Chapter 35 : VS Seiho I - A Tough Battle
A week later, they all are already prepared for the game. You can see Kagami has huge bags in his eyes, but it couldn't help to hide his excitement. Other than him, everyone also feels the same, cannot wait for the game.
After all, this would be their first time to play in Tokyo Gymnasium, and the spectators would be almost 1000 just for this day.
"Okay everyone, let's huddle first," Riko spoke after they warmed up. "This day will be a tough one. Seiho would drain our stamina to death, and if by a miracle we could win, we will have to face Shutoku. It is a mission impossible for us, or so people said. However, no one in this team believes that, right?"
"YES, COACH!"
"Good." She nodded in a satisfied manner. "The ideal condition is if we could win our first game with a blowout. We could save our core players like Kagami-kun or Junpei if that happened. However, that is not something we can do so easily. You have analyzed their video, so you must know how hard they would play. I am not trying to say something cheesy, but trust your teammates. If you are in a deadlock position, don't force yourself and just pass the ball. Be more efficient. Save your stamina as much as you can, understand?"
"Yes, Coach!"
"Good. And Kagami-kun, I don't want you to think about the next game against Midorima. Your thought would be useless if we couldn't win this game, so give your best effort to this game."
"Yes." The red-hair just nodded his head slightly, but it was enough to satisfy Riko.
"Okay, we will play like usual. Izuki, control the tempo. Junpei, keep moving. Kuroko-kun, Kagami-kun, you know what to do. Mitobe, secure the rebound. Give me your 100% and come back here without any regret. Understand?"
"Yes, Coach!"
"Now, go!"
After that, Seirin's main roster is already on the court, ready for the game. Riko just sighed, a bit worried about this day.
"Will they be alright?" She muttered lowly. But it was not loud enough for Furihata to hear it.
"Don't worry about it. They would manage." Furihata replied. Riko nodded before asking a question,
"What do you think would happen in this game?"
"We will struggle a lot at the beginning." The point guard replied without hesitation, surprising Riko for a bit.
"Why? We spent a full week learning about their playing style, isn't that enough?"
However, Furihata shook his head.
"No, that was not the issue. The problem is we based our strategies on the games we watched. There is a lot that we couldn't see from the video, like how intense their pressure was or any small gesture that could affect the judgment of the players. Now, they would realize it, and even though they know what they should do, it would take time to adjust."
Riko let out a long sigh once again.
"You are right, I forget about that part." She grumbled. "So, the key to winning this game depends on how well we could abuse Kuroko-kun's ability, right?"
"Yeah, I think so." Furihata nodded.
After that, they both spend their time in silence, waiting for the referee to begin the game.
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On the court, the referee finally arrived, holding the ball while preparing to start the game. A few minutes later, the game began with a tip-off battle between Kagami and Iwamura, Seiho's captain.
Kagami managed to tip the ball back to Izuki, who started scanning the court.
"Mitobe!"
Hearing his name called, the quiet center moves from the court to set a screen for him, unconsciously attracting Iwamura to leave the paint area. And right after Mitobe arrived for the screen, Izuki caught Kuroko's movement cutting into Mitobe's previous spot.
'Good spot, Kuroko-kun!' He grinned slightly, moving to the screen first to get away from his guard.
"A pick-and-roll? Not bad." His guard, Ryuhei Kasuga, didn't have any panic reaction. He was well trained in a defense situation like this, so he managed to escape from Mitobe's screen easily.
However, right before he could catch up with Izuki, Izuki quickly sends the ball to the paint area, where no one from Seirin could be seen around there. Kasuga just looked at him strangely as he wondered,
"A miss pass in the beginning? Are they really this bad?"
Or that was what he thought. However, he widened his eyes in shock after the ball suddenly change its direction the moment he blinked.
"What the hell?!"
The ball went high, and Kagami suddenly appeared from behind, abusing his explosive jump to catch the lob.
Right after he caught it, the red-hair didn't have any hard time putting the ball into the basket as no one from Seiho was in the paint area.
He remembers his coach saying to save his energy and not do something flashy so often. However, as any wise player said, the first move is not about winning. It is all about sending a message. And right now, the only message Kagami wants to send is simple.
"WE WILL BEAT YOU!"
*BAM!*
And he slammed it down, silencing the entire Tokyo Gymnasium. After a few seconds of silence, cheers erupted from the spectator.
"Woaaaah! Do you see that?!"
"Yeah! It is a dunk! It is very rare to see a powerful dunk in a high school competition like this! I am so lucky!"
"What do you mean rare? There are a lot of dunkers in this tournament, you know? Especially from the national level team!"
"Really?!"
The chatter wouldn't stop at any time, and that was what Kagami wanted. He might not be as good as Furihata in psychological warfare, but he knows the best way to put pressure on his opponent is by having the spectators on their side. And by doing something flashy he gained their support, and it would help them in a long run.
"Good job, Kagami-kun!"
"Nice pass, Kuroko-kun!"
"Good play, Izuki!"
All Seirin players are celebrating with each other. However, there is no hint of panic in Seiho. Instead, the excitement grows as they just process the last play.
"Oooh! This would be interesting!" Tsugawa grinned in excitement. "Captain, let me handle their number 10!"
"Sure," Iwamura nodded. "Be careful tough. He would be a hard opponent."
"Don't worry about it." Tsugawa waved his hand, dismissing his captain's concern. "The better my opponent is, the more exciting it would be for me to defeat them." He spoke the last words while eyeing Kagami with a hungry face, just like a predator locking his prey.
And after that, the real battle between Seiho and Seirin would be started in the next possession.
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Seven minutes have passed since the game begins, but the game is not progressed well for Seirin. Their lead in the beginning didn't last long as Seiho was able to overturn the score to 9-2 for their lead.
Yeah, Seiho managed to freeze Seirin's entire offense for seven minutes. That was the lowest score Seirin produced in a single quarter during the tournament, and it was all because of Seiho's tough defense.
"Damn!"
Kagami cursed out loud as he got pressured right after he got the ball. Tsugawa, the baldie who guards him, keeps giving high pressure on the red-hair, not allowing him to pass the ball or drive forward.
"Kagami-kun, here!" Izuki appeared from behind, asking for the ball. Seeing no other option, Kagami gritted his teeth before he handed the ball to the point guard.
And right after he received the ball, Izuki makes a subtle feint move to the right side before he shifted the ball to the left, using Kagami's body as his screen to get away from his guard and Tsugawa.
"Nice, Senpai!"
He drives forward to the paint area without anyone to stop him. However, the moment he jumped for a layup, his vision turned dark as Iwamura did the same, trying to block his attempt.
"WEAK!"
Iwamura swatted the ball from his hand with ease. Fortunately, because Iwamura left his spot to block Izuki, Mitobe is free without anyone guarding him. He grabbed the rebound before putting it into the basket, two more points for Seirin.
9 - 4
"Nice rebound!"
"Finally!"
"Good job, Mitobe!"
Seirin's bench players celebrated happily after the last play. However, the five who were on the court didn't even have a smile on their face. Even though they finally score again, it was way too hard. If it happened for the entire game, they would not last for more than 30 minutes.
"Tsugawa!" Iwamura suddenly roared, startling all Seirin players. "Be more serious, would you?!" The one who was mentioned just rubbed his back sheepishly.
"I am sorry, captain, but my opponent is too weak, it would be bullying if I am serious!"
Now, Kagami is fuming. It doesn't matter if he couldn't score any points. But being underestimated by his opponent is a big no for him. So, in the next play, he decided to copy Tsugawa, give him the pressure right after he got the ball.
"You are trying to copy me? I am flattered. But copying is just for the weak!"
Tsugawa sends the ball quickly to the small forward, Kenjiro Sakamoto, in the corner area. And Sakamoto didn't spend too much time with the ball. He slides the ball quickly to the paint area, where Iwamura is waiting for a post-up play.
Mitobe is guarding from behind, ready to stop him anytime. However, Iwamura didn't have any intention to face him head-on. He slides the ball back to Tsugawa who appeared from the outside, cutting into the paint area.
"Ha! Easy peasy!" He grinned as he took two steps forward for a layup. Kagami who is following him from behind gritted his teeth, and jumped from behind to block the shoot.
"Not that easy, Bastard!"
However, Tsugawa bumped his body into Kagami, creating a little space in the air, before he released the ball with a nice floater.
*Swish!*
And right after the ball went in, they all could hear the referee's whistle.
"Seirin #10 defensive shooting foul, one free throw for Seiho #4."
"DAMN!" Kagami cursed out loud for getting fooled once again. This is his second personal foul, and it is still their first quarter. If it happened over and over again, there is a possibility he would get ejected from his game.
His mood is getting worsened every second he believes it couldn't get any worse. However, he was proven wrong by Tsugawa who suddenly said,
"Sorry if it looks like I am bullying you, but I need to have a nice warm-up for the next game against Midorima."
Kagami was stunned for a second before his emotion ran high in a second.
'I am just a nice warm-up? Hah?!'
He is ready to throw a punch at Tsugawa's face. Fortunately, he was saved by the sound of a buzzer that rang loudly, and when he turned around, he could see Furihata is already on the sideline.
"Substitution for Seirin. #12 in, #10 out."
Kagami gritted his teeth angrily. However, he could see the reason behind Riko's decision. It was to save his energy and to calm him down. So, he let out a small huff and walked out from the court.
"Oi, Bastard!" He called Furihata before the game restarted again. "Kill him. Brutally."
Furihata grinned widely at his request.
"Sure!"
The game restarted again with a free throw for Tsugawa. He sends it to the basket easily, resulting in one more point for Seiho.
12 – 4
The game started again with the ball in Izuki's hand. Unlike Kagami, Furihata decided to take it slow, walking side by side with Izuki.
"Eeh? Your number #10 is getting benched?" Tsugawa suddenly exclaimed with a disappointed tone. "I am not done with my warming up! If you are just weaker than him, it would be just a waste of my time. Hah.. I am not expecting Seirin to be this weak. It seems I would not get a good warm-up before facing Midorima."
Furihata just raised his eyebrows slightly, not really impressed with his trash talk.
"Oh, you are the silent type, aren't you?" Tsugawa grinned at him. "Don't worry, I will not bully you that hard. It would be better if your coach send the number #10 back for me. After all, your coach wouldn't want one of his players to be broken, isn't she?"
Tsugawa keeps talking to Furihata for a few seconds until they are both finally passing the middle of the court. That was when Izuki suddenly passed the ball to Furihata, and the first-year point guard followed the play by releasing the ball immediately.
Before anyone from Seiho could process what happened, the ball went into the basket smoothly, producing a beautiful sound that came from the contact between the ball and the net.
*Splash!*
A logo three-point shoot!
If there is a logo in the middle of the court here, the shoot could be compared to the signature long shoot from Stephen Curry. And knowing this, all of Seirin's players roared in excitement for their first three-point shoot.
12 – 7
Tsugawa turned around immediately and stares at Furihata in disbelief. However, Furihata only gives him a bored face before saying,
"Hmm? Did you say something? By the way, thank you for providing a good warm-up for the next match. But I am afraid if you are this weak, it would just be a waste of my time."
And then, Furihata turned back to his own side without waiting for any answer, ready for the next play.
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Author note :
Next Chapter : VS Seiho II - A Trash Talk Duel!
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You can also read this fanfiction up to chapter 55 on that page. Thank you! :)