June 27, Shohoku VS Ryonan.
" Sendoh, I'm counting on you to run the team."
1
"And Koshino, see if you can try to provoke Kawamoto and provoke him into a one-on-one fight."
Koshino: "???"
" Koshino, you have valuable experience in successfully limiting Kawamoto to 5 points in a game."
"Putting everything else aside, in this respect, no one in Kanagawa is as good as you."
Taoka was heartbroken.
This was entirely to preserve the reputation of the Sendoh.
Since no one can stop Kawamoto from scoring anyway, it's better to let this Koshino take the blame.
Losing to Kainan means there's no hope for this year's national competition.
Sendoh and he exchanged a glance, conveying two meanings.
First, I will do my best.
Secondly, I don't think I can handle Kawamoto.
Taoka then looked at the other team members.
Akagi and Uozumi about the same, aren't they?
Fukuda is better at finishing plays than Sakuragi, and in Taoka's opinion, he's even better than Kaede Rukawa.
Furthermore, it possesses a tiny bit of mid-range ability, which can create space for the Sendoh to break through.
Ikegami's defense is very strong; he should be fine with Mitsui.
With this lineup, only Koshino vehicle can withstand the blows they get dealt.
Once on the field, Koshino, who had received a death order, stared intently at Kawamoto.
Kawamoto simply pretended not to see it.
Koshino glanced at Taoka, then walked over.
He raised his chin, his tone defiant, and said to Kawamoto, "Hey, Kawamoto, do you dare to face me again?"
Shohoku members:???
Faced with this provocation, Kawamoto grunted, "Fine."
Upon hearing Koshino, Yueye's initial unease intensified.
He was just saying whatever came to mind on the coach's orders.
From Koshino perspective, Kawamoto is so formidable that he probably wouldn't bother with him.
He thought that if he provoked him, this guy would just laugh it off and ignore him.
Surprisingly, he actually accepted.
This kid scored 71 points in the first half against Fujima and Hasegawa, and 52 points against Kainan.
So, on one's own head?
80 points? 100 points? Or 120 points?
Damn it, I'm about to be a senior in high school. Do I really have to write such a significant chapter in the history of basketball in Kanagawa?
Koshino is no doubt that as Kawamoto grows stronger, his name will become more and more widely known.
The all-time leading scorer in Kanagawa Prefecture, he racked up over 100 points in the 1992 prefectural tournament, facing off against Hiroaki Koshino of Ryonan...
" Kawamoto, you didn't actually have to agree."
"Koshino," he said.
He uttered a conciliatory remark.
Kawamoto did not respond this time.
He prefers to meet the other party's needs through actions rather than by engaging in momentary verbal sparring.
After the jump ball, Koshino got the ball.
Koshino is getting tough too? Fine, then let me show you what I'm capable of.
He dribbled past the halfway line.
Sendoh prepares to catch the ball.
He waved his left hand, making the Sendoh clear.
Then he called out to Kawamoto, "Come here!"
Kawamoto showed no mercy, striding forward, legs spread wide, and began to defend.
Since someone has made a request, it's only right to comply.
Coach Taoka's brow twitched. This kid, Koshino, was so arrogant; had he been hiding his true strength all along?
Then, upon reflection, I remembered the tactical requirements I had set before the game started.
Well, he's still a noob Koshino, but good lad, his execution is perfect!
Sometimes, ability is just an act.
As you pretend, you start to believe it yourself, and you can even unleash 200% of your strength.
At this point, the other players had mostly spread out, leaving the battle to the two of them.
Koshino's face was full of confidence, even a hint of arrogance.
He is very confident about his breakthrough.
The breakthrough speed was extremely fast.
In Ryonan, apart from Sendoh and Ikegami, he had not encountered anyone who could stop him from breaking through.
Breakthroughs are his bread and butter.
Kawamoto didn't seem to be planning to steal the ball, and just assumed a defensive stance.
After Koshino the ball a few times, he suddenly accelerated and broke through from the right flank.
He didn't even use technical moves like changing direction or turning.
Firstly, he was already known for his speed; secondly...
Not really.
In his view, if accelerating doesn't work, then it really won't work.
He had just taken a step to the right.
Kawamoto, however, had already moved sideways, blocking his path.
He lost his balance and crashed directly into Kawamoto.
Because of the collision, the ball flew out of my hand.
On the other side, Kaede Rukawa reacted quickly, grabbed the ball, and sprinted forward to score a dunk!
Shohoku takes the lead with a 2-0 advantage.
Coach Taoka on the sidelines, however, was not distressed. He glanced at the scoreboard and his eyes lit up.
19 minutes and 42 seconds.
That guy, Koshino, has really high emotional intelligence; he's slowing down the pace of the race.
If Shohoku gets into a rhythm, it's truly terrifying.
Good lad, that's how you fight!
Losing by a smaller margin Kainan would be a success.
As a coach, he naturally considers many more factors.
In the second round, Koshino continued to have the ball.
Kawamoto continued on defense.
Having failed in the Koshino last time, they didn't dare to use speed to break through this time.
He kept dribbling to create distance between himself and Kawamoto, then suddenly passed the ball to his right hand.
Kawamoto moved sideways once more, quickly blocking the Koshino's attack route.
Koshino dribbled back a few steps, almost back to midfield, and then accelerated towards Kawamoto.
When he was two steps in front of Kawamoto, he suddenly passed the ball to Sendoh.
He was already moving at an extremely high speed, and now he couldn't stop, so he crashed into Kawamoto again.
Bang!
The Koshino was launched directly into the air.
Kawamoto instinctively pulled him back.
For a moment, the two seemed to be passionately embracing, like lovers in love.
The Shohoku players were completely dumbfounded; they didn't even have time to react to Koshino's pass.
"Why is this guy trying to add so much drama to his game? Is this some kind of melodramatic soap opera?"
After receiving the ball, Sendoh faked out Kaede Rukawa, whose eyes were still on Kawamoto and Koshino, and scored with a mid-range shot.
2:2.
"Ha ha ha ha----"
The spectators on the sidelines were grinning from ear to ear.
Taoka was overjoyed. " Koshino, well done!"
It's Shohoku's turn to attack.
Kawamoto continued to move and cut around the three-point line.
The Koshino successfully mobilized the team, greatly boosting their morale.
He continued chasing Kawamoto, shouting, "Let's settle this once and for all!"
Kawamoto circled around several people, creating a several-body gap between himself and Koshino.
Kaede Rukawa's gossipy nature, usually as cold as a fox, seems to have been piqued.
He wasn't fixated on singles matches and even intentionally set up shots for Kawamoto.
Kawamoto ran to an open three-point line.
Kaede Rukawa's pass came at just the right time.
Kawamoto receives the ball and quickly turns around.
It gave them absolutely no chance to get entangled with Koshino.
Swish!
Three-pointer goes in!
"Heartless!" Koshino muttered under his breath.
5:2.
Turning back, the Koshino launched another attack.
The others remained spread out, giving Koshino and Kawamoto a chance to fight one-on-one.
This time, the Koshino incorporated many more technical maneuvers.
A series of crossover dribbles, combined with feints involving shoulder movements.
Of course, these are all stationary movements; he hasn't yet mastered integrating them into his breakthroughs.
Kawamoto immediately stepped forward and reached in to steal.
Koshino ducked, and the ball was gone.
Kawamoto another fast break and drained a three-pointer.
8:2.
Ryonan launched another attack; Koshino had already been abandoned.
Fukuda was the main attacker on this ball.
Having broken past Hanamichi Sakuragi, he raised the ball to dunk.
Akagi had already pushed past Uozumi and jumped.
A long arm swings in a wide arc.
Smack! A volleyball-style block.
He slammed the ball away.
Akagi looked down at Fukuda from his high vantage point.
That's it?
He appears to be a humble and kind person.
He has always been very friendly to his teammates.
But he was also proud.
To dare to raise your hand and detain someone in front of Takenori Akagi is simply asking for trouble.
Fukuda could actually detect disdain in Akagi's eyes.
This infuriated him.
A center who gets eliminated in the first round of the county tournament every year dares to look down on me.
You just wait!
Next, Fukuda faced Akagi's attack on the basket once again.