Stealing Spree

10-10

That was the scoreboard ten minutes into the first half of the final match. Kawakami-senpai continued to lead their team to score while Kanno-senpai remained an immovable obstacle underneath their ring, not allowing any basket to be made in her vicinity.

It was a close match if one would judge it with just its current duration but slowly, the signs of exhaustion were already apparent on the other seniors’ faces.

It was intense. They had to put their all to outrun and make a screen for their teammate to score. Not to mention, they also had to chase after them during their defense.

Kanno-senpai could save her stamina by lurking underneath the basket but not the others. As for Kawakami-senpai, she’s not only going to be physically exhausted, but mentally too.

Being the captain of the team, she shouldered the responsibility of being their playmaker as no one had the same quality as her.

Well, the other seniors weren’t that bad but there’s also no redeeming qualities from them. You could say they’re good at basketball but not great at it.

If they’re put in a star-studded team, they’d only be used to warm up the bench or substitute if the team wanted to preserve their star players' stamina.

“Ruki. Can we win this?” Satsuki worriedly asked. She probably already noticed what I picked up from watching the match.

Earlier, she was just trembling from both excitement and nervousness from talking to my mother. Although nothing much happened there apart from getting teased by my mother, Satsuki actually got more motivated from being acknowledged by her.

But now, seeing her seniors having a hard time in the court put her in a state of unwillingness to believe her observation.

“I’m not an expert. But isn’t there a lot of time yet? And you’re still here. Once you enter the court, I’m certain you can uplift their spirits by showing them that you’re as immovable as Kanno-senpai.”

“Yeah. I have to be positive, right?” Satsuki nodded. Her hands clenched tightly into a fist.

Watching her being enthusiastic like this was truly a lot different than how she was in our classroom. There, she’d remain silent unless someone talked to her first. She’d always look grumpy whenever she would catch me staring at her. This time, her confident appeal looked way cooler than anyone else.

“Mhm. Setsuna-nee and everyone came here to watch you win. And I’ll continue cheering for you from here.”

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Time quickly passed.

The first half ended in favor of the opponent. The score was tied until the last five minutes but at that point, the fatigue on the players started to set in which rendered Kawakami-senpai’s strategy ineffective.

Due to that, the opponent had taken a 6-point lead – not substantial yet but it was enough to boost the morale of the opponent and those cheering for them.

And inversely related to that was our team’s morale. While the audience which comprised not just our class and my girls continued to cheer for everyone, the seniors who returned to the bench all had a gloomy look on their faces.

Eguchi-sensei and Orimura-sensei hurriedly checked on them as they began another meeting to formulate their next strategy for the second half.

Satsuki and the other substitutes joined them. As for me, I helped the rest of the club by handing out towels and water to the exhausted players.

The halftime break was only twenty minutes. Fairly longer than usual. Still, it wasn’t enough to replenish their stamina.

Because of that, Eguchi-sensei substituted for Satsuki and the other seniors. Of the five starting players, only Kawakami-senpai and Kanno-senpai would continue playing in the second half as there wasn’t any shot-caller apart from the Captain. And since Kanno-senpai managed to preserve her stamina, Satsuki was put in another position.

The two of them served as the Great Wall for their team which made it difficult for their opponent to slip in and drop a ball on their basket.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to stop them.

As the first seed of this competition, their opponent also held back some ace under their sleeves.

A rookie point guard and a transfer-student shooting guard were substituted in, rendering the Great Wall inefficient to completely block them out from scoring.

During the second half, apart from looking out for Satsuki, I focused more on the other team.

They’re from a school situated on the western side of the city. It’s not that far from the Cloudpeak High where Akane and the other girls attended. Nonetheless, given that they’re closer to the next city, their students mostly come from there.

From what I heard, they also suffered a loss to the Seven Stars Academy during their practice matches, however, when those two substitutes were put into play, they clinched a victory.

That was why they’re more favored to win this final match.

“Sensei, you already looked defeated. Don’t let them see that or they’ll be affected.”

Seeing how restless she was, I grabbed Eguchi-sensei’s wrist and pulled her down to sit next to me before saying that.

She was unaware of the current turmoil happening in her head. She did her best in reading the opposing team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to bridge the gap.

56-68

Yep. That was the current score and only five minutes left in the game time.

Our cheering squad was already suppressed by the loud cheers of the other side. With that score difference, they’re already celebrating prematurely.

Considering the current state of our players, it’s probably not wrong for them to do that.

However, I’m kind of a sore loser. Having seen Sena’s team lose that match earlier, I had this mysterious urge to help this team win – no matter how shallow my understanding of the support was.

The same as before, I was only going to rely on my observation skills.

Eguchi-sensei sighed and tried to put on a smile upon hearing my voice, “You’re right. I should be the last one to give up. Do you have any ideas, Onoda-kun?”

“Not that much, however, I think I can help out in reducing that lead. The rest is up to the girls whether they can tip the scales over.”

“You sounded confident, Onoda-kun.”

“It’s a mask, sensei. If I used a pessimistic tone, it would be useless, right?”

“Indeed... Sorry for my unsightly display. What do I need to do?”

“Are you going to trust me on this?”

“Yes. Isn’t it better than accepting defeat at this point? Look, they're also looking forward to it.”

Like she said, the other members, be it those who played or not were now looking at us.

Their eyes were still burning in fighting spirit and they didn’t want to end this competition in a devastating loss. I mean, that would kill their enthusiasm that they’d also be able to do well on the next level, after all.

“Alright. Then, sensei, please call a timeout. Let me help you out.” I said in a slightly louder voice, gathering everyone’s attention to me.

But well, like I said, I had to exude confidence otherwise it wouldn’t be that different from the last-ditch effort.

Rather than that, what I had in mind would be something like a reckless strategy that would completely abandon their defense and funnel it all to offense.

With Satsuki and Kanno-senpai inside the court, they could surely pull it off. Or at least, I’m 70% confident about it.

That 12-point lead can still be overtaken.

Eguchi-sensei stared at me for a few seconds. Even if she could trust me blindly, she still wanted to weigh it in. Once she reached a decision, the woman immediately stood up and went to call for a timeout.

Whatever the result may be, I’m ready to be criticized by them.

Thankfully, what I saw from the returning players was the same burning enthusiasm at their chance to turn this around.

“Onoda-kun, we’re in your hands.” With Kawakami-senpai’s lead, the members of the basketball club positively and eagerly awaited my instruction.