dmims Chapter 17 The Time for a Substitute
Chapter 17 The Time for a Substitute
Before the start of the second half, Taoka called Sendoh aside.
"You rest in the third quarter, let Fukuda lead the substitutes."
Sendoh nodded and put on his warm-up uniform. Koshino, who was changing his shoes nearby, paused, surprised by the news. "Sendoh's not playing? How are we going to play the third quarter?"
"You five are playing five, play however you want." Taoka's tone was as firm as usual. "Takezato's defense has been broken down. Fukuda has an absolute advantage in the paint. If you have an opportunity on the outside, shoot without hesitation."
Koshino glanced at Sendoh, who slapped him on the back of the head. "You can do it."
"Could you please stop patting my head? I'm not very smart to begin with, and you'll make me even dumber if you keep patting me."
"Isn't that perfect? Being clumsy will prevent you from getting nervous."
Yueye took a deep breath, didn't say anything, and went onto the field.
Ryonan's lineup for the third quarter was Uekusa at point guard, Koshino at shooting guard, Fukuda at small forward, and two second-year forwards at center. Uozumi also rested, sitting on the bench alongside Sendoh.
Sendoh unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a sip. Uozumi rested his hands on his knees and looked ahead, his gaze fixed on Fukuda.
Fukuda positioned himself low to receive the ball, and Uekusa lobbed it in. The moment Fukuda received the ball, a defender from Takezato tried to push him away by pressing against his lower back. Fukuda didn't move; that force was like a tickle to him.
He dribbled the ball once, backed down, and took a step towards the paint, forcing the defender back into the restricted area. Fukuda turned, jumped, and dunked with one hand.
The basketball hoop wobbled.
After landing, the defender from Buri took a step back and glanced at Fukuda's arm. The muscle lines on it were clearly visible under the light, and its circumference was about a size larger than that of the defender.
He ran over to Fukuda and gave him a high-five, saying, "Take it easy, we can't afford to pay for the broken basket."
Fukuda ignored him.
Buri was on offense. After dribbling the ball across half-court, the point guard attempted a fast break, making a long pass to the shooting guard in the frontcourt. The ball was passed, but Uekusa was already positioned in the passing lane and intercepted it.
After intercepting the ball, Uezuka didn't stop it and pushed it directly up the court. He slowed down when he reached the three-point line and waited for his teammates to get into position.
Fukuda followed up from behind, and Uekusa made a bounce pass. Fukuda caught the ball, didn't dribble, and jumped up directly for another two-handed dunk.
The score became 36 to 17.
Taoka shouted "Good shot!" from the sidelines. Sendoh leaned back in his chair, a towel draped around his neck, his gaze sweeping across the court to the opposite stands. Maki Shinichi was still in that spot, next to him was probably Hainan's assistant coach, who was taking notes in a small notebook.
Maki Shinichi's expression was not very clear, but his posture remained unchanged. He crossed his arms and sat very straight, which was in stark contrast to the teaching assistant next to him who was sitting crookedly.
Uozumi followed Sendoh's gaze and said, "He's looking at you."
"They're watching us."
Is there a difference?
"Yes. It's useless to look at him alone; he's looking at the entire Ryonan."
Uozumi nodded. "You were really in the spotlight in the first quarter today. He definitely saw that layup in seven seconds and that coast-to-coast dunk."
"We just want him to see it."
Uozumi turned to look at Sendoh. Sendoh's expression was no different from usual, but the curve of his lips was a little off. It wasn't a smile; it was more like a sense of composure.
Six minutes into the third quarter, the point difference had widened to over twenty points. Buri's offense was completely stalled; every shot they took was contested by Ryonan's defense, resulting in a shooting percentage below 20%.
Koshino made two three-pointers, Fukuda dunked three times inside, and Uekusa had four assists.
Taoka called a timeout and substituted in an all-substitute lineup. Sendoh, Uozumi, Fukuda, Koshino, and Uekusa were all taken out, and five second-year players went in to play.
Sendoh took the towel off his neck and wiped the sweat from his palms. The air conditioning in the gymnasium wasn't enough, and his back felt sticky after sitting for a long time.
The fish was talking to Fukuda, who nodded and kept moving his mouth, probably still chewing gum.
Section Four: Garbage Time.
The score has widened to more than forty points, and Buri's players are running much slower; some of them can't even lift their arms.
Ryonan's substitutes played quite relaxed, making quite a few mistakes, but their lead was so big that it didn't matter.
Sendoh watched the entire game from the bench.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the score was 78-39. Ryonan won by thirty-nine points.
Yueye ran off the court, completely soaked, his hair plastered to his forehead, panting heavily. "I made three out of four three-pointers, a 75% success rate. How about that? Pretty impressive, right?"
Sendoh handed him a bottle of water. "Impressive."
"Can't you put some emotion into praising me? Your tone sounds like you're reading a textbook."
"Very powerful."
The off-roader threw the water bottle at him, and Sendoh caught it with one hand.
Taoka gathered the team members together in a circle. "You played well today. Rest tomorrow, and we'll start targeted training the day after. Our opponent is Hainan."
When Hainan was mentioned, everyone's expression changed. Fukuda stopped chewing gum, Uekusa pushed up his glasses, and Uozumi clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking twice.
Off-road's face went from excited to serious.
Sendoh didn't speak, but glanced at the stands. Maki Shinichi was no longer in that spot; only an empty water bottle remained on the seat, white and conspicuous against the blue chair.
Sendoh squatted down to untie his shoelaces, which were tied too tightly and took two tries to loosen. He took off his shoes, put them in his bag, and stood up. At that moment, a player wearing a Buri jersey walked over and stood about a meter away, hesitating for a moment before speaking.
"Sendoh-senpai, I'm Sato, a third-year student from Takezato. I've always admired you. May I have your towel? I'd like to keep it as a souvenir."
Sendoh glanced at him, took out the used, slightly damp towel from his bag, and handed it to him.
Sato took it with both hands and bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching Sendoh's chest.
Yueye paused for a moment, then came over after Sato left. "Your towels are collector's items now? Then what about mine?"
Keep yours for yourself.
"I've used this one too, and it has your sweat on it. If you don't believe me, I'll shake your hand and rub my sweat on your hand. Then you can wipe your face, and you'll have my sweat on your face."
"Aren't you disgusting?"
"You're the disgusting one."
Sendoh slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out. When he reached the players' tunnel, he stopped and looked back at the stadium.
With most of the lights off, the floor turned a dark yellow. The cleaner came out with a mop and started mopping, leaving water stains on the floor.
Tomorrow's opponent is Hainan.
He had no interest in keeping Shinichi Maki's towel; what he wanted was the floorboard beneath Shinichi Maki's feet.