Slam dunk, hit 100% of the three-pointers at the beginning!

At the Ryonan High basketball court, the crowd was electrified.

After the brilliant alley-oop play between Rukawa and Akagi, the spectators erupted into cheers once again.

"Wow, Shōhoku looks really strong this year!"

"Yeah, even with Sendo on the court, they still managed to score. And their number 10 hasn't even come back in yet!"

"What will Ryonan do now?"

Reporters, holding their microphones tightly, couldn't hide their excitement.

What initially seemed like a one-sided match was now a shocking spectacle. Shōhoku, once dismissed as a team doomed to fail in the first round of tournaments, was now leading by a wide margin.

Ryonan's students, however, sat quietly.

They had thought Shōhoku would crumble after Ryu subbed out and Sendo began to lead Ryonan's offense. But Shōhoku immediately responded with another two points.

Their initial disdain for Shōhoku was gone. If they continued underestimating Shōhoku, then what did that say about Ryonan?

Still, with this being Ryonan's home court, they quickly rallied their voices to cheer.

"Ryonan! Go, Sendo! Let's go, Ryonan!"

Hikoichi stood up, his voice filled with excitement. "Shōhoku is really strong! Ryu wasn't lying!"

But even as he cheered for Ryonan, he couldn't deny Shōhoku's prowess.

Coach Taoka, meanwhile, was tense. He sat in his chair, his legs bouncing restlessly. "Sendo, everyone—get serious!" he barked.

Losing this game would be a humiliation for Ryonan, especially in front of the press and their fans.

More importantly, Taoka couldn't bear the thought of Ryonan's reputation as one of Kanagawa's top four teams being tarnished. What would other schools say if they lost to Shōhoku?

His frustration grew as he glanced at Ryu, calmly sitting on the Shōhoku bench.

"And that Ryu... he's still waiting to come back in."

Hearing Taoka's reprimand, Sendo's expression became slightly more focused. "Shōhoku isn't just Ryu," he thought to himself. "Rukawa is no slouch either. This is getting interesting."

On Shōhoku's bench, Ryu gave a thumbs-up to his teammates. "Great job!" he said, praising Rukawa and the others.

Rukawa, as stoic as ever, nodded subtly. His eyes, however, were locked on Sendo, filled with a burning determination. "This is just the beginning," Rukawa thought.

Ayako and the others shouted through their paper megaphones, cheering loudly. "Shōhoku! Shōhoku! Defense!"

Meanwhile, Sakuragi was fuming on the court, muttering under his breath. "Damn you, Rukawa! Stealing all the attention! How am I supposed to be the star now?"

The game resumed with Ryonan in possession.

Sendo passed the ball to Ikegami, who was guarded by Sakuragi. Sendo's gaze lingered on Sakuragi for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"This red-haired guy might just be Shōhoku's weak link," he thought.

Ikegami received the pass, and Sakuragi rushed to defend him.

"Old man number five! Don't think you can get past me, the great Sakuragi!" he declared confidently, grinning from ear to ear.

But while his body was in position, his mind began to wander, imagining himself blocking Ikegami, breaking past Sendo, and slamming the ball over Uozumi's head to the crowd's wild cheers.

Ikegami, puzzled by Sakuragi's strange grin, quickly snapped back to the game. Without hesitation, he shot a clean mid-range jumper, scoring two points for Ryonan.

The crowd roared as Ryonan celebrated the basket.

Sakuragi, startled by the noise, blinked in confusion.

"Huh? What just happened?" he asked, turning to see Akagi and the others glaring daggers at him.

Shōhoku inbounded the ball, and somehow it ended up in Sakuragi's hands. He lit up with excitement.

"Finally, my time to shine!"

But before he could make a move—

"Tweet!"

The referee blew his whistle.

"Traveling violation on Shōhoku's number 15!"

The crowd froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"What's with that red-haired guy? Isn't he supposed to be a rookie star? How can he make such a basic mistake?"

Coach Taoka, too, looked puzzled. Then his confusion turned into a grin. "This... this is our chance. Shōhoku's number 15 is clearly a liability," he muttered.

But before he could finish his thought—

"Tweet!"

"Offensive foul on Shōhoku's number 15! Ryonan's number 4 will shoot free throws!"

Taoka's grin widened. "Looks like I worried for nothing. Shōhoku may have Ryu and Rukawa, but they also have this... wild card. Let's focus on exploiting this weakness."

As the first half neared its end, Ryonan capitalized on Sakuragi's mistakes and began closing the gap. Under Sendo's leadership, they unleashed a flurry of three-pointers, layups, and free throws, racking up 19 points in just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Shōhoku managed only four points during the same time.

The scoreboard now read 34:29, with Shōhoku barely holding onto their lead.

The Ryonan crowd erupted into cheers.

"Ryonan! Keep it up!"

"Take advantage of the red-haired guy!"

"Catch up and crush them!"

The momentum had shifted, and Ryonan was back in the game.