A week later, the first league match officially began.
Ryonan's first opponent was Yokota High School, a team that reached the quarterfinals last year.
During warm-ups, the Yokota High School players' faces always held a perplexing excitement.
Captain Tanaka Ken, number 5, dribbled the ball while scanning the Ryonan lineup. His eyes narrowed when he saw Uozumi Jun, then he sneered when he glimpsed Sendoh Akira. Finally, his gaze landed on Sakuragi Hanamichi's red hair, and he directly whistled to a teammate: "Look at that redhead, looks like he's here to mess around?"
Head Coach Oshima Shinjiro stroked his chin, "Last year, we didn't meet Ryonan in the quarterfinals, which is why they managed to advance. For a while, Ryonan has been hyped up, but that's fine. We'll just use Ryonan as a stepping stone to make a name for Yokota."
"Coach, that Ryonan number 4 is so tall!" Sasaki Rui said, looking at Uozumi.
"He's just tall, that's all. I noticed Uozumi last year; he's just tall. Later, when you're on the court, you just need to box him out."
Coach Oshima's calm demeanor reassured Sasaki quite a bit.
Soon, the game was about to start.
Yokota's starting lineup was quickly announced:
Center: No. 15 Sasaki Rui (193cm),
Power Forward: No. 5 Tanaka Kenji (185cm),
Small Forward: No. 8 Kimura Takuya (180cm),
Shooting Guard: No. 10 Kobayashi Hiroshi (178cm),
Point Guard: No. 4 Yamazaki Isamu (175cm).
When the five players stood in a line, they inexplicably exuded a certainty of "we can win."
On Ryonan's side, Taoka Moichi adjusted his tie, watching the five players' positions on the court.
No. 4 Uozumi Jun stood like an iron tower in the jump ball area, No. 7 Sendoh Akira casually yawned, No. 10 Sakuragi Hanamichi was making faces at the hoop, No. 13 Fukuda Kiccho's eyes were sharp as knives, and No. 17 Gu Jin stood steadily outside the three-point line.
The referee's whistle blew, and the jump ball began.
Uozumi Jun and Sasaki jumped simultaneously. The former, with ape-like long arms, lightly tipped the ball towards Sendoh with his fingertips.
The moment Sendoh received the ball, Yokota's guard Yamazaki Isamu had already pounced, trying to steal it while he was still unsteady.
But Sendoh flicked his wrist, using a behind-the-back dribble to create space, then immediately pushed the ball to his right without looking—Fukuda Kiccho, like an arrow released from a bow, darted into the restricted area. He twisted his body in mid-air as he received the ball, evading the recovering Tanaka Ken, and made a reverse layup. The ball grazed the backboard and dropped into the net.
2:0. Only 8 seconds into the game.
The smiles on the Yokota players' faces froze for half a second.
Yamazaki Isamu dribbled past half-court, but before he could organize an offense, Sendoh had already stuck to him like a ghost.
His defensive footwork was extremely fast, and his arms maintained a constant pressing posture. Yamazaki Isamu tried to change direction twice but couldn't shake him off. In a panic, he tried to pass to Tanaka Ken, but Gu Jin, who had suddenly appeared from the side, stole it cleanly.
After stealing the ball, Gu Jin dribbled forward, his speed leaving Yokota's retreating Kimura Takuya far behind.
Just as he was about to lay up, Sasaki chased from behind to block. However, Gu Jin suddenly stopped, then re-jumped the moment his opponent landed, slamming the ball fiercely into the basket over Sasaki.
"Bang!"
4:0.
"Gu Jin, that was beautiful!" Sakuragi Hanamichi roared.
Yokota's timeout buzzer sounded almost simultaneously with Sakuragi's shout.
Tanaka Ken angrily threw his towel on the floor: "What the hell! Is that number 17 a monster?"
On the sidelines, Shimamura Yoko gently turned her head to look at Taoka Moichi: "Coach, are you using the strongest lineup in the very first game?" She noticed that Gu Jin's positioning and Fukuda's cuts already had a subtle understanding, and even Sakuragi was less reckless, clearly a well-honed combination.
Taoka tapped his palm with the clipboard, his gaze falling on the players high-fiving on the court, a hint of satisfaction on his lips: "Yoko, this team needs to gel, and besides, there's no need for us to hide anything."
What he wanted was not just to win, but to forge Sendoh's playmaking, Fukuda's attacking force, Gu Jin's dominance, Sakuragi's rebounds, and Uozumi's screens into a solid unit through actual combat.
Yokota was strategizing again, while Ryonan's Taoka Moichi gave no further instructions.
After the timeout, Yokota changed their strategy, wanting Sasaki to play strong in the paint.
But the moment he received the ball in the low post, Uozumi Jun stuck to him like a shadow. His wingspan and strength directly pushed him off balance, and his shot missed the rim.
The rebound was easily snatched by Sakuragi Hanamichi. He made a long pass to Sendoh in the frontcourt. Sendoh, facing two defenders, suddenly made a bounce pass to the cutting Gu Jin. Gu Jin received the ball without hesitation, jumped from beyond the three-point line, and shot—
"Swish!"
7:0.
Yokota's confidence visibly crumbled.
In the next three minutes, Ryonan's defense was like an iron wall: Uozumi guarded the paint, making it impossible for the opposing big men to move; Gu Jin's tight defense caused Kobayashi Hiroshi to make frequent turnovers; and Sendoh and Fukuda's help defense was impenetrable.
Their offense, meanwhile, flowed like water: Sendoh's passes always tore open the defense, Fukuda's drives were unstoppable, Gu Jin's three-pointers were precise, and Sakuragi's rebounds and second-chance points left Yokota in despair.
When Sakuragi once again grabbed a rebound over Sasaki's head, the score had reached 25:2.
The Yokota players stood on the court, their initial excitement completely replaced by bewilderment, even their movements conveying a sense of helplessness.
Taoka Moichi looked at the timer and said to his assistant coach: "That's enough, we'll use the second team in a bit."
He turned to Shimamura Yoko, "You see, the effect of playing together in a game is much better than in practice."
On the sidelines, the Yokota coach's face was ashen. He probably only understood at this moment that their so-called "confidence" was nothing but a joke in the face of absolute strength.
Five minutes before halftime, Taoka raised his hand: "Gu Jin, Sendoh, come take a rest."
Uekusa and Koshino came on as substitutes, but Ryonan's rhythm did not diminish in the slightest.
Uekusa's playmaking was steady, Koshino's cutting and movement were active, Sakuragi and Fukuda continued to dominate under the basket, and Uozumi occasionally raised his hand to score easily.
When the halftime buzzer sounded, the score was fixed at 65:18.
The Yokota team walked back to the bench dejectedly. Oshima's mouth was agape, unable to speak, only staring intently at the scoreboard, as if trying to glare through the numbers.
The second half became Ryonan's showtime.
Several substitute lineups rotated onto the court, and their coordination became even smoother.
Sakuragi grabbed a rebound and made a long pass to Koshino, Koshino quickly passed the ball to Uekusa, Uekusa then passed it back to Fukuda, who easily made a layup—such plays were repeated, and Yokota's defense was torn apart like paper again and again.
When the final buzzer sounded, the numbers on the electronic scoreboard were exceptionally striking: 114:38.
The Ryonan players high-fived in celebration, and Sakuragi proudly raised an eyebrow at Fukuda: "See? I got more rebounds than you scored points!"
"You big idiot, why don't you look at who scored more points?" Fukuda rolled his eyes at him, but couldn't help the corners of his mouth from turning up.
On Yokota's bench in the distance, Oshima slumped in his chair, still muttering: "Ryonan is clearly a third-rate team... how could this happen..."
Taoka Moichi put away his smile and looked at Shimamura Yoko beside him: "They're gelling well. The tough battles ahead, it's all up to them now." Sunlight streamed through the gymnasium windows, falling on the smiling faces of the Ryonan players, reflecting an unstoppable 銳氣.