LRAB In the last two minutes of Chapter 24, Sendoh's knees were trembling.
In the last two minutes of Chapter 24, Sendoh's knees were trembling.
Eight minutes into the fourth quarter, the score was 64-63, with Ryonan trailing by one point.
It wasn't the kind of game where you can pull away in one go; it was the kind of game where it was close, with Hainan scoring a goal and Ryonan responding with one; and if Ryonan made a successful defensive play, Hainan would win it back with even more aggressive pressing.
The referee blew his whistle more and more frequently. Before the fourth quarter was even over, he had already called six fouls, three on each side. The spectators in the stands stopped shouting, not because they didn't want to, but because their voices were hoarse.
The drummer was still playing, but the rhythm had slowed down, and he couldn't lift his arms anymore. The intervals between each drumbeat were twice as long as in the first section.
Sendoh stood on the field, panting heavily. His throat was very dry and his chest felt like it was on fire.
Shinichi Maki dribbled at the top of the arc, but the pace was much slower than in the first half. It wasn't that he was deliberately slowing down the pace; he really couldn't push the ball anymore. Both players' stamina had reached their limit, and continuing the game would be a battle of wills, a test of who would collapse first.
Hainan was on offense. Maki called for a screen, and Takasago came up to screen Sendoh on the right. Maki broke through to the left, and Uozumi switched out to defend. His steps were much slower than in the first half. He couldn't bend his knees and looked like he was dragging his legs when he moved laterally.
Maki Shinichi cut past Uozumi without jumping and made a layup with his hand under his arm.
The ball grazed the paddle and went into the net.
64:65.
As Sendoh ran towards the frontcourt, he brushed past Uozumi. Uozumi's breathing was heavy, and there was phlegm in his throat. Sendoh patted Uozumi's lower back without saying anything and ran to the three-point line to receive the ball.
Shinichi Maki's defensive stance wasn't as stable as it was in the first half. His heels would occasionally touch the ground, and his center of gravity would sometimes waver, but his hand was still outstretched in front of Sendoh, and his eyes remained calm and focused, giving you no chance.
Sendoh dribbled with his right hand and broke through to the right. Maki slid to follow, and Sendoh suddenly stopped and switched hands to the left. Maki's center of gravity shifted slightly, and in that instant, Sendoh accelerated and cut in from his left side.
Takasago came out to defend, and Sendoh didn't slow down, but jumped directly, and Takasago jumped as well.
The two collided in mid-air. Sendoh's body was knocked to the left, but he didn't catch the ball. Instead, he switched the ball from his right hand to his left and pushed it up just before his body hit the ground.
The ball spun around the rim and went in. The whistle blew; Takasago had committed a foul.
When Sendoh landed, he knelt on one knee on the floor. His knee hurt a little from hitting the floor, so he patted it twice, stood up, and walked to the free-throw line. He received the ball from the referee, dribbled it twice, took a deep breath, and shot. The ball bounced off the back of the rim and went in. He made the free throw.
67:65.
Ryonan is leading by two points.
Hainan has called for a halt.
When Sendoh left the stage, Taoka handed him a bottle of water. He took it but didn't drink it. Instead, he unscrewed the cap and poured some water on his head. He slumped in his chair, stretched his legs out on the ground, looked up at the ceiling, his mouth half-open, and his chest heaving. Uekusa, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses and placed them on his knees, supporting his eye sockets with his hands, seemingly wiping sweat or rubbing his eyes.
Fukuda sat silently in the corner, his chewing gum long since gone and seemingly spat out somewhere. Uozumi rested his hands on his knees, head bowed, sweat dripping from his nose onto the floor.
Taoka crouched down, his voice not loud but clear, "Two minutes left. In these two minutes, I need you to risk your lives on the field."
No one speaks.
Taoka then said, "Sendoh, the ball is yours."
Xian Dao nodded.
The pause has ended.
Ryonan has possession, and Uekusa inbounds the ball from the sideline. Sendoh receives the ball after a screen, and Maki catches up, the two of them sticking close together again. Sendoh doesn't dribble; he stands two steps beyond the three-point line, holding the ball above his head with both hands, watching the timer.
Eighteen seconds, seventeen seconds, sixteen seconds.
Shinichi Maki closed in, his hand reaching out to Sendoh, almost poking his eyes. Sendoh didn't move; he took the ball down from his head and placed it at his waist, then took a step to the right. Maki followed, and Sendoh stopped abruptly, stepping back to the three-point line and jumping. When Maki pounced, he didn't jump; he reached for the ball, his fingertips brushing against the bottom edge, causing the ball to be touched and its trajectory to change.
But Sendoh's fingers were still on the ball.
He adjusted the angle of his shot in mid-air, pressed his wrist harder, and flicked the ball with greater force. The ball flew out from above Maki Shinichi's fingertips, arcing smoothly before hitting the backboard and bouncing into the basket.
Seventy to sixty-five.
Ryonan is leading by five points with one minute and thirty-eight seconds remaining.
When Sendoh landed, he took two steps back and bumped into Uozumi to steady himself. Uozumi helped him up and patted his shoulder. The sound of his hand hitting his shoulder was muffled. Sendoh took a deep breath and ran back to his own half of the field.
Maki Shinichi dribbled to the frontcourt without calling a screen, facing Sendoh directly. He dribbled with his right hand and took a step to the right. Sendoh followed with a slide step. Maki Shinichi stopped abruptly and switched hands to the left. Sendoh followed again. Maki Shinichi accelerated and broke through in a straight line. Sendoh was bumped on the shoulder and leaned back half a step, but his footwork was not messed up. He stayed close to Maki Shinichi's side.
Maki jumped with him. It wasn't a fadeaway or a floater; it was a normal jump shot, but the release point was very high, and the wrist was pressed very lightly. Sendoh also jumped, stretching his fingers to reach the ball, his fingertips touching the bottom edge of the ball.
The ball was touched and bounced back off the front edge of the rim.
Uozumi grabbed the rebound and passed it to Uekusa.
Ueshima dribbled past half-court with 58 seconds left. He slowed his pace, dribbling at the top of the arc for eight seconds before passing to Sendoh. Sendoh received the ball, and Maki Shinichi defended him. Sendoh held the ball above his head for two seconds, then suddenly accelerated, not towards the basket, but towards the right sideline.
Shinichi Maki caught up, and Sendoh stopped abruptly near the sideline, turned around, turned his back to Maki, and protected the ball in front of his chest. Maki reached in to steal the ball, but Sendoh switched the ball to his left hand, turned around, and took a fadeaway jump shot.
Mu Shen rushed forward, but was only a hand's width away.
Goal!
The score is 73 to 65, with 32 seconds remaining.
This is where the aces of the two teams clash, and it is also the destiny of the aces.
On the Ryonan bench, some people stood up and raised their fists, some knelt on the ground and pounded the floor, and some were calling Sendoh's name. Sendoh couldn't hear those sounds very clearly; all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, thumping so fast it felt like it was going to burst his chest.
Hainan called for the final pause.
As Mu Shenyi walked off the field, he didn't look at anyone. He pulled the wristband off his wrist and held it tightly in his hand.
When Sendoh returned to the bench, he didn't sit down. He stood on the sidelines, bent over, with his hands on his knees, looking at the floor. He didn't even look at the system panel that popped up. It's unclear what he was thinking at that moment.
The referee whistle blows.
With 32 seconds left, Hainan had possession of the ball.
Shinichi Maki caught the ball.