Jun Uozumi's head was buzzing when he heard the referee's whistle.

What is that?

Did I commit a 3-second violation?

At the same time, a deafening roar erupted from the Shohoku team's bench.

"So cool! Captain Takenori Akagi is just too cool!"

"Akagi! Akagi! Akagi!"

"Very good! Very good!"

"As expected of Captain Takenori Akagi, his defense is amazing! He's practically a monster!"

If Rukawa was half to blame for Akagi's powerful dunk, then dragging Uozumi to a 3-second violation is entirely Akagi's doing!

Matsui, standing next to Haruko Akagi, exclaimed, "Haruko, your brother is amazing!"

Fujii also praised, "As expected of Captain Takenori Akagi."

Haruko Akagi beamed with joy, her spirits lifted, and she shouted happily, "Go Shohoku!"

At this moment, the Shohoku team serves the ball.

Yasuharu Yasuda passed the basketball to Kiminobu Kogure.

Akagi Takenori's performance under the basket was truly outstanding, which has given Kogure Kiminobu a lot of confidence.

Kogure Kiminobu plans to take another three-pointer, even if he misses, he believes Akagi Takenori will grab the rebound!

With a "whoosh" sound!

Kiminobu Kogure confidently makes his move!

The basketball hit the edge of the hoop again.

Still no luck.

It's time to grab the rebound again!

With a loud bang!

It's Takenori Akagi!

Takenori Akagi once again snatched the rebound from Jun Uozumi's hands!

After grabbing the rebound, Takenori Akagi landed and immediately jumped to shoot without hesitation.

Takenori Akagi is going to force a fight against Jun Uozumi!

"Ah!!! No way!" Jun Uozumi gritted his teeth and jumped up again immediately after landing.

Jun Uozumi placed his palm in the middle, interfering with Takenori Akagi.

This caused Takenori Akagi to change the direction of his shot during the release, turning what was originally a shot aimed directly at the basketball hoop into a bank shot.

There's still a chance!

At this moment, everyone stared intently at the basketball!

If this basketball goes in, it will signify Akagi Takenori's victory!

So far, neither Jun Uozumi nor Takenori Akagi has scored a point while attacking their opponent.

The basketball grazed the backboard and then bounced towards the rim!

However, the basketball did not bounce into the hoop; instead, it bounced towards the outer edge of the hoop.

The basketball missed.

"What a pity! It was just a little bit short!"

"What a pity, what a pity!"

"I wish that ball could go in!"

At that moment, both the Shohoku team's bench and the spectators who supported the team simultaneously expressed their regret.

Akagi Takenori and Uozumi Jun, however, had no time to sigh or complain. They stared intently at the basketball in the air, ready to jump and grab the rebound at any moment.

But just then!

Suddenly, a figure loomed over the heads of Takenori Akagi and Jun Uozumi!

It's Rukawa Kaede!

How could he be in this spot?!

Amidst the astonished gazes of countless onlookers, Rukawa Kaede leaped high into the air and slammed home a dunk with one hand!

Rukawa Kaede grabbed the basketball with his right hand and then slammed it into the hoop!

boom!

Rukawa Kaede dunks with one hand!

The entire venue was first deathly silent, then erupted into complete chaos, like a pot boiling over!

"Ah!!! So cool!"

"Rukawa Kaede! Rukawa Kaede! Rukawa Kaede!"

"My God! They managed to deduct that?!"

"He's like a god! Is he really just a first-year student?"

Rukawa's fan club jumped and danced wildly, waving their props and cheering loudly for him.

Haruko Akagi and the other two excitedly shouted, "Go Shohoku! Go Shohoku!"

The Sakuragi Army roared loudly, "Wow! Go Shohoku! Go Shohoku!"

For a moment, many spectators at the scene also started shouting "Shohoku".

Sometimes, sports competitions don't have such a clear distinction between friend and foe. When an opposing player scores a brilliant goal, the audience will genuinely applaud and say, "Wow, that was amazing!"

That's the charm of competitive sports!

Led by Rukawa Kaede and Akagi Takenori, the Shohoku team played at an exceptionally high level, gradually closing the gap in points.

At the start of the game, Ryonan scored 19 points in one go, going on a 19-0 run and putting Shohoku under immense pressure.

At this moment, with the end of the first half, the score became Shohoku 42 points and Ryonan 50 points.

Shohoku team managed to close the 19-point gap to 8 points.

Of these, Takenori Akagi scored 17 points, Kaede Rukawa scored 14 points, Kiminobu Kogure scored 7 points, Yasuharu Yasuda scored 2 points, and Tetsushi Shiozaki scored 2 points.

Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was watching from the sidelines, was already getting excited and was now eager to try his hand at the game!

Sakuragi Hanamichi tentatively asked, "Coach Anzai, the first half is over, can I play in the next half?"

Coach Anzai said with a smile, "The five of them have just found their form, so it's not a good time to make substitutions. Sakuragi Hanamichi, you'll have to wait a bit longer. Remember, you're my secret weapon."

Upon hearing the term "secret weapon," Sakuragi Hanamichi's expression turned strange.

While watching the game, he couldn't wait to rush up and dunk, steal, block, score, and steal the spotlight, to be the coolest guy.

Yes, just like Rukawa Kaede did just now.

This is supposed to be a high-energy competitive game, but you want me to play dumb to outsmart everyone? That's too much!

It's amazing that I ever had such a thought before!

I don't care about anything else right now, I just want to rush in and fight Ryonan Team without thinking twice! A really good fight!

Sakuragi Hanamichi said earnestly, "Coach Anzai, I feel my blood boiling right now, and I really want to rush up and fight. I'm afraid I won't be able to complete the secret weapon mission you assigned me..."

Coach Anzai looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi with a puzzled expression. "Sakuragi-kun, if you're in this state, you'll be even more effective in crucial moments. Why did you say you couldn't complete the mission? Are you lacking confidence in yourself?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi was taken aback, and asked in surprise, "Coach Anzai, didn't you tell me to play dumb to fool others?"

Coach Anzai was stumped by this question.

Coach Anzai frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What does 'pretending to be weak to catch a tiger' mean?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi sensed something was wrong, but still offered an explanation.

Coach Anzai then realized his mistake and said with a smile, "Sakuragi, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean for you to hide your talents. The reason I called you a secret weapon is because I want you to unleash your extraordinary strength at crucial moments! Unexpected strength! That's what a secret weapon is."

Coach Anzai then glanced at the Shohoku players and continued, "The second half will be even more intense. We will definitely bring in substitutes then, and that will be your chance to shine."

At this moment, Coach Anzai looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi seriously, "You might need to fight for rebounds with Uozumi Jun, you might need to defend Sendoh Akira, are you confident?"