Chapter 162 - Ryuo vs. Tokiwadai, Part-Two (1/2)
While Shun and Tokiwadai were planning to break down Ryuo's offense, Ryuo's bench was looking back at their performance in the first quarter.
Hayama stood from his seat and spoke.
Hayama: ”We are already ten points down.”
Ryuo's shooting guard nodded and mentioned.
Ryuo's SG: ”We rarely trail, and even if we do, it is by two or three points. And, surely not for a whole quarter.”
Hayama nodded and spoke.
Hayama: ”We tried to gauge Tokiwadai's dynamic by playing conservatively, so what do you guys think?”
The power forward sat up straight and gave his observation of his counterpart.
Ryuo's PF: ”Tokiwadai's Power Forward doesn't actively participate in offense, he sets up screens, and is ready for rebounds.
The only time he scores in when Kageyama gets him the ball right below the basket.”
He sighed and continued.
Ryuo's PF: ”His defense is tough. When I don't have the ball, he remains in front of me to cut off the pass route, and when I do get the ball, he closes in and tries to make me pass the ball.”
Ryuo's player's faces showed a displeased expression.
To an offensive team, Yuki was one tough player to handle.
Ryuo's power forward turned to their center and asked.
Ryuo' PF: ”What about you? How is playing against Tokiwadai's center?”
The center turned to his teammates and revealed his experience.
Ryuo's C: ”He only attacks close to the basket, if you get him the ball away from the basket, rather than trying to get inside, he will pass the ball.
But, when it comes to defense, he is a pain to play.
He immediately gets into a defensive position, and that height of his makes it very difficult for me to score the ball.
And, he may look skinny, but he has considerable power.
It is difficult to make him move, and he always tries to reach for the ball.”
The shooting guard nodded and spoke.
Ryuo's SG: ”He is so tall that I have only tried two three-point attempts, and he got the rebound on both without any problems.”
Ryuo's SG: ”Tokiwadai's small forward is fast.
He follows me around consistently, but the moment Tokiwadai gets the ball, he bolts away from me towards the basket.
It is so sudden that I have difficulty catching up to him.”
Hayama nodded and turned to his point guard.
Hayama: ”What about the first year?”
Ryuo's point guard cleared his throat and started.
Ryuo' PG: ”He is the weak-link, he doesn't excel in any field.
He only tries to keep me outside.”
Ryuo's shooting guard looked at his teammate and asked.
Ryuo's SG: ”Should we get the ball to you?”
The point guard shrugged and replied.
Ryuo's PG: ”Why not? Let's try that.”
Hayama nodded and concluded.
Hayama: ”We will back sift back to our usual playstyle.
Let's score a lot of points and win this game.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Both teams returned to the court, and the game started with the ball in Ryuo's possession.
Ryuo's point guard spoke to his teammates as he passed the half-court line.
Ryuo's PG: ”Spread out. Make the defense spread thin.”
Ryuo's members made sure to have ample distance between them. Their usual strategy was to make gaps in the defense so that they had space for a direct charge to the basket.
He saw that his Narumiya, who was his defender, wasn't closing in.
Ryuo's PG: 'I should take the chance to score on my own.'
He charged inside, and Narumiya came to defense, but Ryuo's point guard evaded him by a pass-fake and moved closer to the basket.
He reached the basket and jumped for a layup.
Ryuo's PG: ”That was eas-.”
But, just as he said that a hand slammed into the ball.
Ryuo's PG: ”Huh?!”
He looked back to see Yuki blocking his layup.
Ryuo's shooting guard was also a little startled when he saw Yuki abandon his mark and block their point guard.
His eyes followed the ball and saw the free Narumiya pick the ball and immediately throw the ball towards Ryuo's basket.
He immediately knew who the pass target was as he and his defender were on the outside.
Ryuo's SG: ”Shit!”
He turned and saw Kaitani already on the run and the ball flying towards him.
He sprinted after Kaitani, but Kaitani, with his distinct advantage, easily scored.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Hayama clicked his tongue and glanced at Shun.
Hayama: ”You left him open for a reason, didn't you?”
Shun chuckled and answered.
Shun: ”Narumiya, our first-year is still new, and of course, when we compare the defensive capabilities, anyone would see him as the weak link, but what people forget is that Tokiwadai has a player that specializes in defense.
Our power forward if nothing else is persistent, and your point guard dropped his guard too early.”
Hayama hummed and jogged back to start another offense, but not before turning and saying.
Hayama: ”We are just getting started.”
Shun smiled as he saw Hayama returning to his side of the court, and spoke to no one particular.
Shun: ”Us too are just getting started.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Ryuo's center looked at his struggling power forward teammate and called out.
Ryuo's C: ”Hey! Pass!”
The power forward struggling against Yuki felt like he had just heard the voice of hope and passed the ball to the center.
The moment he caught the ball, he felt the presence of someone on his back.
He glanced back to see Hyakuzawa towering over him.
Ryuo' C: ”Already?!”
Ryuo's center posted up and pushed to the inside. The progress was slow as Hyakuzawa was using all his weight to stop Ryuo's center.
Ryuo's center seeing that he won't be able to go inside anymore, did a front turn to the basket and got into a layup motion.
He released the ball, but his eyes popped out when Hyakuzawa hopped from his position and blocked the layup.
Ryuo's C: ”You got to be kidding me.”