"Kainan Team requests a substitution!"
Yoshinori Miyamasu had failed to make any impact as a surprise weapon. Keeping him on the court would only leave them with a weakness to target.
With no other choice, Coach Takato could only take Yoshinori Miyamasu out.
"Coach, let me play. I've had enough rest!" Soichiro Jin tried to stand, but his legs were too weak for him to get up on his first attempt.
"Don't push yourself, Jin. You're not going back in this game." Coach Takato shook his head, refusing Soichiro Jin's request.
"But!" Watching Shohoku Team stretch the lead past ten points again, Soichiro Jin was so anxious he nearly cried.
In fact, among all the high school teams, very few were like Shohoku Team, with star players at every position and plot armor to boot.
If there was another, it would be Sannoh Industrial High School. Their players were strong at every position.
The other teams all had flaws, including Kanagawa's reigning champions, Kainan Team.
This team mainly relied on the connection between Shinichi Maki and Soichiro Jin, along with Nobunaga Kiyota's off-ball movement to score.
Kainan was not actually that strong at the other positions, and their offensive options were relatively limited.
Once Shinichi Maki was contained and forced into a tough battle, Kainan Team would become less formidable.
The same went for Ryonan and Shoyo. They each had only two or three star players.
Coach Takato understood this better than anyone, and he chose to give up on today's game.
Even if they lost to Shohoku, Coach Takato was still confident he could lead Kainan Team to the National Tournament.
They could take revenge on Shohoku Team then. There was no need to keep overworking Soichiro Jin. If that caused him an injury, the loss would outweigh the gain.
The rest of the game became Shinichi Maki's time to play the "lone hero." Without support from his teammates, he began going one-on-one possession after possession.
Shinichi Maki's shooting percentage was quite good, but Shohoku Team's more versatile offense made scoring easier for them.
Rather than closing the gap, Shinichi Maki saw it grow wider and wider.
Kainan's players did not think as far ahead as their coach. They had no intention of conceding and were all ready to fight until the very last moment.
"Tweet!" The referee blew the final whistle.
108-85. Shohoku Team defeated Kainan Team.
The most excited member of Shohoku Team was not one of the five players celebrating wildly on the court, but Takenori Akagi, sitting on the bench.
Even this iron-willed, burly man could not hold back his tears. He hurriedly tried to control his emotions, but that was not something he could do simply because he wanted to. Takenori Akagi's tears kept streaming down his face.
Had it not been for his injured ankle, Takenori Akagi would have run back to the locker room to hide and let his emotions out.
The person who understood Takenori Akagi best was Shohoku's vice-captain, Kiminobu Kogure. He hugged Takenori Akagi tightly and said excitedly,
"Akagi, your dream is going to come true soon. We'll definitely make it to the National Tournament.
You need to get that injury healed soon. Shohoku needs you."
Takenori Akagi nodded and lowered his head, not wanting anyone else to see him crying.
Coach Anzai remained as composed as ever, simply chuckling, "Ho ho ho ho," as he applauded Shohoku's victorious players.
Like Shoyo after their previous defeat, Kainan Team's players could not hold back their pent-up emotions either. "Wild Monkey" Nobunaga Kiyota, in particular, was practically drowning in tears.
Shinichi Maki was probably the only Kainan Team player who could control his emotions. He kept staring at the score on the scoreboard, those red numbers painfully glaring.
Shinichi Maki clearly remembered feeling exactly the same way after Kainan lost to Sannoh Industrial High School last year.
Fortunately, though, losing to Shohoku Team did not mean Kainan had been eliminated. He still had a chance.
With a sigh, Shinichi Maki brought his emotions under control before striding toward Shohoku's bench.
Shohoku Team's wildly celebrating players soon noticed Shinichi Maki approaching. Hanamichi Sakuragi eyed him warily, then suddenly stepped into his path.
"What do you want, middle-aged man? Did you come over to pick a fight because you lost?"
If standing up had not been so difficult, Takenori Akagi would have gone over and punched Hanamichi Sakuragi.
"Shut up, Sakuragi! Don't be so rude. Let Captain Shinichi Maki through!"
Seeing Hanamichi Sakuragi stubbornly continuing to block the way, Ryota Kudo hurried forward and pulled him aside.
"Sakuragi, why would Maki come over to fight? He's not a delinquent like you. Move!"
Shinichi Maki was also a little embarrassed at being blocked by Hanamichi Sakuragi. Only then did he offer Ryota Kudo his hand in a friendly gesture.
"Congratulations, Kudo. You played brilliantly. But you still have a long way to go before you become Kanagawa's best player. Keep working hard."
Shinichi Maki did not say this to provoke Ryota Kudo or deny his ability. It was a third-year senior's blessing for a younger schoolmate.
Even someone as strong as Shinichi Maki had faced plenty of doubt on his way to becoming Kanagawa's best player.
Back then, Shinichi Maki had paid no attention to any of that. He had proven himself through his own ability and Kainan Team's results.
"I'll keep working hard. Thank you, Maki."
After thanking him, Ryota Kudo pulled Hanamichi Sakuragi aside, because he knew Shinichi Maki must have come to see Takenori Akagi.
Sure enough, after bowing respectfully to Coach Anzai, Shinichi Maki walked over to Takenori Akagi.
They were too far away for Ryota Kudo to hear what Shinichi Maki and Takenori Akagi discussed.
Still, judging by their expressions, both Shinichi Maki and Takenori Akagi were quite happy. Their conversation seemed to be a pleasant one.
Ten minutes later, all the Shohoku Team and Kainan Team players stood on the basketball court and shook hands.
Even after ten minutes, tears were still streaming down "Wild Monkey" Nobunaga Kiyota's face.
Who would have thought that Nobunaga Kiyota, who usually seemed outrageously confident, even arrogant, would be so emotional?
Still, none of Shohoku Team's players laughed at him. Takenori Akagi even spent a while comforting Nobunaga Kiyota.
Once the two teams finished shaking hands, the game between Shohoku and Kainan was officially over.
The reporters in the stands had taken countless photos. Tomorrow's Kanagawa sports magazines would surely all lead with Shohoku Team's unexpected rise.
"Let's go. This was only the first game. We'll definitely make it to the National Tournament!"
Shinichi Maki walked over and put an arm around Nobunaga Kiyota's shoulders, taking the lead toward the gym's exit.
Kainan Team's players followed Shinichi Maki one after another. Looking at his broad back gave them all a strong sense of security.
As long as Shinichi Maki remained on Kainan Team, they could rank among the top four high school teams in the nation.
After the game, everyone on the Shohoku Team was exhausted. Rather than going out to celebrate, they went straight home to rest.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was the exception, of course. That guy had boundless energy, and he might well go out to have fun with his friends in the Sakuragi Gang.
The schedule for Kanagawa Prefecture's final four was still very tight. On June 26, the following Saturday, Shohoku High School would face their second opponent, Takezato High School.
This opponent was not particularly strong, though, so the Shohoku Team was not under much pressure.
Instead, next Saturday's main event would be the Kainan Team versus Ryonan. The outcome of that game could be said to determine who would claim a place in the National Tournament.
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