Meyer let out a deep breath, focusing on where the players were standing, not that she really needed to. They were all going to break away any moment and Takami would be keeping track of the best route. She was already observing the boys, carefully surveying their bodies and trying to find any weaknesses. If she found them, the whole team would know soon enough.

Jo was standing just outside the centre circle, knees slightly bent and her hands dangling idly by her side. She was facing off against Shutoku's captain, a rather tall player by the name of Otsubo Taisuke. He wasn't that much shorter than Jo, but the girls weren't too worried about that. Even if Jo missed the ball, they were more than likely to pick it up before the others.

Ishimura looked to already be in her element. She had decided to match up against Shutoku's point guard, the laughing boy from earlier. Meyer hadn't been entirely convinced that it was the best idea and wanted her to go against Miyaji Kiyoshi, Shutoku's small forward, but she let Ishimura make the decision. If necessary they could change the marks around with ease.

Shira was on Midorima. Jo would be hanging back in defense as she often did and Shira was the best choice to try and keep Midorima in check. As long as they didn't let him get the ball, he wouldn't be able to score any of his three pointers and they would be able to win easier. Not that his three pointers would hinder them all too much.

Takami had decided to try and tackle Kimura Shinsuke. She didn't seem to be focused in on the game yet though, her eyes still flickering back to her mobile that was sitting quite securely in Jean's hands. It was going to take her a while to warm up if this was the state she was in.

Meyer had been left to try and keep an eye on Miyaji. She thought it was stupid idea, considering he was taller than Shira and she would have been better off starting with Takao. Meyer sniffed slightly, her eyes flickering around the court. With all that in mind, she wasn't too worried. Shutoku's biggest threat was Midorima's three pointers, something they could match relatively easily. It should be an interesting match nonetheless.

"Both teams ready?" Katsumi asked, whistle around her neck. Nakatani had requested Katsumi referee the match, the latter agreeing quite whole heartedly. There was nothing she wanted more than to be able to see the action closer than from the benches. Otsubo mumbled a yes to her whilst Jo just nodded, her eyes focused in on the ball Katsumi held in her hands. "All right then."

She stepped back, pulling the whistle into her mouth. She blew it, throwing it high into the air. Otsubo jumped first, his hand stretching up to the ball, but Jo's few centimetres proved to be helpful. She gained height quickly, pulling her hand back and smacking against the leather hard. Ishimura ran forward, hand up and ready to get the ball when Takao flashed past her. He gripped the ball tight and started dribbling it down the caught, sidestepping a rather complying Takami and down the court. Ishimura gave chase straight away, muttering profanities under her breath.

Jo was heading after them but she didn't look too worried, and Shira was preoccupied with the ball that she completely forgot she was meant to be covering Midorima. Meyer was about to head down court after Takao as well, when she noticed that Midorima was only jogging down. She was confused but only for a moment when the movement down court ceased. Ishimura had managed to get in front of Takao, effectively blocking his path. Jo was in front of Otsubo, blocking him from moving to an open position.

There was only one way that Takao could go, and that was backwards to Midorima. Meyer saw a sly grin grow on Takao's face as he gripped the ball, quickly pivoting backwards. He shot the ball out quickly, straight into Midorima's hands. From there, the goal should have been easy. Midorima would have wasted no time in shotting from where he was standing, but the ball never made it into his grasp.
Meyer sprinted forward, bursting with speed from her stationary position, wrenching the ball towards herself and dribbling away from Midorima. He looked surprised but stayed hot on her heels, attempting to snatch the ball back. Meyer grinned, they already had the point.

While Shutoku had been so completely absorbed in their own play they had noticed the positions the girls had taken. There were only three defenders, Ishimura, Shira and Jo (although Meyer always thought of Jo as two, especially when she threw her arms out wide). The second Meyer had stolen the ball, before Midorima had a chance to grab it, was the second the tide of the game turned from Shutoku's favour to Iwozuka's. Takami, in the time that it had taken Takao to reached their end of the court then pass back to Midorima, had wandered down halfway between the centre line and the three point line, and was ildly waiting for someone to pass her the ball. Meyer was all too happy to comply.

Meyer shot the ball forward, sending it soaring towards her team mate. Takami gripped it easily and jumped into the air, needing no time to line up the shot. She'd had a moments peace before to do it already. With a flick of her wrist Takami sent the ball gently through the air, the ball making a nice swoosh as it fell perfectly into the hoop.

"Hell yeah, Iwozuka for the win!" Ishimura cheered, jumping and punching the air happily. Takao looked to her, one eyebrow raised.

"That's only three points."

"Three points more than you," Ishimura poked her tongue out as she ran past Takao to get back to the centre line. She didn't know why she wanted to exactly, but as she predicted Takao stayed pretty hot on her heels as well. Wonder if I'm his mark as well, Ishimura thought just before she crashed into something solid. She rocked back on her heels, looking up and expecting to see Jo standing in front of her. It wasn't Jo. "Whoops, sorry."

"You should watch where you are going," Midorima growled. He had been caught completely off guard by Meyer, he had even noticed that she had been near enough to him to be able to intercept Takao's pass. In fact he hadn't seen her near him at all. He would have to ask Takao after he spoke to the bandana wearing loudmouth.

"She said sorry, get the stick out of your ass," Shira muttered as she jogged past. Ishimura raised her eyebrows. Yep, once again Shira had completely forgotten that she had a mark at all. Well, at least Meyer had been there to prevent. Ishimura resorted to snorting once and heading after Shira. Screw the marks, this would be an easy game.

"Or maybe he needs one," Ishimura muttered, not intending for anyone to hear but she grinned slightly when she heard a snicker behind her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing that Takao had remained close behind her and he had a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. At least he had a sense of humour.

After the first points were given to Iwozuka, the game had turned quite serious quite quickly. It was evident Shutoku was not impressed with Iwozuka taking control of the game that quickly and looking so casual about it. Jo had decided to hang back in defense like she often did, but her eyes would flicker to Midorima every now and then. Meyer could understand what she was thinking. She wanted to block him, but he would be too far away from her position to let her do so.

For such a height, it came at a cost. Even Shira was partial to it, though she wasn't effected to the same extent. Out of all the players in Iwozuka, Jo would be the first to tire if she played in offence. Her movements would become sluggish and defense would take a hefty blow because of it. That being said, it wasn't as if Jo never scored. Often if they were pushed underneath the goals Jo would come forward, completely clear of any defenders and offer a chance to change the pace of the game.

Shutoku were quick to take back the flow of the game. Shira was distracted for a second and Miyaji had taken advantage of that fact, breezing past her. Unfortunately for him she was hot on his heels, but so was Takao. Ishimura lunged forward, her fingers scraping the ball when Miyaji passed, but Takao gripped it tight. He turned, not even stopping his run, and quickly passed back to a clear Midorima. There was no way Meyer, who was near their own three point line, would be able to make it in time to intercept the pass. Instead she opted to far out to the left side, slipping past Otsubo who was distracted by his own team mates throw.

Meyer had to admit, Midorima's throws weren't just precise, they were like art. The ball had a high arc that ended up with a precise goal. He and Takao were walking back and the whole court seemed to be frozen after watching the display. Seemed being the key word. Jo moved fast, grabbing the ball as soon as it bounced and not wasting a second. Meyer was running forward, catching Takao's attention. Jo pegged the ball straight to Meyer, who caught it without a slight fumble. Although the impact stung her hands slightly, she was more than used to the sensation. She didn't even need to look for someone who was open, she already knew. Keeping her eyes trained on Takami, she moved her hands up ready to pass. Takao was already moving to intercept it on Takami's end and Kimura was coming in from her right.

Meyer passed off to the left as Shira broke away from Miyaji. The ball was barely in her hands long enough for the boys to register when she had passed it off to Ishimura. By the time the ball was in Ishimura's hands, Meyer had run forward and Takami broke free away from Takao. Ishimura passed the ball to Takami, who pivoted to the hoop only to find Takao standing in front of her. They were matched pretty well for height, Takao just a few centimetres shorter than her. Meyer saw Takao say something to her before Takami shook her head. She didn't even look over her shoulder, didn't take her eyes from Takao before she turned her hand, pegging the ball over her shoulder.

It didn't come straight towards Meyer but enough in the general direction that the captain could intercept the path. She jumped, taking the ball in her right hand and lined herself up. She flicked the ball forward, but Midorima leaped into the air, knocking the ball backwards. Meyer grinned slightly.

"Should have grabbed it," she hissed as she and Midorima landed. He had been so focused on blocking her shot he didn't see who was standing behind her. Jo had the ball tight in fingers, her gaze unwavering from the hoop. She rocked back onto her heels before pushing forward on her toes, soaring into the sky higher than Midorima would be able to block.

Her shot wasn't as perfect as Midorima's, in fact it almost didn't go in. It rolled around the rim of the basket for a few seconds before dropping down. Jo hadn't stuck around in their part of the court to watch if it went in or not, already jogging slowly back into a defensive position. Shira slowed her pace, realising there was no need for her to be in that part of the court either.

"You knew she was behind you." Meyer dusted the front of her shirt down, looking up to Midorima. She wasn't certain if he was impressed or irritated, but it was probably a bit of both. Meyer shrugged her shoulders, casting a quick look around the court. If anything the boys looked more determined than before, which was a good sign.

"We've been playing as a team for seven years Midorima," Meyer replied before she turned to run off. Midorima looked honestly surprised at her comment, but before she could say anything Katsumi blew her whistle.

"Time out, Shutoku side." Meyer looked over to Nakatani, who was staring at the court fairly serious. Did he look worried because both Jo and Takami had shot three pointers themselves a distance from the three point line, or because they hadn't even come close to intercepting the girls passes? Meyer shrugged. Whatever their coach was thinking wasn't of her concern. Her gaze flickered to Takami, who was chewing her bottom lip.

Iwozuka jogged over to the bench that Jean was sitting on. He was grinning, obviously pleased with the game he was seeing. Jo plopped herself down on the bench next to him and Ishimura ruffled his hair for good measure and to annoy him. He knocked her hand away but looked over to Shutoku.

"They look worried."

"More like confused," Shira snorted, looking over her shoulder. Takao was looking over to the group. Shira gave him a small wave that was accompanied by a wink and he looked slightly confused, his cheeks turning a little pinker as he looked back to his coach.

"Leave him alone." Jean kicked Shira's thigh lightly, bring her back to the group. She poked her tongue out at the younger teen but didn't look back nonetheless. Takami was rubbing the side of her neck, speaking inaudibly to herself as she ran down her thoughts on the match so far. She was reviewing the game in her mind, tracing all concerns about the Shutoku team.

"So what course of action should we take?" Jo questioned, leaning her elbows on her knees. Meyer scratched her chin lightly before shrugging.

"Run them down in the first quarter, throw them around in the second."

"Crush them in the third and fourth?" Shira asked, stretching her hands up and cracking her back. Meyer nodded, looking to Takami. She had stopped talking to herself and was now frowning, looking over to Shutoku.

"He will be a problem."

"Who, Midorima?"

"No. The Laughing Boy." Everyone immediately knew who she was talking about. Takao's name had slipped from her mind already and so she had adopted the nickname Ishimura had made as a comment before the game started. Ishimura nodded, rubbing her calf.

"Takami's right, he's fast, and he keeps getting away from me."

"He passes off to Midorima, so essentially he gets the ball and Midorima does too," Shira noted. She had surprising been paying attention in the game, even though she completely ignored Midorima as a mark. No one bothered to really bring it up, most of them except Ishimura struggled to stay on their marks through out the game.

"He's touched the ball most out of Shutoku," Takami confirmed, crossing her arms over her chest. She was still frowning, recounting the game and thinking it over. "He's only going to get faster too. Ishimura won't be able to stay on him long."

"Why do I have a feeling there's one last thing?" Ishimura groaned, rolling her head back and closing her eyes. Takami nodded, looking back over to Shutoku. Takao obviously felt her gaze because he stole a glance their way, only to find most of the team looking back at him.

"Laughing Boy's a Hawk." Everyone grimaced, but only slightly. They had met those with the Hawk Eye ability before so it wasn't a game changer, it just made the game more annoying.

"That explains the funny look Midorima gave him when Meyer intercepted the ball," Jo noted. Meyer shrugged. She wasn't surprised about it, but she knew that Takao would prove to be a problem for Ishimura if he was only going to get faster. Scratching her neck she knelt down, looking up to the team around her.

"Ishimura, you're moving onto Midorima. He doesn't get the ball, understood?" Ishimura gave Meyer a short nod. Meyer looked to Jo and Shira, who were waiting for whatever it was that Meyer was going to tell them to do. They very rarely made a game plan, even moreso rarely followed it, but this was going to simple and effective. It shouldn't be too hard for the girls.

...

"You're in trouble," Katsumi commented as she looked over to Iwozuka. The match was only five minutes in and already all the girls were looking serious. They weren't going to play the boys kindly. Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose, looking down to the teen who had joined them.

"They will tire before I do," he commented bluntly. Katsumi laughed, shaking her head before running a hand through her hair. Takao was glancing back to the group, frowning as if he was trying to read their lips. It would be no use, Meyer was the one who was speaking and there wouldn't be any in depth conversation either.

"You don't understand the girls. They're going to run you down in the first half then steal the game in the second."

"We do not tire so easily." The heated reply should have singed her tongue from speaking more but Katsumi just laughed again. She couldn't help it, Midorima was just so clueless about what he was up against. Looking to Takao, she glanced at her watch. There was still half a minute left of time out, enough for her to warn them.

"Shutoku, be careful. Playing Iwozuka isn't just a physical battle, but it's a mental battle as well."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Takao grinned but Katsumi shook her head. She bit her lip, thinking back to the last time they played Iwozuka. The team was difficult, and Takami was the biggest problem of them all.

"They're already playing you Takao."

...

"Hey, Midorima." Ishimura could already see the glwoering look in his eye as she walked towards him. They were aboout to resume the first quarter, but Ishimura couldn't help herself. Now that she was marking him, she found herself unable to keep her question to herself any longer.

"What do you want?"

"I have a very serious question for you, and it's something only you can answer." Midorima's frown deepened. Her tone had taken on a serious element to it, and her eyes were unwavering as she watched him carefuly. She was looking right into his eyes, almost trying to gauge how to approach her question.

"What. Is. It?" Midorima was tired of her already.

"Are you aware you look like a carrot when you're in the Shutoku uniform?" Takao, who had been standing just a little behind Midorima, smacked his hand over his mouth to stop the hounding laughter from escaping. He had to focus in on the game.

"She has a point Shin-Chan," Takao managed to cough out. Midorima turned to him slowly, his eyes ablaze with fury, but Takao couldn't help but notice the small pools of crimson just under his glasses.

"Shin-Chan? You're nickname's Shin-Chan?" Ishimura asked incredeously, bringing Midorima's attention back to herself. He was about to snarl at her, demand she go somewhere else on the court, when her lips cracked into a lobsided smirk. Midorima stiffened, thinking she looked too much like Aomine when he saw a box of good food. "Nah, Carrot-Chan suits you better."

Ishimura skipped off to a different part of the court, grinning to herself as she could literally feel how much Midorima wanted to strangle her. She couldn't help herself, really, and when she looked over to Meyer she saw her captain as about as impressed as Midorima. At least Takao looked like he thought she was funny, his hand was back over his mouth has he moved to his position on the court.

Katsumi's whistle rang out, Shutoku's ball. Miyaji passed it out to Otsubo, who dribbled it down the line. Takami stepped out of his way, smiling at him as he walked passed. He frowned, unsure of what to make of what she had done, when he came up against Shira. She moved into a defensive position, but when Otsubo moved to dodge her, she just straightened and watched him pass. Katsumi's warning rang in his mind, 'they're already playing you', and he turned to look back with a frown.

"Otsubo!" Miyaji shouted but it was too late. Ishimura sprinted forward, snatching the ball from Otsubo and passing off to Meyer. The smallest player was sprinting fast down the court, the ball moving effortlessly from her hand to the ground and back to her hand. Takao gave chase, getting close, his hand snaking out, fingers about to graze the ball. It disappeared from sight.

Meyer changed her direction suddenly, hesitating for just a second before gunning it for the left side of the court. Takao looked completely surprised and stumbled to change his path to match hers. He was too late. Miyaji was coming for her but Meyer just shrugged. She didn't need the ball any more. She passed off to the right, where Takami was standing, and the latter sent the ball flying to Shira, who was running quite fast down the far left of the court.

Shira caught the ball just before it hit her in the face, dribbling up to the hoop. Kimura chased her down, but he was only welcomed with a laugh when Shira jumped. The ball moved to her right hand as she laughed gleefully, slamming it into the hoop harder than necessary. She landed delicately, turning to the man behind her grinning. Reaching out, she pet his shoulder gently.

"Next time huh, big boy."

The game continued like the for the rest of the first quarter. Midorima was irritated at how they were playing. The boys had to be constantly on their guard, unsure if the girl in front of them was going to attack or just let them pass. Although they were not technically breaking any rules, their game play was infuriating. Not even Takao was spared, his hawk eye wasn't helping him to judge whether or not the girls would attack. Shutoku scored a lot more goals though. Sometimes even Jo would just step aside and let them shoot, only that made Shutoku even more agitated. None of them knew how to counter this sudden change in game play.

"What are they playing at?" Miyaji seethed after the first half had finished. Midorima looked around his team mates, noticing even Takao wasn't spared from this fury. Midorima felt worried about his team, it was so unlike them to become so worked up about a game so quickly.

"They're just letting us score, they only improved their score by six points that half. They're letting us control the game," Takao muttered. Midorima felt very uneasy about the way the game was playing out. He watched the girls at the other benches, how they moved and talked to one another. The score as sixty two to twelve, by rights they would be increasingly worried by the gap. Ishimura, who had unceromoniously dubbed him 'Carrot-Chan', was standing there laughing happily next to Takami. This was not the behaviour of a team that had lost control of a game. This was the behaviour of a team who has been controlling it from the beginning.