HARUKO LEADS HER TEAM

They looked discouraged. Should I call a timeout? Then again, only two minutes remain. I'll just let it play out for now, thought Coach Maeda to herself.

"Inbound the ball to me!" shouted Haruko.

As Kazue passed the basketball to Haruko, she dribbled up the court.

An opposing player started playing defense, so Haruko signaled Kotone to screen off her defender.

"Screen on your left," said Chizuru as she switched with her teammate and stopped Haruko from advancing any further.

Haruko, startled by Chizuru's sudden appearance, crossed the ball between her legs and got past her.

"She's shifty," thought Chizuru as she tried to catch up.

Haruko dribbled into the paint and took her first step in a direction away from the rim. A player from Misono reacted to Haruko's movement and stepped in front of her, anticipating a pass. However, Haruko quickly stepped sharply in the opposite direction and executed a perfect euro step before scoring a layup.

"That was amazing, Haruko!" said Sayaka cheerfully.

"That was a euro step! She executed it perfectly just now. Where did that girl learn such an advanced technique?" thought Coach Yamaoka, shocked.

On the next possession, Chizuru's teammate set a screen for her, allowing her to shoot another three-pointer that swished.

As the quarter was coming to an end, Suzume dribbled past her defender and shot a two-pointer.

"Yes, a perfect release," she said as the ball swished through the net.

The whistle blew, marking the end of the first quarter.

"That Chizuru girl is amazing," said Sayaka as she drank some water.

"Yes, she's already scored fourteen points for her team, and most of them were from three-pointers. If we want to win, we have to stop her first," said Suzume.

"You guys should pass the ball to me more. I'm getting bored of just setting screens," said Kotone.

"You're right about that, Suzume. Stopping Chizuru is the key to winning this game. We'll double-team her for the rest of the game," instructed Coach Maeda.

"That won't be necessary, Coach. I'll guard her alone," said Haruko.

"Are you sure about this, Haruko?" asked Coach Maeda.

"Yes. I've figured out a flaw in how they play. It's true that Chizuru is exceptional, but guarding her isn't as difficult as it seems," said Haruko. "Also, Sayaka, when I tell you to run, just do it. We'll catch up to them for sure."

"Yeah, you got it, Haruko!" said Sayaka excitedly.

The second quarter commenced, and Chizuru dribbled the basketball to Hachioji Academy's side of the court.

Haruko stepped up to guard her and established a defensive stance.

"She seems like their best player. How about I make an example out of her?" thought Chizuru as she smirked and dribbled behind her back. However, before she could receive the ball with her other hand, Haruko snatched it away.

"No way, how did she—?" thought Chizuru in disbelief.

"Sayaka! Run!" shouted Haruko.

Sayaka sprinted to the other half of the court as Haruko passed her the basketball. Sayaka then scored a layup, closing the gap between the two teams.

"Nice one, Sayaka!" said Kazue.

"That was just a fluke. There's no way these losers can stop me," said Chizuru as she tried to get past Haruko.

Haruko reacted quickly and stayed in front of her, shutting down her offense.

"I can't get past her. She's so intense," thought Chizuru.

"Chizuru, pass!" shouted one of her teammates.

Hearing her teammate's call, Chizuru attempted to pass, but Haruko stole the ball before it left her hands.

"Sayaka!"

"I'm on it, Haruko!" said Sayaka as she ran.

Haruko passed the basketball to Sayaka, who scored another layup.

"Switch up the offense, Chizuru! Stop playing selfishly. They've adjusted their defense to you, so share the ball more!" shouted Coach Yamaoka.

On the next possession, Chizuru passed the basketball to her teammate, who scored a layup. Immediately after, Suzume passed the ball to Kotone in the paint. Utilizing her height, she easily scored another layup.

A player from Misono got free and scored a two-pointer off a pass. Seeing the effectiveness of using Kotone's height, Suzume passed the ball to her once more, allowing Kotone to score another easy layup.

After quickly inbounding the ball to Chizuru, Misono broke down Hachioji's defense, enabling Chizuru to score a layup.

Haruko, now gaining confidence in real-game shooting, took another three-pointer that swished.

On Misono's next possession, Haruko once again stole the basketball from Chizuru and passed it to Kazue, who scored a layup.

Chizuru, determined to fight back, shot a three-pointer over Haruko that swooshed through the net. Immediately after, Sayaka scored a layup.

As if in response, an opposing player scored a layup on the next possession.

"They are so annoying. They somehow still hold onto the lead. How can we get past them?" thought Kazue as sweat dripped from her jersey.

After receiving the ball in the post again, Kotone easily scored another layup.

Not wanting to let up, the opposition scored another layup.

After setting a screen for Haruko, Kazue cut to the rim, received the ball, and scored a layup.

"We need to stop them on this play if we want to win," said Haruko, breathing heavily.

"You heard the captain. Let's do it!" said Kazue.

The girls on Hachioji Academy's bench started chanting, "Defense! Defense!"

As a teammate of Chizuru passed the basketball to her, Chizuru analyzed the situation.

"To be honest, I never expected them to be this good, considering the data I collected on them last year. They are a strong team. I need to extend our lead," she thought.

Chizuru shot a three-pointer, but to her surprise, Haruko jumped up and blocked it.

"Crap, she threw off my rhythm! Grab the rebound!" shouted Chizuru.

"Rebound, Kotone!" shouted Haruko.

"Alright, Haruko, there's no need to be so vulgar," said Kotone as she grabbed the rebound.

Kotone quickly passed the basketball to Haruko, who dribbled up the court on a fast break with astounding speed.

Determined to make up for her mistake, Chizuru rushed back on defense and started guarding Haruko.

Haruko crossed through her legs, then stepped back and shot a three-pointer. Chizuru, her teammates, and their coach watched in shock as the ball swooshed through the net.

"Nice one, girl!" said Sayaka as she gave Haruko a high five.

"Not bad, Captain. You really are something else," said Kazue.

"Could it be that this girl is better than me? It seems that way," thought Chizuru, starting to doubt her capabilities.

On the next possession, Haruko stole the basketball from Chizuru and passed it to Kazue, who scored a layup.

Seizing an opportunity, Chizuru's teammate attempted a layup, but Kotone blocked her shot and passed the ball to Sayaka, who scored a wide-open layup.

The opposing players managed to score another layup, but immediately after, Suzume shot a two-pointer that swished.

After shutting down Misono Girls' Junior High for what felt like an entire quarter, Haruko scored a two-pointer just as the whistle blew, marking the end of the third quarter.