Chapter 18

Before Meiko inbounded the ball, you could hear Ogiwara saying, "Don't worry, guys. Let's just play our game and give it our all." Perhaps he noticed that Ichigo was slightly bothered by that shot.

Upon hearing that, Ichigo nodded his head in affirmation before getting back into the game.

Meiko inbounded the ball to Ichigo, who played as the playmaker during this quarter.

As Ichigo crossed the half-court line, he was immediately pressured by Aomine.

Ichigo wasn't really bothered by Aomine's defense. He slowly pinpointed the positions of every player on the court.

And without further ado, he burst to Aomine's left, with Aomine giving him some space to the left because he felt that Ichigo was more dangerous on the right.

With Aomine sticking to him, Ichigo performed a spin towards the right in an attempt to get away from Aomine. But Aomine, with great reflexes, still followed him.

Seeing that he failed to create some space, Ichigo turned his back towards the basket to back down Aomine.

But unlike with Kise, where he had an advantage in weight, Aomine just shrugged off his post-up.

Realizing that he couldn't force Aomine inside anymore, Ichigo swiftly spun away from him and lifted the ball in an attempt to shoot.

Aomine, seeing this, just smirked confidently. He anticipated this move from Ichigo. And just as Ichigo lifted the ball, he immediately jumped to block it.

What Aomine didn't realize was that Ichigo didn't jump, as it was a fake. Ichigo, seeing Aomine jumping, leaned his body towards Aomine's in an attempt to draw a foul.

Since he was airborne, Aomine couldn't do anything but try to evade Ichigo, but he failed.

*Whistle*

Ichigo heard the whistle and tossed the ball towards the board to draw a shooting foul for two free throws. But perhaps lady luck was on Ichigo's side this time, as the ball banked off the board and into the basket for an and-1 opportunity.

"Shooting foul, number 6. Basket counts, one free throw," the referee announced.

With that announcement from the referee, Ichigo's teammates gathered around him, lifting him up as they were hyped by his incredible shot.

Ichigo gathered his team together after they lifted him up and quickly said something to them. They heard the referee's whistle, so they dispersed and got into their positions.

With Ichigo making the shot, he earned an additional free throw, which he easily made before returning to defend.

After Teiko inbounded the ball, they started moving towards the halfcourt. This time, it was Ichigo guarding Aomine, with Ogiwara in Ichigo's previous position.

Seeing this, Aomine immediately called for the ball from Akashi. The excitement was evident in Aomine's eyes.

"This is what I've been waiting for," said Aomine, his face filled with excitement.

"Don't disappoint me now," Aomine taunted Ichigo.

In response, Ichigo relaxed his body, his focus laser-sharp, as he prepared to defend.

This time, Aomine didn't rush things; he scrutinized Ichigo's defensive stance. Since this was the first time Ichigo was guarding Aomine, he was cautious.

In their last matchup, he was confident that he already knew Ichigo's game style. That's why he was taken aback when Ichigo suddenly got faster.

But this time, Aomine wouldn't let that happen to him again. This time, he wouldn't take it easy.

Aomine positioned himself in the triple threat position and jab stepped towards the right, but Ichigo didn't react to his jab step. Seeing this, Aomine swiftly rushed to the left and, when he saw Ichigo follow, he executed a crossover move, transferring the ball to his right.

Ichigo's momentum was going left, so he was late to react when Aomine made the crossover move.

Seeing that he momentarily left Ichigo behind, Aomine rushed towards the paint, with Ogiwara intercepting him. However, this time, since Aomine was bigger and stronger than Ogiwara, he didn't bother using his signature shot and instead attempted to dunk it all the way.

Ogiwara read Aomine's intention and attempted to impede him by using his body to try and slow him down. However, since Aomine was bigger and stronger, Ogiwara was not successful.

As Aomine gathered the ball to attempt a dunk, he suddenly felt a hand slapping the ball.

*Smack*

Everyone could hear a loud sound as Ichigo, recovering from defense, smacked the ball out of Aomine's hand, causing it to bounce towards the out-of-bounds line.

Ogiwara, seeing the ball going outside, gritted his teeth and sprinted towards the ball in an attempt to save it. Ogiwara dived to save the ball, hitting the sidelines, but thankfully it was empty, so he didn't get hurt too much.

Seeing Ogiwara save the ball, Ichigo and Aomine immediately sprinted towards the loose ball, with Ichigo reaching it first. However, before he could get the ball, Aomine slapped it out of bounds.

*Whistle*

"Out of bounds, Meiko's ball," the referee announced, signaling towards Meiko's basket.

Upon hearing that, Aomine clicked his tongue, displeased with the call.

The game restarts as Ichigo brings the ball up, with Aomine pressuring him even before he crosses the halfcourt line.

Aomine employs a solo full-court press, pressuring Ichigo in the sidelines to force an error. However, Ichigo calmly and cautiously dribbles the ball, using his body to prevent Aomine from stealing it.

Once they pass the halfcourt, Aomine backs down slightly, allowing himself time to react in case Ichigo bursts past him.

Observing Aomine ease up the pressure, Ichigo calmly surveys the floor.

Noticing that no adjustments have been made, Ichigo immediately attacks Aomine's defense to his left. Upon reaching the three-point line, he executes a hesitation move, but Aomine doesn't bite.

Undeterred, Ichigo performs a crossover move to the right while Aomine continues to stick closely to him.

With Aomine closely guarding him, they approach the free-throw line, prompting Ichigo to swiftly spin to the left side.

After executing the spin, Ichigo realizes he is close to the basket. With one more dribble, he gathers the ball for a layup.

However, as he goes for the layup, he notices Murasakibara jump with two raised hands to block him. Meanwhile, Aomine, positioned behind him, also jumps to block the shot. Faced with Murasakibara's presence, Ichigo quickly wraps around a pass from the back of Murasakibara to his teammate under the basket.

With that beautiful pass, his teammate easily makes the layup with no one guarding him.

After that basket, you can see Murasakibara frowning slightly, clearly displeased that they scored against him again.

Then, getting back on defense with Ichigo still on Aomine, he receives the ball from Akashi. However, this time, after catching the ball, he immediately rushes to attack.

Caught off guard, Ichigo can only watch as Aomine rushes to the paint for an easy layup, with Ogiwara late to rotate in defense making the score 48-91.

After that, it becomes a back-and-forth between these two players, with Ichigo occasionally passing the ball to his open teammates, especially the ones Murasakibara is guarding.

Since Murasakibara contests his shots, Ichigo always knows the right timing to pass in order to prevent Murasakibara from getting back on his defensive assignment.

While Aomine was still scoring, he occasionally encountered resistance from Meiko's defense, as they knew that Aomine seldom passes the ball.

With less than 5 minutes remaining in the game, the coach of Meiko Junior High calls a timeout as the score stands at 60-97. Both teams retreat to their respective benches.

On Meiko's bench, the players are visibly out of breath, gasping for air due to their intense defensive efforts, particularly Ichigo who is defending against Aomine while also making plays for his team.

Despite their exhaustion, the determination in their eyes is evident. They are prepared to push themselves even further in order to secure a victory.

Recognizing this, the coach of Meiko chooses not to engage in conversation with his players during the timeout. Instead, he allows them to rest for the remaining 5 minutes of the game. The coach called the timeout because he noticed his players gradually wearing down due to their aggressive defensive tactics.

On the opposite bench, Teiko's team appeared slightly less relaxed than before, but still confident. They had a significant lead and only five minutes left in the game. They were sure that Meiko's team wouldn't be able to overtake them, even if luck were on their side.

Akashi, however, had a slight frown on his face. He was clearly displeased with Aomine's performance in this quarter. Nevertheless, he chose not to say anything because he believed it was impossible for the other team to win. Winning was what mattered most to him. The margin of victory didn't concern him as much as simply emerging as the victor.

As for Aomine, although he wasn't smiling like he was at the start of the quarter, the excitement in his eyes was evident. This was the game he had been eagerly anticipating. He finally found someone who could truly challenge him, someone who could bring out the best in him.

The intense aura radiating from Aomine was felt by all the players from Teiko. His predatory gaze was fixed on Ichigo, who stood on the other side of the court.