Going All Out

After Watanabe made his second free throw, the score reached 55:43.

Akashi controlled the ball and moved to the frontcourt. At this time, Aomine's momentum grew even stronger, but Shiro didn't surge as fiercely as before, appearing somewhat sluggish.

Teiko's players, knowing Aomine's plan, quickly handed him the ball. The others then spread out, creating space for Aomine to go on the offensive.

Nebuya stared intensely at Aomine, beads of sweat forming on his forehead out of nervousness.

With a smooth motion, Aomine dribbled, breaking through with speed like a panther. In a flash, he was behind Nebuya, who could only stand in disbelief.

In seconds, Aomine reached the paint, with Hachimura standing ready to defend the hoop. Sensing no one trailing him, Aomine chose to take on Hachimura solo.

Standing 188 cm tall, Hachimura's presence was imposing as he took a step forward to block, his watchful eyes sizing up Aomine.

Aomine stayed calm, making a quick drive to the right, his body leaning into the movement.

Given his height advantage, Hachimura didn't close in too tight, instead observing Aomine's dribbling with legs bent slightly, ready to jump for a block at any moment.

Aomine pressed on with a sudden dribble to the right, pivoting off his left foot to take a step with his right, executing a perfect EuroStep that brought him to Hachimura's right side.

Seeing Aomine veering left, Hachimura adjusted, pushing his weight in that direction before leaping, eyes fixed on the ball in Aomine's hands.

But Aomine had anticipated this, pivoting once more off his right foot and shifting his body to the right, using a flawless 0-1-2 step sequence.

Still in mid-air, Hachimura could do nothing but watch as Aomine, far out of reach, delivered a simple hook shot, sinking the ball.

"What a monster!" Hachimura muttered as he landed, shocked by Aomine's skill. They had focused so much on Shiro and Midorima, not realizing there was another powerful player.

The score was now 55:45.

The players from Rokko didn't dwell on it—it was just one basket, after all.

Kawamura took the inbound pass and dribbled to the top of the arc. With Midorima currently benched, they didn't need to keep isolating Mibuchi, allowing him to conserve energy for later in the game.

Kawamura patiently orchestrated the offense, keeping everyone moving and passing.

Soon, the ball made its way to Hachimura, who was matched up against Murasakibara in the paint.

Hachimura backed into Murasakibara, using his age advantage and slight edge in strength to push him back, creating just enough space to make a move.

Hachimura, seeing an open shot opportunity, prepared to take a hook with his long reach. But just as he was about to shoot, he felt a sudden chill.

Smack!

A big hand appeared out of nowhere, stealing the ball cleanly.

Hachimura glanced down to see Aomine, who had slipped in from the baseline, his hands quick and precise. Nebuya stood there, dumbfounded—he hadn't even seen Aomine disappear.

Aomine took off with the ball, sprinting for a fast break.

The first to react were Kawamura and Shiro, who both rushed down the court—one attempting to stop the fast break, the other to capitalize on the numbers advantage.

Running side-by-side, Aomine and Shiro shared a quick look, and Aomine, reading Shiro's intention, passed him the ball.

Shiro quickened his pace, with Kawamura close on his heels, aiming to cut him off.

As they approached the paint, Shiro gathered the ball and drove toward the basket, Kawamura turning to contest.

But Shiro didn't go for a direct shot, instead, he tossed the ball high into the air.

'Oh no, I'm about to be posterized!' Kawamura thought, realizing what was coming too late to react.

Aomine leaped high, catching the ball mid-air over Kawamura and throwing down a powerful dunk.

Bam!

The sound echoed, not just from the rim rattling but from Kawamura hitting the floor.

The crowd's jaws collectively dropped, their eyes wide with astonishment. Aomine had executed offense and defense to perfection.

With such an impressive display, the crowd couldn't help but applaud, the atmosphere electric.

The score now stood at 55:47, with Aomine narrowing the gap to single digits.

Mibuchi, who had arrived just after the play, helped Kawamura up, who muttered, "Can you guys get back faster? I can't handle these monsters alone!"

Mibuchi scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. They hadn't managed to get back in time, leading to Kawamura's two-on-one situation.

For the rest of the quarter, Aomine dominated. His movements were smooth and agile as he executed dribbles, cuts, and layups, seeming to meld with the ball.

"Huff... huff..." Aomine panted heavily, his back drenched in sweat, the team emblem on his chest rising and falling with his labored breaths.

"My heart... feels like it's going to burst… I can't keep this up!" His vision blurred as he felt his stamina reaching its limit.

"Aomine, take a breather!" Shiro signaled to the coach for a timeout.

Coach Shirogane didn't hesitate, immediately instructed the referee to call a timeout.

"I… I gave it my all!" Aomine said, collapsing onto the bench, his legs heavy as lead—a consequence of pushing his animal instinct to the max.

Thanks to Aomine's efforts, the score had tightened to 65:59, reducing the gap to just six points.

"Rest well, there are only two minutes left in the second quarter" Shiro said calmly, but his eyes burned with determination. "I will equalize the score during halftime"