Seirin High School also encountered a similar scenario in the anime. It was during their first official match against Kaijo High School.
In the first quarter of the game, Taiga Kagami tried to accelerate his pace to compete with Ryōta for points, but he was suppressed by Ryōta, leaving him without much impact. However, the rest of the Seirin High School team couldn't keep up with Taiga's pace, and the team's overall energy consumption was rapid. Even Tetsuya was exhausted after playing the first quarter and had to rest due to exhaustion.
Comparing this to the current situation at Fukuda Junior High, it was even worse. The problem was not just the depletion of energy but also the scarcity of available players. The upcoming players in the match were all rookies.
Facing this, Shōgo couldn't help but imagine that Seirin High School had also encountered a similar situation when playing against Kaijo High School.
It's not about blaming others or finding fault with others; it's just that he wasn't strong enough yet to carry the entire team and dominate the court without relying heavily on his teammates.
There's a true saying: Weakness is the original sin. That's all there is to it.
"Bam!" Ryōta dunked the basketball into the hoop, once again triggering waves of cheers and screams from the audience.
Compared to the easy scoring of Teikō Junior High, every point scored by Fukuda Junior High was a result of Shōgo's repeated efforts to break through.
For Shōgo, this was a form of agonizing pressure and rhythm.
The coach of Fukuda Junior High, who understood this situation, clenched his hands tightly, feeling regretful and somewhat disheartened in the rest area. Constructing the team around Shōgo's core had been the right choice, given Shōgo's outstanding skills. However, the coach hadn't anticipated that facing a team like Teikō Junior High would burden Shōgo to this extent.
He felt a pang of guilt and found it difficult to watch the match unfold in this manner. Placing the hopes and aspirations of the entire team on a young player's shoulders was a weighty decision, and the coach was starting to regret it.
But now, it was too late for regrets. All that was left to do was to believe in Shōgo on the court and in his players.
With this thought in mind, Coach Kudo suddenly stood up and shouted toward the court, "Defense! Defense! Defense!"
In the rest area, all the players and the two team managers stared in astonishment at the coach who had stood up and was continuously cheering for their team.
Then, as if they had suddenly comprehended, they began to shout together.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
...
For a moment, the voices of several Fukuda's players seemed to drown out the cheers and screams of the young girls in the audience.
But for the Fukuda Junior High players on the basketball court, they were completely focused on defending against their opponents. They couldn't hear anything happening beyond the court.
The scores of the two schools continued to rise, one point after another.
45-42, 48-45, 50-48, 53-50, 55-53...
The whistle signaling the end of the third quarter rang out, with the score at 68-66, still in favor of Fukuda Junior High by 2 points.
However, in the Fukuda Junior High rest area, all the players were exhausted.
In Teikō Junior High's rest area, everyone seemed relaxed, even though they were trailing behind in points.
"Ryōta, you work together with Shintarō, defend against Shōgo."
Upon hearing this, Ryōta and Shintarō were taken aback. They both spoke up.
"Coach, I..."
"Coach!"
However, Coach Shirogane spoke with a serious tone.
"Victory is everything. The Shōgo on the court right now is not someone you can easily stop. Your cooperation in defending against him is meant to suppress his scoring ability."
"We understand, Coach!"
"We got it!"
As the whistle for the fourth quarter sounded, Shōgo, Arata, and three rookie players walked onto the court together.
This was the final quarter of the game, where success or failure would be determined. Shōgo, for once, spoke a bit more to his teammates.
"Let's go, it's the final quarter."
However, when Shōgo received the basketball and looked at the approaching Shintarō and Ryōta, his pupils contracted slightly.
"Hehe! Coach Shirogane seems to have quite a high opinion of me!"
"It has to be said that, at the moment, you're worth it."
The one speaking was Shintarō. Ryōta had a focused expression, his gaze fixed on Shōgo.
Feeling the rising momentum of the two opponents, Shōgo also became more competitive. Come on, let me see the power of the Green-Yellow duo!
Activating a frightening acceleration, Shōgo switched directions while facing the double defense of Shintarō and Ryōta, then suddenly broke free.
Next, Shōgo leaped high, attempting to dunk the basketball into the hoop.
"Bang, bang!"
Two consecutive sounds rang out. Shintarō and Ryōta jumped high, joining forces to block Shōgo's dunk attempt.
The basketball soared into the air and was grabbed by a player from Teikō's second team. He made a long pass.
Ryōta, who had already run far ahead, caught the ball and, under the astonished gazes of Fukuda's players, executed an under-the-legs layup and scored.
After landing a few steps away, Shōgo, with a hint of shock in his eyes, looked at Shintarō and then seemed to suddenly understand something.
"Interesting, truly interesting!"
Just during Shōgo's dunk attempt a moment ago, the power transmitted from the basketball, Shintarō's rapid takeoff, and his jumping height all revealed a hint of what Shintarō was concealing, as if lifting a corner of the veil of mystery.
The point scored by Ryōta caused Teikō Junior High to take the lead over Fukuda Junior High again, sparking waves of cheers from the audience.
Taking the basketball again, Shōgo arrived at the half-court, facing the two opponents who were closely marking him. He let out a triumphant chuckle.
"You guys might be able to defend against me by force, but can you defend against Daiki?"
"What do you mean?"
"Hmm?"
Shōgo suddenly jumped high as he spoke, using an irregular motion to forcefully slam the basketball out, sending it directly into the hoop.
This scene caused Shintarō's pupils to contract to pinpricks, Ryōta to wear an expression of 'how is this possible?' and Atsushi to reveal a look of 'what did I just witness' under the hoop.
In the rest area of Teikō Junior High, Coach Shirogane suddenly stood up, his expression trembling as he stared at Shōgo on the court.
On the other hand, Satsuki, who was holding a notebook beside him, appeared quite relaxed.
Satsuki had seen this scene many times, and while each viewing was still astonishing, it had become more of a matter-of-fact sight rather than a surprise.
"This can't be possible? How is this possible? How did he do it?"
Seeing the coach standing up beside her, Satsuki wanted to tell him that Shōgo-kun had been able to do this even during winter vacation.
At this point, Shōgo-kun still hadn't given his all.