"It's time for the jump ball," said the PE teacher as he signaled everyone for the upcoming match.
"This game will be intense. I wonder who will come out the victor," said a boy.
"Class 2O is way stronger; however, Class 1T has that boy who can shoot."
"Everyone seems excited for this game," said Takahiro.
"Well, of course. They both crushed their opponents, so this will actually be a fun game this time," said Yukio.
As the whistle blew and the ball was tossed into the air, both Tetsuo and Liam jumped to win possession.
"I will definitely win this ball for the team," Liam thought confidently as he edged closer to the ball. However, upon seeing Tetsuo's reach, he was shocked.
"What the…? How can he reach this high? He has a way shorter reach and height than me. Wait… it can't be… is he jumping over forty inches?" Liam asked himself as he won the tip-off.
"It was a close tip-off. However, if you compare their heights and wingspans, it's more like that first-year won it. This kid is quite intriguing," said Yukio with a smile.
Hayato caught the ball and prepared for an attack.
"Alright, let's go, Liam!" he said, but as he was about to dribble, Makoto stole the basketball from him.
"Crap, I didn't see him!" said Hayato as he tried to catch up while Makoto dribbled to the hoop. However, Makoto scored a layup before he could reach him.
"The bastard actually has great intuition," Hayato thought, smirking as he became more hyped up.
"Whoa! Kurai is great! He saw right through their play," said Takahiro.
"Well, with the intelligence he has, figuring out Nakajima's weakness was easy. Nakajima relies too much on Liam, which made his offensive plan clear to us and their team. However…," said Yukio as Hayato passed the ball to Liam in the post area, where both Tetsuo and Noboru were guarding him.
"Damn! This guy is strong. What the hell does he eat daily?" said Noboru as he struggled against Liam.
"If you think both of you can stop me, then think again!" said Liam as he spun into a dunk, slamming the basketball into the rim over both Tetsuo and Noboru.
"That guy is awesome! He sent those two flying!" said a boy watching.
"I'm impressed. That guy actually has post moves. He is more skilled than I thought," said Takahiro.
"If we had a player like him on the team, it would help a lot with my versatility. Heck, I could even play point guard if I trained him right," said Yukio, smiling excitedly.
"Let's get back a point," said Makoto as he dribbled the basketball up the court and passed to Naomi.
Naomi immediately passed to Noboru, who looked around for an open teammate.
"Hey, catch, dude!" said Noboru as he passed to Shino.
"What should I do with the ball?" Shino asked himself as his heart pounded with fear.
"Pass me the ball!" said Tetsuo as he ran toward Shino, shaking off his defender.
"Oh, it's Kawaguchi," said Shino as he passed the basketball to Tetsuo.
"Liam, get him! Don't let him shoot!" shouted Hayato.
Tetsuo then pulled up and shot a three-pointer, which swished through the net and bounced off the floor.
"Wow! So cool! They might have a chance!"
"That guy just swished a three-pointer! So cool!"
"Nice lucky shot, dude," commented a spectator.
"His three-pointers are dead on, Yukio."
"You're right. No beginner to the game could do that. It takes consistency and years of practice. Looks like Class 2O is in trouble with that first-year," said Yukio.
On the next possession, Hayato dribbled the basketball up the court and passed to a teammate.
"Pass the ball to me!" shouted Hayato as he received it back and shot a mid-range jumper, which swished through the net.
"Looks like it's on now. From here on out, it's going to be a serious game. I can't wait to see who wins," said Yukio.
Naomi drove into the lane for a layup; however, Liam stepped in to mark her. With his tall build, she felt intimidated.
"Oh no! He's definitely going to block this!" she said to herself.
But to her surprise, he allowed her to pass him, and she scored a layup.
"What? It actually went in?" said Naomi, shocked.
"Nice shot, Naomi! That was amazing!" shouted Sachiko from the sidelines.
"Why didn't you block the shot, Liam? Are you trying to make us lose?" asked a teammate.
"I can't help it. She's a pretty Japanese girl. Don't worry, I'll get it back."
"Dude, for a foreigner, you're really weird," said his teammate.
Both teams went back and forth, scoring buckets. Liam dribbled to the rim and dunked the ball, extending the lead.
On the next possession, the ball was passed to Noboru, who made a layup.
Hayato dribbled up-court and scored a three-pointer.
Makoto scored a layup after stealing the ball from Hayato.
Hayato's teammate scored a wide-open layup.
Naomi scored a backboard shot.
Liam dribbled to the rim but was cut off by Tetsuo and Noboru, so he shot a hook shot, which banked off the backboard and scored.
Makoto passed the basketball to Tetsuo, who scored another three-pointer.
Immediately after, Hayato responded with a three-pointer of his own.
"Damn, these guys won't let up. To be honest, if it weren't for Kawaguchi, we would probably lose big time," said Makoto.
"Damn, they're guarding Tetsuo tightly, and the others are marked as well. He's not giving me any space to work with here," Makoto thought to himself.
"Wait… Katsuragi is open!" said Makoto as he passed the ball to Shino, who was breathing heavily due to fatigue and was not focused.
"Shino! The ball! Catch the ball!" said Noboru.
But by the time Shino reacted, the ball went out of bounds.
"Out of bounds. Class 2O's ball."
"This is all my fault. We're going to lose because of me," said Shino, his eyes teary.
"Don't worry about it. There's still thirty seconds left, and the game is tied up. Let's get back on defense."
Hayato dribbled up the court, preparing to win the game. However, Makoto stepped in to guard him.
"His dribble rhythm has changed… what is he thinking?" Makoto asked himself.
Hayato then went up for a shot.
"I won't allow you!" said Makoto as he attempted to block.
"What the hell? It's a fake!" said Makoto as Hayato released the ball.
"What the hell is he doing? That shot is way off!" said Makoto.
But to his surprise, Liam caught the ball in mid-air and slammed it into the rim, taking the lead.
"An alley-oop? What a dunk!!! That guy was literally flying!"
"I'm so sorry, first-years. You put up a good fight, that's for sure. But today, the victory is ours," said Hayato, showing respect.
"I guess the game is over," said Takahiro.
"Very unlikely. There are still eight seconds remaining. Where do you think that first-year is?" asked Yukio.
"What do you mean? What the... He's already on the move!" said Takahiro, surprised.
Makoto made a long pass, and Tetsuo caught the ball.
"Oh no! They caught us off guard! Liam, stop him!!" shouted Hayato.
Liam ran back on defense and caught up to Tetsuo.
"I won't let you pass me," said Liam, towering over him.
Tetsuo stepped back and shot a three-pointer. Liam tried to block it, but the release was too quick.
"It is perfectly clear now… that first-year is a rare player to come by. He will be our one-way ticket to the Inter-High this year," Yukio thought as the whistle blew and the ball swished through the net.
"Game over! Class 1T wins!" announced the PE teacher.
"Whoa, he was so calm under so much pressure. What's that guy's name? This guy single-handedly beat both me and Hayato—I can't believe it. Well, that's what makes basketball so interesting," said Liam.
"I can't believe it! We actually won!" said Naomi as she jumped and celebrated.
"Well, I didn't doubt it for a second. Nice shot, Kawaguchi," said Noboru as he jumped on Tetsuo.
"This guy is the real deal. A genuine basketball player with the talent for shooting threes… he is somewhat amazing," Makoto thought to himself.
"We won… I should be happy, but… I did nothing at all to help them. I was only a burden. Why am I so useless and hopeless no matter how much time I devote to basketball?" said Shino in a depressing tone.
"Hey, is everything alright, Katsuragi?" asked Makoto.
"O-oh, yes. I'm fine," Shino replied.
"Takahiro, we definitely need to recruit that guy to our team," said Yukio.
"Easier said than done. I mean, if he was interested in the first place, he would have come to the court yesterday," said Takahiro.