Score: 20–16, Team L down by four.
The buzzer-beater three from Yuto gave the bench just enough fire to carry into the second. Coach Saito kept Yuto on the court — a quiet vote of trust. New energy. New intensity.
On the floor for Team L to start the 2nd quarter:
PG: Riku Tanaka (3)
SG: Yuto Nakamura (10)
SF: Mio Sasaki (6)
PF: Kaito Miyazaki (8)
C: Yuji Saito (10)
Renji Nakamoto stayed on the court for Team I, smirking as he saw the lineup.
"Looks like the bench is in," he muttered.
Riku brought the ball up, and the first play was a clean pick-and-pop. Kaito popped out from the screen, caught the pass, and hit the jumper from the elbow. 20–18.
Team I answered quickly — a mid-range bank shot from their point guard.
22–18.
Next possession, Riku faked the handoff to Yuto and attacked the rim hard. Two defenders collapsed. He kicked it out — Yuto was waiting at the arc.
He hesitated.
Renji stepped out.
Yuto faked, drove baseline, and dumped it to Yuji under the rim — easy two.
22–20.
Coach Saito nodded from the bench, arms still crossed.
As the minutes ticked, the momentum subtly shifted. Yuto's confidence grew — not with flashy plays, but solid, gritty movement: fighting through screens, rotating smart, talking on defense. Mio hit a corner three. Riku hit a floater. Yuji swatted a shot into the crowd, which got even the quietest players off their seats.
Team I wasn't rattled, but they were being challenged.
At 7:05, Coach called a sub.
Subbing in:
Koji Hayashi (1) for Riku
Takumi Endo (2) for Yuto
Daiki Morimoto (5) for Mio
Yuto jogged to the bench, getting fist bumps from his teammates. No big celebration — just quiet satisfaction.
Coach Saito leaned in. "Good work. Stay ready."
Back on the court, the starters turned up the pace.
Koji sliced through two defenders for a tough lay-in.
Takumi drained a catch-and-shoot three from the right wing.
Daiki threw a gorgeous no-look pass to Yuji, who slammed it down two-handed.
Team L takes the lead, 27–25.
Renji got fed up and answered with a powerful drive, brushing past Daiki and slamming it over Yuji. He stared him down, breathing heavy.
Koji just smirked. "Cute."
The intensity was boiling.
By the 4:12 mark, the score was tied 29–29.
Timeout Team I.
Team L huddled up again — breathing, focused.
"We're not here to make it close," Koji said, looking around. "We're here to take it."
Coach Saito just nodded.
No extra words. He could feel it too —
They were in this game now.
YOU ARE READING
Project Yagi Volume 2
AdventureAfter a victorious debut, Yuto Nakamura and Team L find themselves facing their greatest challenge yet - Team I, led by the unstoppable Renji Nakamoto. As the battle between teams heats up, Yuto begins to carve his own path, hitting a clutch shot an...
