Defense!
Shinjo suddenly changed up their defense!
Man-to-man, huh?
Hey, Nanao... I'm worried about one thing.
I hate to say it, but...
Not everyone on our team wins when it comes down to individual skill.
You think it's gonna be easy to take me one-on-one, then?
Captain...
Don't sweat it. He just took the bait.
Roku, let me fill you in.
He's driving to the basket!
There are no openings for me... to pass through!
Have you noticed it, Tokiwa?
Of course.
By arranging their defense to focus on one side,
they cut the space the point guard can work with in half.
It's a fast break!
Stop right there, dammit!
No way I'm just gonna let you drop it in!
Hiyah!
However, we can still win this.
Geniuses are actually... surprisingly fragile.
His pass timing is way off!
What's wrong with you, Chiaki?!
This is really throwing me off my game!
The worst part is that Chiaki has
been thrown off both offensively and defensively,
which affects the rhythm of the entire team!
We need this basket... no matter what!
What's the deal, Chiaki? This ain't like you, man.
Huh?
Do you wanna go watch this game from the bench, or what?!
Easy for you to say, pea-brain.
Ahiru no Sora
Shinjotowa / Kuzuryu
Let's go, let's go! Shinjo!
Crush 'em, crush 'em! Shinjo!
Let's go, let's go! Shinjo!
Crush 'em, crush 'em! Shinjo!
Let's go, let's go! Shinjo!
Whoa, look at that #4 go!
Wait, damn you!
Pushing! White #7!
I hadn't even actually pushed yet!
Come on, Chiaki! That's your second foul, please be more careful!
Don't bother chasing him. You're not quick enough.
We'll jump in to help, so have some more faith in your backup.
He drove it in!
Awesome moves, Tamo!
Kuzuryu
They're catching up! Only 4 points now!
They managed to hold on to the lead for the first quarter...
...but they're still slowly being cornered.
That's 'cuz Shinjo is totally controlling the pace of this game.
It's only a matter of time until they catch up.
Let's score some points this time!
Wow, Kuzu High really knows how to hustle!
They're just as fast as Shinjo!
No, not quite.
Shinjo made it back quicker!
So low!
He's taking their center head on!
But that height gap is ridiculous!
No way... he's taking a shot?!
I got this!
Counter!
Crap!
Shinjotowa
He nailed it!
Now we're just one basket away!
Nice, Captain!
Shinjotowa has a really solid team.
Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense!
I thought their main offensive strategy would be to play in the paint...
...but so far it's been mostly just run and gun.
With all of their plays coming at us so fast, there's no time to consider defense,
since everyone is just focused on getting back up the floor.
All the stamina that we lose now, is going to hurt us badly in the endgame.
Traveling!
Huh?!
Damn!
Yasu!
Just piss off. Piece of shit.
Kuzuryu
Only down by 2 now.
Let's go, let's go! Shinjo!
Crush 'em, crush 'em! Shinjo!
One more basket! Let's play it safe!
Let's go, let's go! Shinjo!
They're slowing down.
Finally...
Guess this means they want to tie it up here no matter what.
Takahashi...
It's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna let you do it!
A three-pointer!
It went in!
Shinjotowa
It's a comeback!
And they made it look so easy, too!
Sly dog.
How was that "playing it safe"?
It's just another one of Takahashi's signature moves.
He's always been good at faking people out for as long as I can remember.
Let's go! Let's go! Takahashi! You rock! You rock! Takahashi!
Incredible...
An all-rounder that's 190 centimeters tall.
This guy is literally the ideal basketball player.
Defense!
I want to get out there... and play against him.
We're taking the lead back!
Whoa! They're not backing down!
They're charging at them like bulls!
Don't let him past you, Yukio!
What the-?!
Did you just see that?!
How does that #11 do it?! All his moves seem superhuman!
Shit! This guy jumps a lot higher than his looks lead on.
It got blocked!
Sweet! We got the ball!
Hey, Chiaki!
A pass?!
No!
He's going straight for it!
Charging! White #7!
That's his third...
It's still only the first half, but their playmaker is having foul trouble!
Timeout! White team!
Hey.
You sly dog.
Hell yeah!
Everything is in Shinjo's favor now.
You were amazing out there, Takahashi!
We can totally win this!
They're getting too damn smug over taking the lead.
It's still just a one point difference!
That's not what's hurting us.
Huh?
The real issue is... the fact that Chiaki has three fouls.
Especially so early into the game.
I thought it took 5 fouls to get ejected. That means he's still got two left!
You're looking at it the wrong way.
He's ONLY got two left.
Just think about what happens if he gets one more foul after this.
He'll end up playing conservatively simply due to the high risk of ejection.
So really, it's your fourth foul that knocks you out.
Normally, this is where we'd just pull him out and save him for the second half.
But we might end up screwing ourselves over
with only one point guard out on the court.
Not to mention we'd be losing one of our taller players.
Even if we did let the shrimp take over in his place,
a zone defense would give us major trouble.
I guess it's still too much for Sora to handle right now...
It's risky as hell, but we're just gonna have to keep Chiaki in.
They've really brought him to his knees... I've never seen Chiaki like this before.
Come on!
It's time to launch our rescue operation to save that poor bra!
Great. Then I shall take the first peek!
The Chiaki that I know is always brimming with confidence.
Dude, we've been through so much. You could've picked better scenes.
Let's stay calm for now.
Like Nabe said earlier, Chiaki has
two fouls left before he actually gets ejected from the game.
We're not at an impasse just yet.
Hey, man, what's an "impasse"?
It's like a "dead end." She means we still have a chance.
That being said, I want to avoid having one of our main players foul out.
So I'm going to bench both Chiaki and Yasuhara for the time being.
Me, too?
Kurumatani will be point guard.
I want Chucky to go out as our shooting guard and
focus on providing support for Kurumatani.
S-sure.
And then...
Shigeyoshi will play center.
Making Momoharu our power forward.
You're in charge of the inside for both offense and defense.
Natsume, in addition to your usual dribble penetration
I want you to start shooting from long-range.
Ideally, I want you to draw
enough attention to get our opponents to double team you.
Even if you miss, you can trust the guys under the basket to back you up, right?
Well... yeah.
What kinda look is that?
As for you, Kurumatani...
Listen close.
If benching Chiaki is enough to let our opponents run away with the game,
then this team has no future no matter what we do.
Can you fill the hole that Chiaki is leaving behind?
Without a doubt.
Let's do this!
Shinjo ball!
Shi-n-jo! Shi-n-jo! Shi-n-jo! Shi-n-jo! Shi-n-jo!
I lied.
It already seems hopeless without Chiaki and I
didn't want to give them any more reasons to worry.
The truth is that I'm full of nothing but doubts.
But even so, I've gotta do this!
I've gotta become a player like Chiaki... one who everyone can rely on!
Looks like Kuzu High changed up their defense.
A 3-2 zone, eh?
Dude, that #12 is downright huge!
He's got to be taller than even Shinjo's #8, for sure!
So that's how they're playing it.
Roku, switch with me.
Huh?
So, #4 moved to the low post.
Is he planning to take on the big guy?
Shit! They passed it above him so easily!
Those overhead passes are just gonna keep coming
so long as that shorty is playing point guard.
It's all gonna come down to their strength under the basket.
He's forcing his way in. He'll get fouled for charging like that!
Okay!
So slick!
You saw me coming, huh?
The streak continues!
I guess just adding in that super tall dude wasn't enough!
Yeah, I get it! It's MY fault for letting him get past me!
Jeez, I didn't realize you could be such a jackass!
Dammit!
Everyone on the team... knows how you must feel.
So I think...
...that's exactly why Nanao decided to ask you that question... in front of all of us.
And in that moment, you answered clearly.
It psyched me up. Seeing your bravery.
Mokichi...
Let's do our best.
Y-yeah.
Let's do it! This one's going in the basket!
Don't react! Stay in position!
Shinjo switched to zone, too!
It's a showdown in the paint!
With Chiaki on the bench, we can't afford to let them pull way ahead!
Kuzu High's big guy has to be around 2 meters tall at least.
Seems like Shinjo has slightly more skill overall, though.
Yo, check that out.
Huh?
Those are players from Saijo.
But their team doesn't play today...
Hey, Chucky! Make sure you take up a defensive safety position!
If there's a pass, don't just stay where you are!
Please remember all of the things that we worked on in practice!
Kurumatani! Keep your eyes on the shot clock!
I can't just repeatedly try to shoot a bunch of threes.
I'm not doing my job unless we score by breaking their zone-D apart.
But time is running short...
Stay calm. Stay calm.
Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense!
This one... he's up to something!
He definitely doesn't look like the type to try to bulldoze his way through, but...
...he's positioned himself way too far from the basket!
What the hell is he thinking?
Once they move in closer to the basket, that guy seems even more like a giant!
His reach is insane! He's gotta be more than 2 meters tall!
So tall!
Nobody stands out more than him!
What a relief! I'm glad Mokichi is on our side!
Now #11 is making his way in!
They've got a chance!
Slowpoke! Hurry and throw it at me!
It's a hook!
From way high!
I can't believe he stopped a shot from that high!
All right! I got the ball!
Huh?!
Out of bounds! Shinjo ball!
Holy cow, #4 is awesome! I've never seen anybody get that much air!
No way...
Even though Mokichi is more than 5 cm taller, he still got blocked...
What's up?
They're discussing something.
Before the out of bounds call, there was a different violation from Shinjo.
As a result, Kuzuryu will receive 2 points.
What?! Why?!
Must have been goaltending.
Seriously? In a high school game like this?
Goal what now?
What'd they say?
"Goaltending."
After the ball is shot and starts falling from its apex,
nobody can touch it until it hits the rim.
The shot that Shigeyoshi just made started with the ball well above the rim.
In other words, it began falling from its apex the moment he let go.
So, if I get this right, you're saying that he was shooting downwards?
That's pretty much the gist of it.
As far as the rules are concerned, the hook shot that he makes is impossible to block.
You can consider that a warning.
My hook isn't something... that you can stop.
That punk... He intentionally provoked me to make sure I went for the block.
He's one crafty fox. Way more vicious than he looks on the outside.
Actually get the ball in before you start talkin' shit.
That's our Mokichi!
Get past this!
Shinjotowa
Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense!
It's okay. Don't sweat it, Chucky! Let's score one of our own!
Sure thing!
I can't waste the momentum that Mokichi helped us start building.
I gotta score. I gotta score!
Kurumatani...
Shi-n-jo! Shi-n-jo! Shi-n-jo! Shi-n-jo!
This ain't good! Can that shorty really hold it together?
He looks like he's starting to choke!
White team ball! Throw in!
Don't get so freaked out.
It'll be okay.
All you have to do... is focus on scoring.
You're not fighting out here all by yourself.
You've got it wrong, passing and shooting aren't important.
Scoring points is.
You couldn't score enough points by the end, and that's why you lost.
Fool.
Whether it's man-to-man or zone. The basics don't change.
Right.
Thank you.
I'm gonna break apart their zone with some passes!
Let's make sure we fill up any gaps they leave!
Get your hands up real high!
Watch out for passes that come in low!
Let's make this one count!
A hook shot is totally worthless unless you're close enough to the basket.
And I'm definitely not letting you shoot anything from that area!
A three pointer?!
Just like Takahashi did earlier!
That damn shrimp!
He missed!
Very close.
Great! We'll rebou-
He knew!
He expected #15 to shoot from long-range!
Chucky!
He's wide open!
Th... This is my first shot!
Nope! Can't do it!
Nice fake!
Yeah right...
There's only one defender in front of him!
But he's at a height disadvantage!
He stopped?! For a jumper?!
He went backwards at that speed?!
A fadeaway!
Shinjotowa
They followed through! It's down to 1 point!
You've gotten pretty damn good, Chucky!
You better believe it!
Yeah! All right! That's the way! That was a nice really move, Chucky!
That's right! I'm not alone!
I've got a whole team!
Ahiru no Sora Next Time: Vow
Next time: "Vow."