Man, the look in his eyes is so intense...
And that's how he looks after running for nearly 30 minutes straight?
Meanwhile, I've only run for like 2 or 3 tops.
Shit!
What is it, Chucky?
Nothing, forget what I just said!
Huh?
We don't have to change our zone formation, either!
All I gotta do is put a stop to their #7, right?
Until Tinytown is back in the game,
I'll shut down #7 even if it means I have to slug him in the face!
Kitasumi!
Full-court?!
Let's score!
Kitasumi!
Can their #6 really run enough to cover him?!
Let's score!
Kitasumi!
Again? Give me a break.
Let's score!
Tinytown kept it up for a full 30 minutes.
Lasting a measly 10 minutes should be a piece of cake!
Chucky, you brave fool! Men like you are one of a kind!
Guys... I'm counting on you to handle things here!
Huh?
He shook him off again!
Oh no, Chucky!
Your defense is too weak.
Huh?
WHAAAAAAAAT?!
What the hell are you doing?!
Come back! Come back! Come back!
Nobody said anything about doing triangle and 2!
Ahiru no Sora
Come back! Come back! Come back!
Nobody said anything about doing triangle and 2!
Now...
If you do that, it'll leave only 3 of us to defend the middle!
Triangle and 2?
Two defenders mark a single opposing player, while
the rest defend the basket in a zone formation.
Just leave them be.
Huh?
They're both half-assed players to begin with.
Putting the two of them together might actually accomplish something.
Oh, good point. That makes sense.
It doesn't make sense! What the hell are the 3 of us left behind supposed to do now?!
Their 2 low post players are nearly here! Chiaki and I will just have to hold firm in the middle!
Kite! Don't stray too far out of the zone!
They're really doing everything they can to shut Taro down.
It's a pretty drastic strategy to rely on.
It just ended up like that on a whim, but.... it could work.
Don't let him get past you on that side, Nabe!
We're fine as long as you don't screw it up!
Close call!
Everyone's counting on me to cover for Tinytown!
I'm not letting you past me without a fight!
Chucky...
Taro! Pass the ball back!
We let him slip right past us!
Idiots!
That's what happens when you both take your eyes off the ball!
Huh?
Right back at you.
A steal!
Whoa! Nice, Kite!
Wh-wh-wh-wh... WHAT?!
The pillar that's holding their zone defense together is definitely that #11.
Huh?
Their #8 and #5 both caused a lot of holes in their defense, but thanks to help from #11
they've been avoiding any major disasters.
He's also been the source of about 60% of their points.
No way! Back off!
Give me the ball! I'm gonna score enough to make their heads spin!
I see what he's doing.
Since they've lost one of their offensive players,
he's trying to keep the defense focused on himself instead.
I'm quite impressed.
We're going to have to go all-in to put a stop to him.
Kite... he's looking really worn out.
They're going for a double team, too?!
An eye for an eye. Or something like that.
Are you sure two is gonna be enough, old man?
He slipped right in-between them! Holy shit! That's awesome!
He got stopped!
Our help moved faster than him!
He's surrounded!
A triple team?!
Bunch of morons!
We got the ball! It's a turnover!
Go now! Get moving! Make a fast break!
Kite!
The defense is wide open!
You're not getting by me, dammit!
Konishi!
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Whoa! Nice teamwork!
Way to go, Konishi!
Shit!
Our team is going to win.
You punk...
Listen up, Momoharu. Kite.
We've only got a minute left.
We have to finish this quarter with the lead.
It'll keep our momentum and give us an edge in the last quarter!
Boys! Go and get on 'em quick! Push for that comeback!
They've switched over to full-court D!
Wh-what kind of defense is this?!
The 2-2-1 zone press!
Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense!
Get up in their faces!
There is a proper time and place to use a full-court defense, you know.
Kitasumi! Kitasumi! Kitasumi!
Nice cut!
The lead is ours!
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Hell yeah! Let's go!
Hurry and pass the ball in! If we don't spread out fast, they'll snatch it again!
Watch out for steals!
Sweet! He got past 'em!
No... they set him up!
A back tip steal!
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Awesome! Two baskets in a row, just like that!
Yeah! Show them who's boss, Senpai!
Kitasumi! Kitasumi! Kitasumi!
Well shit, we're screwed without another decent dribbler on our side.
Dammit!
How many times am I gonna let Konishi get the better of me?!
All it took was a damn press to make us totally fall apart.
We're still a pretty pathetic team.
I haven't even done much, but I'm suddenly exhausted...
What is up with this defense?! We can't do a damn thing!
The momentum totally shifted to the other team in an instant.
Hey, Nanao...
Everybody work together to get the ball down the court!
Be careful not to get an 8-second violation!
Hey, Nanao.
Uh, what is it? I couldn't hear you.
I've rested long enough.
Let's make a substitution.
A substitution? But there are only 30 seconds left in the third quarter!
I'm fully aware of that.
But...
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
...I have to get out there.
Right now!
Defense! Defense! Defense!
All right.
Defense! Defense! Defense!
Out of bounds! Kuzuryu ball!
Player substitution for Kuzuryu High!
Nanano must be an idiot.
We're stressed out enough, adding another
good-for-nothing is only going to make it worse.
Hey, Kite. You're subbing out.
Huh?
"Natsume is giving us a bad rep by looking like a deadbeat out there."
Nanao's orders.
I never said anything like that!
Wh-what a relief...
Oh, hey, Nabe!
Huh?
That was the best triangle and 2 I've ever seen!
Nice defense!
I see... so my defense is the best ever, huh?
Then maybe I'll go back out later!
I've had it up to here with these guys, they're all so self-absorbed!
The training camp changed absolutely nothing about them!
Listen up! Nobody hold on to the ball for too long!
We know. Just set me some screens.
Chucky. If they press us again, try not to panic. Watch your surroundings closely.
I guess they have changed a little.
Considering the height difference, she should have kept #8 in.
That was a pretty reckless substitution.
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Well, only 30 seconds left. Let's see how many times we can score on them.
Okay, they've got him cornered!
#7 can't move very fast!
Let's steal and score again!
Don't stop moving!
Hurry and get into an open pass window!
Hey, Chiaki!
Ah, this is much better.
I'd rather be on the court than the bench no matter how tired I am!
Although, I do feel bad for rebelling against Nanano and ignoring her orders...
Everyone else is out here giving their all. I can't just take it easy!
Okay!
Don't worry!
We'll definitely catch up with them!
Dumbass. Nobody needs you to tell them that.
I don't really know why, but I feel a lot more confident with him on the court.
Don't show off too much.
He went straight for it!
But he's not getting by our guys!
Hey! Enjoy your little nap?
He's right at the sideline!
They've got him cornered!
Taro! Behind you! It's a screen!
Weak sauce. That won't work on me!
WHAT THE-?!
He just straight-up ignored my brilliant screen!
Hot damn, he blew past both defenders!
Hey ref!
Are you sure he didn't cross the line with that move?!
Once again, his ability to cut in proves essential to the team.
#4 has it now!
Don't let him get through!
Whoa! Nice return pass!
You're too easy! Such a piece of cake!
I bet your granny calls you a "sweet boy"!
What's wrong? You look out of breath!
Are you sure you shouldn't be watching from the bench?!
He's not stopping!
Is he seriously going for it?!
I'm the best player here!
You're nothing but a crazy nutjob!
Goddamn! Could you have made that pass any harder to catch?!
Go ask Chiaki to give you some passing lessons, dumbass!
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
He nailed it!
Give me some cash, I'm making sure Kite gets paid.
Get your own, dammit!
Crap, they broke through our press defense and scored!
Now we're only 3 points ahead!
There's nothing to panic about. It won't kill our momentum.
We'll score the last basket and end this quarter with a 5-point lead.
What?! Defending before the ball even goes in?!
Ready, Chucky?
You know it!
There's still a few seconds left on the clock! Let's get that ball and score another basket!
Those dumbasses!
There's hardly any time left anyway! Let's back them up!
Seriously...?
What are you doing?! Hurry and pass it out of there!
Only 6 seconds left!
That ball is ours!
Over here!
Hey, Chucky!
The pass went through!
Chucky! CHUCKY!
Sora...
Taro! Don't let him shoot a three!
You don't have to tell me!
This brat is nearly dead on his feet!
There's no way I'm letting him score one on us!
I will.
That's the end of the third quarter!
Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-?!
Insane...
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
Th-they tied it up?!
Ow, ow...
I'm so glad that went in.
That little punk!
I'm definitely gonna make him pay for this!
Yo, are you all right?
Thanks, Chucky.
That was a nice pass!
Thanks!
Man, that kid really is something else.
I could've tied us just as easily.
I told him not to show off!
It's the last quarter of the game and the score is all tied up.
Kuzuryu Kitasumiyoshi
I bet nobody expected that.
We can win this! We WILL win this!
Listen, I want everybody to review what we practiced
during training in their heads one last time!
Especially our defensive formations!
We need to watch out for #7 coming at us from long-range.
He's definitely started to find his stride out there.
Right!
No problem.
I won't let him get open to take a shot that easily!
Y-you can count on me for some points, too!
I promise I'll do everything I can not to get ejected!
I'm ready to sub in for anybody!
So go out there and play until you're ready to drop!
If we manage to win this game...
...let's all go out for BBQ.
Why does it have to be BBQ?
Because I'm really hungry.
Dude, I don't have that kind of money.
Don't sweat it. We've got financial backing.
I like this plan.
Now that you mention it, my tummy's been grumbling for a while now.
Stop right there! I never agreed to pay for anything!
Just so you know, I paid for this training camp out of my own pocket!
Do you boys think teachers are made out of money?!
Calm down, Mr. Satsuki.
BBQ! BBQ! BBQ!
Please just go ahead and make the promise with them.
We'll have our hands full if they start causing a riot.
Yes, but...
You don't have to worry. They can't win anyway.
BBQ! BBQ! BBQ!
Think about it, a team like ours that
just got their start stands no chance against a veteran school.
Fair enough.
V-very well then!
BBQ! BBQ! BBQ!
I'll treat you to BBQ if you win. So do your best!
YES!
You know, I really like our teach.
All right!
We're totally gonna win this thing!
I overheard you, manager.
So, that's what you really think about us?
I was lying, obviously.
I did it to help spur everyone on.
And also so we can chow down on BBQ!
I've done more than enough of cooking for all of you guys!
What a schemer...
Something the matter?
What are you talking about?
Well, you seem kinda off your game.
Despite all the rebounds you made in the Maru high game,
you've barely made any today.
Quit nitpicking. Just leave me alone.
Where are you going, Momoharu?
To take a piss.
Dammit, Konishi! Are you listening?!
Uh, yessir!
Look, you are going to be our key player in the last quarter.
As long as they're playing zone D, then it's a battle between centers.
Stick to the low-post alongside Tachibana. If you do a good job at...
How awesome, Konishi! Despite being a freshman, everyone's relying on you!
Do the rest of us proud out there! Okay?
Their center has yet to score any baskets.
From what I can tell it seems like he's hardly tried to shoot at all.
Their #4 has some serious height, but that's about it.
All I remember him doing was that crazy jump ball at the start.
Hm, these numbers seem very strange to me.
Perhaps he's not confident in his ability to shoot?
If that was true, it would make him a lot easier to defend.
Should we leave him some room and see how it goes?
Actually, hey Konishi, isn't this the same guy you used to play with?
Uh, yes.
Was he bad at scoring back in middle school?
Um, well, that...
...that wasn't the case at all.
I honestly think that he's just off of his game today.
He just lied...
Hmm. That probably means he's been focused on
providing extra support for the last three quarters.
And I can't forget that #11 and #15 are pretty fatigued.
So, that means we should focus on shoring up our defense in the middle.
With Konishi as our core player, Tachibana and Hasebe will provide cover.
Katori will...
The interval is over! The final quarter will now begin!
Come tears or laughs, this is the end of it all!
Let's cap off our training camp with a big victory, guys!
Yeah!
Listen up! If you boys can't win this, then you have no right to even try for the inter-high!
Get out there and completely crush them!
Yessir!
I'm in love with Nao.
I'll win this game, and then start dating her!
Nanao is the manager for our team. I won't let you have her.
Throw-in. Kitasumi's ball!
Okay, this is it. Let's throw everything we have at 'em!
Crap, it's that shorty again!
And their zone D is even tighter in the middle now!
It's gotten tougher to score from both the inside and outside!
Good grief. You really are just a one-trick pony!
And let me tell you, I know plenty of ways to deal with those!
Corner to corner...
He's intentionally getting farther from the ball?!
They're doing an...
...overload formation!
Oh! The overload!
So, what's that?
Yeah, what?
Let me explain...
An overload formation focuses all of the offensive players on one side of the court,
which effectively pulls the members of the defense towards them.
With one well-placed pass, they can easily force 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 situations,
so it's disastrous if one of them gets to the opposite side.
No matter what we do, humans simply can't compete with the speed of a pass.
Our defense has to respond to this carefully or else...
Watch the other side! Adjust your positions!
He got it!
The centers are facing off!
Trying to get me with another fake?!
Defensive foul on #4! Basket counts! One free-throw!
That's not enough... for you to beat our team.
Dammit! Don't fuck with me!
What's up, Momoharu?
It's nothing!
The day that you quit playing basketball...
...do you remember what it is you said to me, Senpai?
Huh?
Back then... you lied straight to my face...
...and I have never forgiven you for it.
Ahiru no Sora Next Time: Higher Than Anyone
Next episode: "Higher Than Anyone."