Oh my God! Kenichi Uesugi not only broke through Sawakita's defense but also knocked him to the ground!"
"This can't be true! The top high school student in the country was actually knocked down by someone?"
"How terrifying is Kenichi Uesugi! Even Sawakita isn't his opponent!"
"It's amazing! This is the first time I've seen Sawakita so embarrassed!"
"This Kenichi Uesugi is still a freshman in high school!"
The audience was shocked by the scene on the court!
They never thought the high school student they hailed as the strongest in the country would lose so embarrassingly to someone else—especially a freshman. It was truly unbelievable.
In the back row of the audience, Qian Yeyi looked at Sawakita lying on the ground and said in surprise, "Although I've always hoped he'd beat Sawakita, seeing this for real is still incredible!" "Yeah! This guy's talent is simply too strong," Tsuchiya Jun responded.
At that moment, both felt a little fortunate. After all, when Uesugi Kenichi played against them, he'd shown them some respect.
Not far from them, Sawakita's father's friend glanced at the court with concern.
"Do you think Eiji will be okay?" he asked.
But Sawakita Tetsuji smiled and replied, "Do you really think this can defeat Eiji? It's not that simple!"
"Besides, the pressure Eiji is under isn't enough—he needs to keep pushing!"
The friend looked at Sawakita Tetsuji, almost as if seeing a madman. This guy was actually cheering for his son's opponent and letting him dominate his son. It was hard to understand. However, if this really helped Sawakita Eiji enter the Zone, it might all be worth it.
On the Mountain 403 King's bench, all the substitutes stared, wide-eyed, at the court, their faces filled with disbelief. They never thought the invincible Sawakita would be knocked down by someone, especially a freshman they had never taken seriously.
Even Sannoh's coach, Domoto Goro, was extremely shocked. In his mind, it was almost impossible for a high school student to reach Sawakita's level. But now, he saw someone even stronger than Sawakita, and he couldn't believe it.
The game resumed, and Sannoh began to attack. Fukatsu Kazunari slowly brought the ball up the court and passed it to Sawakita.
Fukatsu knew Sawakita well. Since he'd just been knocked down, he would definitely do whatever he could to make up for it. Fukatsu trusted Sawakita's ability; he didn't believe Sawakita would lose to the blonde-haired boy again.
Sawakita received the ball from Fukatsu and immediately launched an attack. He dribbled quickly and tried to break through Uesugi Kenichi on the right, but halfway through, he saw that Uesugi had already blocked his path.
Reacting quickly, Sawakita turned to the left, hoping to shake off Uesugi's defense. But as soon as he did, he was shocked to see Uesugi had already anticipated this move and was there, waiting for him. Sawakita had to change direction again, going back to the right. But just as he prepared to complete his turn, he found Uesugi Kenichi was already waiting for him there again.
At this point, Sawakita was stunned. No one had ever been able to read his movements like this. No matter which way he turned, Uesugi Kenichi was always one step ahead. In desperation, Sawakita retreated to the three-point line and launched a quick shot.
Just as he jumped, Uesugi Kenichi closed in instantly, blocking the shot before Sawakita could release the ball.
"Ah! Sawakita's shot was blocked by Uesugi Kenichi!"
"This Uesugi Kenichi's defense is incredible! Sawakita's attempts to break through were all blocked!"
"Why does it feel like Sawakita is no match for Uesugi Kenichi?"
"Uesugi Kenichi is a different player in the second half! He's amazing!"
On the court, Uesugi Kenichi grabbed the ball after blocking Sawakita's shot and immediately passed it to Uekusa for a counterattack.
Once in the front court, Uekusa quickly returned the ball to Uesugi Kenichi, as Ryonan's best chance to close the gap was through his performance.
After receiving the ball, Uesugi Kenichi went one-on-one with Sawakita. If this had been the first half, the audience would have seen it as a closely matched duel. But since the second half began, Sawakita had struggled badly against Uesugi Kenichi, and the crowd no longer believed in his strength.
Uesugi Kenichi began to control the rhythm of the game, dribbling slowly before suddenly speeding up. Sawakita, hoping to defend quickly, made a move—but as soon as he did, his legs suddenly gave way, and he collapsed to the floor again.
Taking advantage of the moment, Uesugi Kenichi ran inside and dunked.
"Wow! Sawakita was knocked down again by Kenichi Uesugi!"
"I never imagined Sawakita would be this helpless, knocked down by Uesugi again!"
"Kenichi Uesugi is just too strong! He clearly saved his strength in the first half!"
"It looks like Ryonan has a real shot at a comeback!"
In the front row, Kiyota Nobunaga from Kainan looked at Sawakita, now knocked down by Uesugi again, and said, "I never expected him to be this strong. When he played against us, I thought he gave it his all."
"Yeah! Even Sawakita can't match him now. This is unbelievable!" A Shen commented.
Sannoh's offensive round began again. Fukatsu Kazunari passed the ball to Sawakita, but this time, he couldn't ignore the fact that Sawakita seemed to be no match for Uesugi Kenichi.
After a moment's hesitation, Fukatsu passed the ball to Kawata instead.
Inside, Kawata quickly moved toward the basket and started to dunk. Suddenly, a large purple-haired figure appeared in front of him.
With a "bang," Uesugi Kenichi stretched out his right hand and blocked Kawata's dunk.
"Wow! Kenichi Uesugi blocked Kawata's dunk again!"
"This is insane! He blocked Kawata's shot and then his dunk—he's on a different level!"
"He's so strong, it's almost ridiculous!"
After Uesugi blocked Kawata, Fukuda grabbed the ball and passed it to Uesugi to start the counterattack.
As Uesugi received the ball again, the audience gasped.
"Wow! Uesugi got the ball again!"
"Sawakita can't let him knock him down a third time!"
"Sawakita can't be that useless, can he? It's too embarrassing to fall three times in a row!"
Sawakita listened to the murmurs from the crowd, frustration building inside him. He vowed that this time, he would stop Uesugi Kenichi.
But as Uesugi Kenichi accelerated again, Sawakita fell to the floor once more. The play was seamless, and it felt almost cruel to watch.
"Hahaha! He was knocked down again!"
"I didn't expect Sawakita to be so useless!"
"Sawakita, known as the best in the country, was beaten by Uesugi Kenichi!"
Outside the court, some of the audience members who had once supported Sawakita began to mock him. This frustrated many from Sannoh.
On the court, Uesugi Kenichi broke through Sawakita's defense and dribbled straight into the inside. As Sawakita, Fukuda, and Kawata rushed to stop him, Uesugi didn't hesitate. He launched himself into a dunk, using an offensive skill known as Thor's Hammer, and slammed the ball over the heads of the Kawata brothers.
"Wow! What did we just see? Kenichi Uesugi dunked over the Kawata brothers!"
"What kind of monster is this? He knocked them back but didn't lose any momentum!"
"Unbelievable! First, he beat Sawakita, then dunked over the Kawata brothers. Is he going to take down the entire Sannoh team?"
In the back row of the audience, Tsuchiya Jun and Ichi Chiba were both stunned, not believing what they were seeing.
They had joked that if Ryonan wanted to win, they would need to beat the entire Sannoh team by themselves. But now, it seemed like Uesugi Kenichi might actually be doing it.
Such a powerful Sannoh team... If Uesugi Kenichi really defeated them on his own, it would be terrifying to think about.
On the other side of the stands, Sawakita Tetsuji watched his son struggle and his confident expression faded. "Why hasn't he entered the Zone yet? He should be close! If this goes on, Eiji might lose control."
His friends began to question the idea of the Zone. It was a legendary concept, but could Sawakita Eiji really reach it?
The Sannoh bench was quiet, their 10-point lead still intact, but the game was slipping away. They hadn't scored a single point since the second half began, and now their star player had been thoroughly beaten. Sannoh's advantage was quickly evaporating.
Domoto Goro slammed his fist against the floor. The rapid change in the game was beyond his expectations.
He had believed Sannoh could easily win and claim their fourth national title, but now Ryonan's second-half comeback, especially Uesugi Kenichi's dominance, left him unable to believe what he was seeing.
Sannoh was calling a timeout.