same couldn't be said for his players. They all were depressed about how the game went. And that was understandable. Seeing the growth of a new team that they destroyed a year ago into such a team that could run their money against any team in the country made them feel uncomfortable. They unconsciously compared themselves with Seirin, and when they thought about it, they felt stagnant in every aspect.
Seeing the gloomy atmosphere around his players, Nakatani knew he had to say something to lift up the mood. Fortunately, he knew what edge to push for his boys.
"Well, boys…." A mischievous smile grew, quite unfit for his old face. "Seeing that we were suppressed all the time, what do you think about trying our new strategy?"
Suddenly, all heads turned around, staring at him in disbelief.
"Are you sure, Sensei?" It was Otsubo who asked the question. "Is it okay to show our secret weapon this easy?"
"Don't worry about it." He dismissed his captain's concern. "There is nothing secret about it. Sooner or later, we would have to show this strategy to our opponent. So, why should we wait until a critical situation? It is better to use it now and see what kind of improvement is needed in the future."
All the players looked at each other for a moment before they nodded simultaneously, could see where the argument came from. After that, all the gloomy atmosphere suddenly vanished, replaced with excitement.
"So, we are going to try it, huh? This would be interesting!"
"Midorima, this will depend on you. Are you ready?"
"Hmmph. Don't underestimate me." The green-haired boy pushed his glasses upward. "It is not me who you should be worried about, Captain. I have done everything perfectly in the first half. You should ask the question to your two lazy teammates."
"Ha?! What do you say, Brat?!"
"Lazy teammates, that's what you are, Miyaji-senpai," Midorima repeated his words ruthlessly.
"Damn! Kimura, say something! How could you keep your silence when you are mocked by him like this?!"
"Well, he is not wrong, though."
"Damn~!"
Even though they bickered and insulted each other, things didn't get heated. Instead, it made all the Shutoku players relaxed, and the prospect of showing off their new strategy kept their excitement high. Now, they couldn't wait for the third quarter to begin.
'Well, let's see if it could overturn our situation.'
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Ten minutes later, all the players were back on the court, ready for the third quarter. Both teams sent out their main players once again, trying to suppress their opponents since the beginning. For Seirin, it was Izuki, Hyuga, Kuroko, Kiyoshi, and Kagami who were on the court. As for Shutoku, Otsubo led Miyaji, Takao, Kimura, and Midorima to walk on the court.
At first glance, Seirin didn't feel anything different from Shutoku. However, the moment the ball rolled, they were taken aback by their opponent's sudden change of position.
'Wait, why is Mjdorima on the paint?!'
Yeah, the sudden appearance of Midorima under the rim was a surprise for Seirin. However, what made them confused more was the fact that the green-haired boy was the only one there, with Otsubo and Kimura just standing on the corner and the perimeter area respectively. This wasn't something Seirn had ever seen from their opponent.
"It doesn't matter! Ignore it!" Kagami shouted to his teammates, trying to snap their thoughts. "It's just a bluff! Don't be scared!"
Even though Kagami didn't know what Shutoku wanted to do, he couldn't let their opponent get through his teammates' minds. Fortunately, his reminder worked pretty well.
"Yeah! Kiyoshi, don't worry about it! Remember, your opponent cannot shoot three! Just let him be!"
"Captain! Be careful with the mid-range! Let him come to the paint!'
The atmosphere around Seirin's players was lively as they tried to encourage each other. They didn't believe Shutoku could do much better than the first half. Unfortunately, they were wrong.
"A bluff?" Midorima snorted disdainfully. "Since when did we need such a cheap strategy?"
Right after that, he raised his hand, asking for the ball from Takao. The point guard tossed it a bit high to avoid the steal from Kuroko. Now, it was a post-up battle between the ace of both teams.
"You are in my territory! Don't think you can do anything you want like on the outside, Bastard!"
"Do you think I could only shoot a three-pointer?" Midorima snorted. "Well, let me show you this." Right after he got the ball, Midorima didn't wait for too long before he leaned backward, pulling up a fadeaway from the low-post area.
"SHIT!"
Kagami jumped at the same time, trying to disturb Midorima's form. However, the wingspan difference between those two played a big role this time. Added to how Midorima did the fadeaway, the space he created after leaning his body backward was not something Kagami could cover that easily. And within the second, the sound of the ball hitting the net could be heard all over the court.
*Splash!*
"Oh! Nice shoot, Midorima!"
"You got this! Haha!"
"Well done, Shin-chan!"
While all the Shutoku players were still celebrating with each other, Hyuga and Izuki snuck from the blind spot, ready for a quick fastbreak. Kuroko saw his senpai's movement, and from the inbound position, he launched the ball fast toward the opposite area.
"Nice pass, Kuroko!"
Hyuga received the ball comfortably, ready to shoot the ball from his position. However, he didn't expect the moment he caught the ball, he was already surrounded by Takao and Kimura at the same time.
"Damn!"
"Hyuga! Here!"
Having no space open and couldn't even take a step back to do his signature 'barrier jumper', Hyuga had no choice but to slide the ball aside toward Izuki. The point guard didn't hold it for too long, as he handed it quickly toward Kagami who ran from behind.
Seeing the red-haired boy drive forcefully, Otsubo set up his body right in front of Kagami, trying to aim for an offensive foul. However, he did it too fast, allowing Kagami to react before they collided. The red-haired boy avoided the clash with Shutoku's captain by using the euro step craftily, and now, no Shutoku players were in a position to stop him.
"Okay, this is it!"
Kagami grinned, raising the ball in his hand upward, ready to dunk the ball. Even though he changed his style a lot in this game, dunking the ball was still the thing he was the most comfortable with. In his eyes, this violent confrontational basketball was his style, not some bullshit complicated strategy that gave him a headache.
Unfortunately, he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. The fact that he could get through Otsubo that easily should ring an alarm in his head. However, Kagami was too busy with his thoughts to think about it. And he paid for this carelessness a second later.
*Slap!*
"Eh?!"
It took Kagami a few seconds to realize the ball was stripped off out of his position. And when it dawned on his head, the ball had already moved back to Seirin's area, flying toward Shutoku's most dangerous players.
"Nice pass, Senpai!"
Midorima caught the ball and released it immediately, not giving a chance for Seirin players to react. The ball went into the net for the second time in the last 5 seconds, shortening the gap between the two teams to 4 points.
*Splash!*
"YOSSHAA!!"
"Nice shoot, Shin-chan!"
"Good defense for you too, Miyaji-senpai!"
Yeah, the one who stole the ball from Kagami's hand was Miyaji. He used Kuroko's misdirection technique, taking advantage of Otsubo's presence to sneak from Kagami's blind spot and snatch the ball before the red-haired boy could raise his hand for a dunk. This was a good defensive strategy targeting Kagami's arrogance and was perfectly executed by Shutoku's players.
"Don't think about it, Kagami-kun!"
"Yeah! It is just a coincidence! We are on an offense, now. Come on!"
Izuki and Hyuga tried to reassure Kagami that the last play was alright. They still thought that Shutoku's successful defense was just a coincidence. Kagami could only nod silently, his mind replaying how the last play went. He could feel something wrong with it. However, he didn't know what. The more he thought, the more headache he received.
"Screw it." Kagami cursed inwardly. "Let's forget about it. Just like before, if it was important, I would be able to figure it out."
The ball went back to Izuki as the point guard reorganized the play. He pointed his fingers up, signaling his teammates for a tactic. Right after that, Kiyoshi moved from the paint to the elbow, setting a screen for Kagami. The red-haired boy escaped from Midorima's defense and set another screen for Hyuga. The captain also did the same for Izuki, letting the point guard drive forward.
The screen after screen that Seirin did created chaos upon Shutoku's defense positioning. It gave them a lot of space to create a shoot on the court. After observing his teammates' movement, Izuki decided to pass the ball to Kiyoshi who tried to cut inside. However, the center's movement was blocked by Otsubo, making it a strength contest between two big men.
"Come on! Do you think you can do it against me?! Don't forget about last year!"
Kiyoshi gritted his teeth, recalling the horror of being dominated by Otsubo last year. However, he wasn't a timid person. He kept pushing forward until they arrived in a favorable position before turning around and throwing the ball with a hook shoot.
Unfortunately, Otsubo showed why he was one of the best rim protectors in Tokyo by reacting quickly, disturbing Kiyoshi's sight before Seirin's center could release the ball. Even though he couldn't touch the hook shoot, his defense was enough, resulting in the ball only hitting the board.
*Clank!*
"Rebound!"
The players who were under the rim were Kagami and Midorima. Those two aces tried to box-outing each other for a while, battling for the better position. Funnily enough, the ball bounced far from them, landing far outside of the court. However, it was a good thing for Seirin since they wouldn't suffer from a fastbreak like the last time.
"Nice defense, Captain!"
"Don't think about it, Kiyoshi! That was a good shoot!"
Riko who was on the sideline bit her lips nervously. Just like Kagami, she also felt something wrong with Shutoku's state right now. And it was not only the change of position that put her on edge.
"Anything wrong, Riko-chan?" Alex asked, concerned.
After pondering for a while, Riko finally answered, "With this game, we had already played against Shutoku about three times this year. However, this time was the strangest one out of the three. I don't know what, but I could feel something dangerous from them,"
"Well, I don't know how they played before, so I couldn't make a judgment. But don't think about it too much. We can analyze it later. Remember, this is just a sparring game."
"Yeah." Riko nodded slowly.
The game continued, still with Midorima acting as a lone big man. Otsubo and Kimura stood outside of the three-point line mysteriously without anyone on Seirin could guess what was their role. As usual, it was Kagami who guarded Midorima. However, the green-haired boy ignored his existence, waiting for Takao's signal.
And when it came, he moved from the paint area, ready to set a screen for the point guard.
"Senpai, screen!"
Kagami warned Izuki about the screen in time, jeopardizing Shutoku's effort to do a pick-and-roll play. However, Takao and Midorima adapted to the situation quickly. Instead of setting a screen, the shooting guard stopped running, turned around and dropped back to his first position.
The movement caught Kagami off guard. He tried to catch up with Midorima, thinking that the green-haired boy wasn't that fast. However, Midorima thought one step ahead and stopped running again, turning around once again and went outside of the three-point line.
"SHIT!"
The double turn around shook Kagami's balance. Even though it wasn't enough to make him fall, it gave Midorima enough time to receive the ball and shoot it without any resistance.
*Splash!*
Another three! This was his second three and his eight points in the last minute. Midorima stared at Kagami coldly before he turned around, not saying anything. The silence between the two aces sparked the beginning of a heated third quarter between the two teams.
Seirin High 42 – 41 Shutoku High
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Author note :
If you want to support me more, you can visit my Patreon page on patreon(.)com/ZetaFaes
You can read this fanfiction up to chapter 176 on that page. Also, you can read my other fanfiction, Diamond no Ace: The Prince of Hitter up to chapter 36 too.
Thank you! :)
-Zeta Faes-
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