Shohoku went on the attack.
Nango once again lobbed the ball to Akagi — partly to test Aiwa Academy's defense, and partly to see whether Akagi had already found a way to break through.
Akagi caught the ball and powered his way inside, but Amamiya Hideyoshi had already lowered his center of gravity. His defensive stance was solid, forcing Akagi to expend extra effort with every step forward.
The moment Akagi reached the edge of the paint, Aoba Yoshi rushed in for a double team.
This time, Akagi didn't pass — instead, he spun toward the baseline and attempted a hook shot.
It was a clean move, but the ball bounced off the backboard and rimmed out.
Amamiya Hideyoshi leapt and secured the rebound.
Moroboshi immediately rushed up to receive the outlet pass. The instant the ball hit his hands, he exploded forward.
Mitsui didn't play tight defense — instead, he waited around midcourt, intending to cut Moroboshi off after he crossed half-court.
Moroboshi smirked. He understood perfectly: Mitsui didn't want to get shaken off too early. But this kind of cautious defense wouldn't work either.
He lowered his body and, with a sudden burst of speed, glided past Mitsui's zone. Even if Mitsui wanted to foul, he couldn't catch him.
Akagi was still in the backcourt. Seeing Mitsui get blown by, Nango had no choice but to leave Fukuoka Yuji and intercept Moroboshi himself.
As Nango charged in from the right, Moroboshi immediately switched directions, cutting to the left. Once they reached the left wing, Moroboshi abruptly passed the ball back to Fukuoka Yuji — who was now wide open.
Fukuoka rose for the shot.
"Splash!"
A perfect three-pointer.
"Excellent! Keep it up!" Coach Sakaguchi shouted from the sidelines, visibly pleased with his team's rhythm and execution.
Glancing at the scoreboard — 6:2 in Aiwa's favor — Nango frowned slightly.
"Backcourt twin guns with twin towers inside? That's a luxury lineup…"
After only a few possessions, Aiwa Academy's structure had left a strong impression on him.
Two capable big men dominated the paint defensively, while two sharpshooting guards stretched the floor on offense. It was a perfectly balanced configuration — and a nightmare for any opponent.
In a single-elimination tournament like Nationals, even one slip-up could mean disaster.
For Shohoku to win steadily, they'd have to dictate the pace and never let Aiwa find their rhythm.
Still, Nango wasn't ready to take over just yet. He wanted to test Aiwa's small forward, Egawa Tatsuhoshi.
On the next possession, he handed the ball to Rukawa Kaede.
"Your turn," he muttered.
Rukawa caught it, faked a shot — but Egawa didn't bite, lowering his stance and keeping tight coverage.
Physically, Egawa was similar to Rukawa but a bit more solidly built. So Rukawa avoided backing him down, opting for a face-up drive instead.
He bent low, dribbling back and forth while watching Egawa's feet. Finding no opening, he suddenly executed a crossover, shielding the ball with his left arm, and burst right.
Egawa slid in front of him instantly, still glued to his side, pressing with his body.
Rukawa's angle was forced off, his pace faltered, and he straightened slightly to readjust.
Half a second later, he regained control and accelerated again — but Egawa stayed with him every step.
Prepared this time, Rukawa drove hard into the lane.
Aoba Yoshi came over for the double-team.
Rukawa slammed the ball to the floor, caught it on the bounce, hop-stepped between them, and lifted off for a layup.
The movement was clean and elegant — but the shot didn't fall.
Amamiya's long reach tipped the ball just enough to alter its path.
Luckily for Shohoku, the rebound dropped straight to Akagi, who quickly tipped it in.
Aoba Yoshi didn't look discouraged. He immediately grabbed the ball, stepped out to the baseline, and inbounded to Moroboshi — who accelerated once again.
Mitsui met him earlier this time, starting his defense right from the backcourt.
But against Moroboshi's blazing speed, he was still at a disadvantage.
Nango's eyelid twitched.
No good. Next possession, Rukawa switches onto him. Mitsui's getting burned out.
Mitsui stuck close with effort, but Moroboshi suddenly stopped on a dime, created space, and exploded forward again. Mitsui couldn't react in time.
"Damn it," he cursed silently. "Can't I guard him at all?"
Moroboshi reached the three-point line and feigned a pull-up.
Nango and Rukawa both lunged toward him — Rukawa going for the block while Nango stayed grounded.
Moroboshi grinned.
With a flick of his wrist, he kicked the ball out to Egawa Tatsuhoshi — who caught and fired immediately.
"Swish!"
Three three-pointers in a row.
Shohoku's players were momentarily stunned.
"I thought we were playing the Portland Trail Blazers," Nango muttered. "Turns out they're the Warriors…"
He let out a small sigh. Shohoku always seemed to take a beating before they started fighting back.
"Is it because I'm too much of a slacker…?" he thought wryly.
Shaking his head, he turned to Rukawa.
"You take Moroboshi. I'll handle the ball."
Nango dribbled forward. His eyes swept across the court.
"Akagi and Sakuragi can't find their rhythm inside, Mitsui's shots aren't falling… looks like only me and Rukawa can score right now."
Decision made, he attacked.
He feinted, then suddenly accelerated past Fukuoka Yuji, who tried to grab him but was brushed aside by Nango's off-hand.
Two long strides — a stop at the free-throw line — pull-up jumper.
"Swish."
Pure and steady.
Maki, watching from the stands, smiled.
"Looks like Nango's ready to show off a bit."
"Yeah," Coach Kōzu agreed. "He must've realized that if he doesn't step up now, Shohoku will be in trouble early on."
Kōzu admired Nango's play — though he knew recruiting him to Kainan would be nearly impossible with Coach Anzai around. Otherwise, Nango would've been the perfect successor to Maki.
On Aiwa's bench, however, no one seemed alarmed. Their confidence was sky-high after the early momentum.
They didn't believe a single first-year could shake a national top-four team.
But Moroboshi Dai wasn't careless.
He still remembered Maki's warning: "Be careful of Shohoku's first-year trio — especially number 13, Nango Koichiro."
Even so, their physical matchups didn't favor him. For now, he'd let Nango roam — but when the time came, he'd make his move.
------------
Support me at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking