Meisei High School made a historic comeback late on Tuesday to capture its sixth-ever Winter Cup championship with a 72-70 win over Higashiyama High in the boy’s final at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Meisei ace forward Ibu Yamazaki grabbed his own missed shot for a rebound in the paint and hit a game-winning jumper with five seconds left before Higashiyama guard Haruki Hori’s desperate response was blocked at the buzzer.
It was the first Winter Cup title for the Sendai school since 2017, when it featured Aren Hachimura, a younger brother of NBA star Rui Hachimura.