After the first quarter ended, everyone on Yokonan's team sat on the bench, trying to catch their breath. Out of all the players, Manabu's eyes were filled with hopelessness as he stared aimlessly.
"Twenty-five to eighteen… Toshigawa really did a number on us. They pushed us back into a corner. What will you do, Coach?" Kogure thought to himself.
"Great work out there, Coach," said Haruko as she smiled and handed Tetsuo a towel.
"Thank you," said Tetsuo as he took it and wiped the sweat off his face.
"Wait, so where is my towel?" said Noboru, gasping for air.
"Tetsuo is the best. Thank God he's on our side," said Hayato as he drank some water.
"You can say that again," said Takahiro.
"Great work out there, everyone. That was a great display. You really changed the flow of this game, Tetsuo. Thank you," said Nanaho sincerely.
Noboru, still exhausted, gasped for air as if he were drowning.
"Noboru, you look exhausted," said Nanaho.
"Well, of course, I am! You told me to run throughout the whole entire game!" said Noboru, breathing heavily.
"There's no need to be so dramatic about it. Remember that we have three more quarters to go," she reminded him.
For what seemed like a minute after the first quarter had ended, Yokonan's coach closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Here it comes," Kayano and Kogure thought to themselves.
"Words can't describe how disappointed I am in all of you who played today. For seven minutes, you were unable to score a single point. You were completely locked down. This is disgraceful! Being led by a team with more rookies than seniors—unbelievable! I honestly don't know what to do to help any of you," said Coach Arimoto in frustration.
"Do you think we can make it to the Inter-High if we can't even beat them?" said Coach Arimoto, his face filled with disappointment.
"Coach," said Kayano as he stood up.
"What is it, Kayano?" asked Coach Arimoto.
"Do you mind if I play in the second quarter? I'll be taking Eiji's place."
"Go ahead, take over the game, and be sure not to screw up," said Coach Arimoto in a stern voice.
"Relax, Coach. This game is in the bag," said Kayano as he tucked in his jersey.
"How did that one player single-handedly take the lead from us? He completely shut me down the whole time he was playing. Where is he from? Am I not good enough to play against this guy?" Manabu asked himself.
After a couple more minutes, the referee blew the whistle, signaling both teams that the break had ended.
"Alright, team, let's go win this!" said Yukio.
"Noboru, take a break. Shino will be playing the second quarter," said Nanaho.
"What?! No way!" said Noboru as he stood up.
"You are exhausted, and you need a breather. We need you for the last minutes, so you'll have to rest."
"But even if Katsuragi goes on, it won't make a difference. He'll just hold them back," said Noboru bluntly.
"That's it! One more word out of you, and you'll sit on the bench for the rest of the game."
"Okay, okay, I understand! I'm sorry!"
Shino walked onto the court with his head down.
"Hey, Shino," said Hayato.
"Yes?" asked Shino as he looked up.
"Look alive. Let's win this," said Hayato as he gave Shino a fist bump.
"That's right! Now is not the time to be thinking that I'm useless. Instead, I'll do the very best I can to help this team win," Shino said to himself, determined.
"Substitution, Yokonan," said the referee as Kayano fixed his jersey in his shorts and walked onto the court.
"Finally, I can get a piece of the action," said Kayano as he tapped his shoe on the court, getting a feel for it.
"I knew that he had to play his cards sooner or later. However, I didn't expect it to be this quick," Nanaho thought to herself.
"He actually put Kayano in the game. This is going to be fun," said Hayato with a smirk.
On the first possession of the second quarter, Manabu inbounded the basketball to Kayano, who dribbled it up the court. Hayato stepped up to guard Kayano but was cautious in doing so.
"I have to be careful when marking him. Unlike Eiji, he's really calm with the ball in his hands. Nevertheless, I have to stop him for the team," thought Hayato, filled with determination.
Kayano then crossed the ball through his legs continuously in one place before exploding from that position by changing his pace, leaving Hayato stunned.
"Crap! He got by me!" said Hayato as he tried to catch up to him.
Kayano then drove to the hoop and attempted to lay up the ball. Yukio, who was in the paint, tried to block Kayano. However, without hesitation, Kayano passed the ball to Ryuu, who was wide open.
In a rhythmical motion, Ryuu dunked the basketball, causing the crowd surrounding the court to erupt in cheers.
"Nice play, Takeshi! Keep it up!" shouted a Yokonan student.
"Takeshi Kayano is a fierce one. He can change his pace, speed, and direction at any time he pleases. Not to mention, he is very good at creating openings for his teammates—the ideal point guard for a team," thought Nanaho to herself.
On the next possession, Takahiro passed the ball to Yukio in the paint, where he was guarded by Ryuu. Yukio faked a spin in the opposite direction, catching Ryuu off guard as he reacted to it.
"Crap! He got me!" said Ryuu as Yukio jumped and scored a layup.
After Yukio's score, Kayano dribbled the basketball up the court with a calm demeanor.
"You won't get by me as easily as last time!" said Hayato as he got into a defensive stance.
Kayano crossed the ball between his legs and performed a half-spin. However, Hayato reacted and stayed in front of him. Unexpectedly, Kayano crossed the ball behind his back mid-dribble, changing direction and leaving Hayato in the dust.
"Crap! He got by me again! He's too good!" thought Hayato to himself as he tried to run back.
Kayano drove to the rim, making Yukio indecisive about whether to guard Ryuu or step up to stop him. Kayano faked a pass to Ryuu, which Yukio fell for.
"He's going to pass to him!" said Yukio as he denied Ryuu from getting the ball.
However, instead of passing, Kayano pulled up and shot a two-pointer, which swished through the net.
"Nice one, Kayano!" shouted Eiji from the bench.
"It seems that Hayato can't stop Kayano. This will be a problem. However, there's nothing I can do. Changing markers right now would do us more harm than good. Tetsuo has Manabu to guard, while Yukio is covering Ryuu. And I doubt either Shino or Takahiro can handle him. What should I do?" thought Nanaho as she bit her fingernail in frustration.
Hayato tried to use his skills to get by Kayano to score, but the ball was stolen from him.
"Let's score some points! Show them that Yokonan isn't filled with a bunch of pushovers!" said Kayano with pride as he dribbled the ball.
"Yes!" his teammates responded with enthusiasm.