Kayano brought the ball to the other half of the court, and Ryuu set a screen for him. Utilizing his agility, Kayano blew past Hayato once more and drove to the hoop, which was wide open. Just as he was about to make a layup, he was shocked to see Tetsuo towering above him in the air. Without thinking, he passed the ball behind his back to Manabu.
"Oh no," Takahiro muttered as he left his marker and sprinted toward Manabu.
Manabu pulled up for a three-pointer, and Takahiro jumped in an attempt to block him.
"Damn it, I was too late," Takahiro thought as the ball swished through the net.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! Nice shot, Manabu!" Eiji shouted in excitement.
"Kayano is the best guard a coach can ask for. He makes the game flow so smoothly for us while at the same time breaking down the other team's defense. I can rest easy now—we'll take the lead from here on out," Coach Arimoto said confidently.
"It's different when I'm playing against this guy than when I was watching him from the sidelines. He's really a threat. I wonder where they found him," Kayano thought to himself.
"That number six is good. He's really fast, and his decision-making is so quick. This is a whole different ball game than I'm used to," Haruko said to herself.
"Kayano is really making this game more complicated for us. I'll have to figure out a way to keep him in check, or else we'll lose our lead at this rate," Nanaho thought, biting her lip in frustration.
On the next possession, Hayato passed the ball to Yukio in the post, where he was guarded by Ryuu.
"Bring it on, number seven," Ryuu said, applying defensive pressure.
"His defense is solid. I can't break through this time," Yukio thought as he passed the ball to Takahiro.
Immediately after receiving the ball, Takahiro passed it to Hayato, who could only shield the ball from Kayano's quick hands.
"Damn, ever since he came on, he's made it difficult to see the basket. I need an opening, some kind of opportunity," Hayato thought as he scanned the court.
He then noticed that one of the Yokonan players wasn't fully guarding Shino.
"There it is," Hayato thought to himself as he faked a pass to Takahiro, which Kayano reacted to. Using this opportunity, he passed the ball to Shino.
"Shino, catch!" Hayato called out.
"Right!" Shino responded as he caught the ball.
"Don't move—he will pass the ball. Stick to your markers," Kayano instructed his teammates.
"I know I can't score a jump shot like Tetsuo can, but I've learned a thing or two these past few weeks," Shino thought as he went up for a shot.
"He really is going to shoot," Manabu thought as he left Tetsuo and jumped to block Shino.
"Manabu, you idiot! It's obviously a trick!" Ryuu shouted.
"A fake? But he's a nobody," Manabu thought in shock.
"Tetsuo!" Shino shouted as he passed the basketball to Tetsuo, who was open.
As soon as Tetsuo got the ball, he took a three-pointer, and it swished through the net.
"That number eleven is at it again. That's his fourth one!" a Yokonan student exclaimed.
"That idiot Manabu fell for that amateur's feint," Coach Arimoto said angrily.
"The coach seems to be boiling with rage. Yeah, training will be more gruesome from here on out," Kogure thought to himself.
"That's the way to go! Nice shot, Tetsuo!" Nanaho shouted.
"Wait… did she just say Tetsuo? Where have I heard that name before?" Kogure asked himself, trying to recall.
For the rest of the quarter, both teams went back and forth, scoring points.
Kayano dribbled down the court and passed the ball to a teammate, who scored a layup.
Hayato passed the ball to Takahiro, who shot a two-pointer that swished through the net.
"Yes! It scored!" Takahiro said to himself as he got back on defense.
A teammate passed the ball to Ryuu in the paint, and he scored a post shot.
Hayato dribbled down the court and, unexpectedly, took a three-point shot, catching Kayano off guard.
"It's off! Rebound!" Kayano shouted.
Yukio caught the ball as it bounced off the rim and dunked it into the hoop.
"Whoa, Toshigawa isn't half bad," Kogure admitted.
Kayano feinted to the left, then crossed to the right and got past Hayato. He then passed the ball to a teammate, who scored a layup.
Yukio drove to the rim and attempted a layup. To prevent himself from getting blocked, he executed a reverse layup that went in.
Manabu received a pass from Kayano and quickly attempted a three-pointer. However, he was blocked by Tetsuo, who grabbed the ball out of the air and immediately passed it to Takahiro, who ran down the court and scored a layup.
Kayano responded quickly, passing the ball to Ryuu, who scored a floater.
Hayato drove toward the rim and floated the ball over Kayano's hand, watching as it swished through the net.
Ryuu set a screen for Manabu, freeing him from Tetsuo's defense. Kayano passed to Manabu, who scored a layup.
Yukio, who was not far from the key, turned around and shot a bank shot that swished in.
Kayano passed to a teammate, who scored a two-pointer.
"Kayano brought a boost to their offense, but they won't be able to close the gap like this. What will you do, Coach?" Kogure thought to himself.
Hayato passed the basketball to Tetsuo, who faked a shot, causing Manabu to jump. He then drove to the basket, bumped into Ryuu, and scored a layup.
Immediately after, Kayano got past Hayato and took a two-point shot that swished in.
Takahiro passed to Yukio, who faked, making Ryuu jump, then stepped through and scored a layup.
A few seconds remained in the quarter, and Kayano passed to Ryuu. Yukio put intense pressure on Ryuu, preventing him from turning around to attempt a shot.
"God damn it," Ryuu muttered to himself as he passed to a teammate.
Shino, who happened to be at the right place at the right time, accidentally stole the ball.
"Huh? I got the ball?" he thought, shocked.
"Go, Katsuragi!" Hayato shouted.
"What are you waiting for? Dribble to the rim!" Yukio urged.
Shino nervously dribbled the ball down the court. Though he looked awkward, he dribbled at a pace that Yokonan couldn't keep up with.
"That number six is so fast! I can't catch up," Manabu thought as he tried running back on defense.
As Shino reached the rim, he took a deep breath.
"Stay calm. Remember what Tetsuo taught you—take two steps, then lay the ball on the rectangle," he reminded himself.
Shino laid the ball against the backboard, and to his surprise, it swished through the net.
"No way! It went in! It went in! I scored on Yokonan! My first in-game points! I did it! I did it!" Shino cheered happily.
"He's like a little kid," a teacher watching the game chuckled.
"Aww! Look at him! He's absolutely adorable," a girl in the crowd gushed.
"Did he just say his first in-game points? Our basketball team is a joke," a soccer player scoffed.
Coach Arimoto, who heard that comment, clenched his fists and sat down to control his frustration.
"Great work, Shino!" Hayato said as they high-fived.
"Nice layup! We needed that," Yukio added.
Takahiro smiled at Shino as he made his way to the bench.
Tetsuo patted Shino on the back. "Nice layup, Katsuragi," he said before heading to the bench.
"Even Tetsuo is praising me! This is the best! I was finally acknowledged by the person I want to catch up to!" Shino thought to himself excitedly as the whistle blew, marking the end of the second quarter.