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

Coach Anzai approached, his calm demeanor ever-present. Ryu greeted him politely.

"Five minutes? That should be enough," Ryu said thoughtfully, nodding slightly.

"I guess Captain Akagi will be back by then too. You're thinking of having me and Captain Akagi on the court together to decide the final moments, right?"

Coach Anzai's glasses glinted in the light as he gave an approving smile. "Smart thinking. Let's hope the team can hold Ryonan off until then."

Ryu's assessment was spot on. If he went on the court now, he could certainly help with offense, but defending Ryonan's star center, Uozumi, would be nearly impossible. It would just turn into a back-and-forth scoring match, draining everyone's stamina. Waiting for the right moment was key.

Taoka, Ryonan's coach, leaned forward with his hands clasped under his chin, deep in thought as he observed Coach Anzai.

"What is he planning? Is he betting everything on Akagi? Or is it Ryu?" he muttered to himself.

Unable to decipher Anzai's intentions, he decided to focus on his own strategy. He raised his voice, directing it at his players.

"Sendoh, Uozumi! Take advantage of Akagi's absence and crush their defense in the paint!"

The rest of the team got their orders as well. "Everyone else, stay sharp and stretch the lead while we have this chance!"

Even as Taoka barked instructions, he couldn't shake a sense of unease. They needed to widen the gap—fast.

The game resumed with Ryonan in possession. The crowd's attention zeroed in on the court as their offense began.

"Everyone, hold the line!" shouted Kogure, rallying Shohoku's defense.

With Akagi sidelined, they couldn't let Sendoh make it to the basket. The team quickly adjusted their defensive positions.

"Relax, I'll handle the paint," said Sakuragi confidently, standing under the hoop like a self-proclaimed guardian.

Sendoh advanced with the ball, his calm expression masking his sharp focus. Without a word, Rukawa locked his gaze on him, determined to prevent any easy plays.

The other players, like Kakuta and Yasuda, braced themselves. This was the opening play of the second half—critical to maintaining Shohoku's lead.

Crossing the half-court line, Sendoh began assessing Shohoku's setup.

Uozumi moved into position under the basket, signaling for the ball. His towering presence loomed over Shohoku's defense.

Sendoh broke past the three-point line and, without hesitation, passed the ball to Uozumi, who caught it cleanly.

"Uozumi's got the ball!" shouted a commentator.

Kogure moved in to challenge, trying to force Ryonan into taking a mid-range shot instead of letting them dominate inside. But Sendoh's sharp pass made it through, and Uozumi was in prime position to attack.

Sakuragi, guarding the paint, prepared to contest the shot.

"Old Monkey, no way you're scoring this!" he yelled, his competitive spirit blazing as he squared off against Uozumi.

The battle in the paint was about to begin.

Sakuragi Hanamichi saw Uozumi catch the ball and quickly used his arms to press against the big man's body. But his height was no match. Uozumi easily executed a soft hook shot, and the ball swished through the hoop.

"Two points for Ryonan! The score is now 35:33."

"That's it, Uozumi! Keep it up!"

"Ryonan, let's go!"

The crowd erupted in cheers after the basket, their excitement filling the gym.

"Darn it! Stupid Monkey King!" Sakuragi muttered angrily as he held the ball, his frustration bubbling over.

Kakuta, standing closest to him, tried to calm him down.

"Sakuragi, you did great on that defense. Keep it up! I believe in you," Kakuta encouraged.

At least there wasn't a foul on that play, and Sakuragi's movements had improved compared to earlier in the game.

Hearing the support, Sakuragi took a deep breath and got ready to switch to offense.

Kogure, watching from nearby, sighed in relief. He had been worried that with Akagi absent, Sakuragi might lose focus again.

"Yasuda!" Sakuragi passed the ball to point guard Yasuda, who began dribbling up the court.

Facing Kishimoto's solid defense, Yasuda had no choice but to pass the ball to Rukawa.

"Yasuda, you idiot! Why are you giving the ball to Rukawa?! Ugh!!" Sakuragi shouted furiously, glaring at the unsuspecting Yasuda.

Though his words were harsh, Sakuragi instinctively sprinted toward the basket.

The moment Rukawa caught the ball, Sendoh was on him, defending aggressively. Despite Sendoh's presence, Rukawa drove forward, managing to pull off a quick mid-range jumper.

Clang!

The ball bounced off the rim.

"Rebound!" Kogure shouted, alerting Sakuragi to the loose ball.

On the sidelines, Coach Taoka's face broke into a grin. His confidence swelled as he thought to himself:

"Right now, only Rukawa is a threat. As long as we lock him down, Shohoku's offense is as good as done."

He didn't even worry about the rebound. How could Sakuragi, a rookie, outplay the experienced Uozumi in grabbing the ball?

But then—shock filled the gym.

Sakuragi leapt high above Uozumi and grabbed the rebound.

"What?! That Shohoku #15 got the rebound?"

"What incredible jumping power!"

Nobody expected Sakuragi to snatch the ball right over Uozumi's head.

Sakuragi, brimming with pride, smirked.

"Watch me, the genius, slam dunk!"

He landed, immediately leapt back up, and aimed for a dunk.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Uozumi, now furious, reached out and snatched the ball from Sakuragi mid-air, stopping him cold.

"Sendoh!" Uozumi shouted as he hurled the ball to the perimeter.

Sendoh caught it and instantly took off, sprinting toward Shohoku's basket like a rocket.

"Fast break!" yelled Kishimoto and the others, warning their team.

Rukawa gritted his teeth and chased after Sendoh, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't match Sendoh's speed.

With a thunderous jump from just inside the free-throw line, Sendoh soared through the air and slammed the ball into the hoop.

Boom!

The crowd exploded with cheers.

"Awesome!"

"Go, Sendoh!"

The scoreboard now read 35:35, with Ryonan tying the game in spectacular fashion.