Advancing to the Top 8 by Nearly 100 Points

Nangou Koichiro was completely stunned at this moment, his eyes blankly staring at the scene before him, completely unable to believe what he was seeing.

He stood there like a statue, his mind a complete blank.

The audience let out sounds of amazement, and silently mourned for Tsukitake's number 15 for a few seconds. They were both astonished by Qing Junce's magical performance and felt some sympathy for Nangou Koichiro's predicament.

The two landed back on the ground one after another. Qing Junce didn't even glance at Nangou Koichiro before turning to head back on defense without hesitation.

Nangou Koichiro, however, remained standing blankly under the basket, his gaze fixed on his own palms, as if doubting whether everything that had just happened was a hallucination.

The players from Tsukitake also fell into silence, their faces filled with unwillingness and disappointment.

And so, the first half gradually drew to a close.

In the end, Shohoku temporarily led Tsukitake by 36 points with a score of 68 to 32.

A 36-point difference at halftime.

This result greatly surprised the members of various high school basketball teams who had come to watch the game.

It was too exaggerated; that was a team that had reached the quarterfinals of last year's Prefectural Tournament!

Everyone started discussing amongst themselves, their hearts filled with shock.

Maki Shinichi, Fujima Kenji, Hanagata Toru, and the members of Kainan were all silent at this moment.

Their hearts had been deeply shaken.

Shohoku's strength far exceeded their imagination, and Qing Junce's ability, in particular, was awe-inspiring.

Now, even the usually confident Maki Shinichi began to feel uncertain whether Kainan could withstand Qing Junce's fierce offense if they were to meet Shohoku.

Fujima Kenji's thoughts had already changed. He was no longer thinking about how to defeat Kainan, but rather how to secure the second spot in the Prefectural Tournament.

Qing Junce had put immense pressure on him. Although he hadn't taken Tsukitake seriously before, he now had to re-evaluate Shohoku's strength.

He stood up and turned to Hanagata Toru, saying, "Let's go, Hanagata."

Hanagata Toru looked at him doubtfully and asked, "Aren't we going to watch any longer?"

Fujima Kenji's gaze was firm, and his expression was serious as he said, "There's no need to watch anymore. Tsukitake has no chance of winning."

Hanagata Toru glanced at the score on the scoreboard and nodded helplessly, agreeing with this point.

With a 36-point deficit, it was almost impossible to turn the tide in the second half.

And so it was.

After the second half began, Tsukitake's momentum was completely different from the first half, as if their spirit had been drained.

Although they didn't give up the game, it was merely a final struggle.

Qing Junce continued to display his extraordinary keen senses on both offense and defense, frequently stealing the ball from his opponents.

When he encountered Godai Tomokazu, Godai Tomokazu looked at Qing Junce with a look of utter desperation, as if preparing to take him down with him.

Qing Junce looked at him, showing no intention of holding back.

He stomped his feet, launching forward like a red lightning bolt, his speed astonishing.

The ball spun and bounced rapidly under his fingertips, as if it had a life of its own.

His dribbling rhythm was dazzlingly fast. Godai Tomokazu quickly moved to block him, his legs tense, his eyes fixed on the ball in Qing Junce's hands, trying to find an opportunity to steal it. But Qing Junce's movements were unpredictable, leaving him with no way to act.

The next moment.

Qing Junce suddenly changed direction, his body twisting like a spring. The ball switched positions rapidly between the ground and his fingertips, creating a whistling sound.

Godai Tomokazu quickly followed, but Qing Junce's movements were too fast. As soon as he shifted his weight, he was disrupted by Qing Junce's phantom-like dribbling rhythm.

Qing Junce seized the opportunity and accelerated again. The ball shot up and down like a cannonball under his control.

A flicker of panic flashed in Godai Tomokazu's eyes. He desperately tried to regain his balance, but Qing Junce's super-high-speed dribbling was like a whirlwind, completely disrupting his defense.

With a "thump," Godai Tomokazu's feet seemed to trip over an invisible force, and he lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground.

Qing Junce didn't slow down at all, speeding past Godai Tomokazu like a red lightning bolt.

Godai Tomokazu gritted his teeth, filled with unwillingness, a hint of despair in his eyes.

As he dribbled to Tsukitake's three-point line, Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta quickly stepped in front of him, attempting to block Qing Junce's advance.

The corners of Qing Junce's mouth curved slightly upwards. His speed did not decrease in the slightest as he charged directly at the two.

Seeing Qing Junce rapidly approaching, Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta felt a sense of dread, involuntarily swallowing hard, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

But the two gritted their teeth and braced themselves, waiting for Qing Junce's arrival.

"You've got some guts," Qing Junce grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

As soon as he spoke, he was already in front of them.

Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta immediately spread their arms, intending to double-team Qing Junce.

However, Qing Junce's figure flashed, and with a change of direction and a spin, he drove towards their side.

Seeing this, Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta's double-teaming motion instantly stopped. Reacting, they hurriedly prepared to turn and chase after him.

Natsume Hiroshi's heart leaped, and he thought to himself, "So fast, I can't react at all!"

Mine Kenta felt a jolt of shock, muttering to himself, "I prepared for this in advance, yet I still can't keep up with his speed?"

The moment the two were about to turn, a figure suddenly flashed between them, accompanied by a gust of wind brushing past their bodies.

Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta's intended turns abruptly halted, their faces etched with utter astonishment.

They turned their heads in disbelief, only to see Qing Junce already leaping high into the air, shooting the basketball he held.

The two couldn't comprehend how Qing Junce had managed to pass between them.

However, the spectators off the court had seen it all clearly.

It turned out that as Qing Junce lowered his body and darted to the side of the two players, he quickly executed a crossover dribble and returned to the space between them.

At that moment, Natsume Hiroshi and Mine Kenta had assumed Qing Junce was going to break through from the side. Their attention was mostly focused on the flanks, and they never anticipated he would suddenly return to the middle and pass through them.

Hoo... ha... hoo... ha... hoo... ha...

As the game neared its end, the players of Tsukitake were all gasping for air, as if they had just endured a brutal battle.

Their mental state was in shambles, utterly dejected. The enormous point difference weighed on their hearts like a heavy boulder, suffocating them.

Qing Junce's dominance on the court had brought them an unprecedented level of physical and mental exhaustion. Every attempt to defend his offense felt like wrestling a ferocious beast.

However, Qing Junce wasn't the only source of immense pressure.

In the second half, the other players of Shohoku had also completely exploded.

Akagi Takenori was like a towering mountain in the paint.

He scored repeatedly, successfully suppressing Nangou Koichiro. With his strong physique and excellent rebounding awareness, he secured most of the rebounds.

Rukawa Kaede's performance was equally outstanding, his scoring second only to Qing Junce.

With his exquisite skills and exceptional individual ability, he repeatedly broke through the opponent's defense to score.

Mitsui Hisashi was not to be outdone. His three-point shots were like precision artillery shells, hitting their mark frequently and posing a significant threat to the opponent's defense.

On several occasions, he also successfully blocked Godai Tomokazu's shots, showcasing his all-around defensive capabilities.

His excellent performance made Shohoku's offense even more diverse.

Miyagi Ryota had the most assists in this game.

He was not only adept at finding opportunities to steal the ball and disrupt the opponent's offensive rhythm but also shouldered the crucial responsibility of connecting the team.

When there was no opportunity to pass to Qing Junce, he could always timely pass the ball to Akagi Takenori, Rukawa Kaede, or Mitsui Hisashi, ensuring Shohoku's offense flowed smoothly.

With multiple players stepping up and a balanced attack both inside and out, Shohoku completely crushed Tsukitake.

Finally, the whistle signaling the end of the game finally blew.

Shohoku advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant victory, crushing last year's top-eight team, Tsukitake, by a staggering score of 155 to 59, a difference of nearly a hundred points.