Moichi Taoka serious tone, his words resounding with conviction.
Jun Uozumi glanced at Akagi, who was roaring on the field, and muttered something under his breath.
" Akagi, you wait for me!"
After Coach Taoka finished speaking, he led the entire Ryonan team towards the locker room.
Meanwhile, the celebrations at Shohoku hadn't stopped.
The cheers on the field grew louder and louder, and the players were all incredibly excited. Kogure walked over to Akagi and gave him a high five with a smile.
" Akagi! We actually beat Kainan! Something we never even dared to dream of before has actually happened!"
"Next, it's time to aim for the national competition!"
Shohoku currently has 1 point, while the other three powerhouses don't even consider the Takezato team a threat... Even the usually composed Kogure automatically considers the Takezato a victory.
After all, the difference in strength is too great. The best outcome for Takezato is to lose three matches, and the worst outcome... is also to lose three matches.
They're just here to make up the numbers and offer some encouragement in the semifinals.
Based on this calculation, Shohoku already has 2 points in hand, and they've already beaten Kainan.
By any measure, it seems like he already has one foot in the door of the national competition.
Kogure was so excited he could hardly contain himself.
For Akagi, this feeling was even deeper.
He was willing to gamble his own future to wait for this day.
However, he tried his best to calm himself down.
"The national tournament isn't here yet, don't relax too soon. The upcoming match against Ryonan is a tough nut to crack."
Kogure listened and shook his head helplessly.
"Don't dampen our spirits now. Everyone fought tooth and nail to win."
" Akagi, you need to get better quickly. You have to be on the field against Ryonan."
Akagi smiled. "Of course, you can't take my place."
"Well done, Kogure!"
After saying that, the two gave each other a high five.
The celebration ended with Shirasawa being tossed into the air.
His teammates lifted him up and tossed him into the air again and again.
The entire stadium erupted in cheers and applause.
When Akagi wasn't around, this guy carried the whole team forward by himself.
Scoring a record-breaking 59 points, they managed to dethrone Kainan from their throne.
He is the ace of Shohoku and the new king of Kanagawa. He truly deserves the title!
After this battle, Shirasawa officially took over the mantle from Shinichi Maki and became a top expert that everyone in the country had to take seriously.
From now on, the name Shohoku will be on the list of the nation's top teams.
The referee blew the whistle again.
Due to scheduling constraints, the Shohoku fans had to stop celebrating and gradually leave the stadium.
An hour later, the match between Ryonan and Takezato will take place on this field.
The Shohoku and Kainan teams re-entered the court and greeted each other according to procedure.
The two coaches shook hands politely.
Riki Takato even bowed solemnly.
Coach Anzai's several tactical adjustments during the match truly impressed him.
" Coach Anzai, I've learned a lot from you. Next time... I'll definitely repay you tenfold."
I don't know if Riki Takato was joking or serious...
Coach Anzai didn't seem to mind, chuckling twice, "Likewise."
Riki Takato's face immediately fell.
What? You learned from me too? How to lose a game? That old fox...
Shinichi Maki and Akagi also shook hands.
Two people whose fates intersected at this moment stood face to face once again.
Takenori Akagi defied fate and pulled Shinichi Maki, who once seemed unattainable, down from his lofty position.
" Akagi, congratulations. See you at the national tournament."
Akagi nodded seriously; as the winner, he had nothing to be nervous about.
"I won't be sitting in the stands watching anymore."
"I hope so." Shinichi Maki smiled faintly.
"That's for sure!" Akagi's eyes blazed with anger...
Both teams then left the field and returned to their respective locker rooms.
Kainan's next opponent is Ryonan.
They absolutely must win this match; another loss would eliminate any chance left.
So after a short break, they'll have to come back to watch the match between Ryonan and Takezato.
We need to at least find out what's going on in Ryonan.
The super rookie Kaede Rukawa, who scored a whopping 41 points in the last game, was already enough to give them a headache.
His joining forces with Sendoh will probably put Shinichi Maki under immense pressure again.
The same applies to Shohoku.
They definitely have to watch Ryonan's matches, and they already knew that Kiccho Fukuda had returned to the team.
Even without Fukuda in the practice matches, Ryonan's offense was already formidable. Now that all three of their offensive threats are in place, we'll soon see the results.
Even if Takezato is weak, Ryonan will definitely send their strongest lineup, since this is their only chance to practice in actual combat.
The next battle in Kainan will be a life-or-death struggle.
Forty minutes later.
The stands were packed with Ryonan fans.
That's right, almost no one comes to visit Takezato.
The main reason they have always been weak is because they lack star players.
But luck always seemed to be on their side, perfectly avoiding the other strong teams in each division...
As the two teams entered the field, Ryonan had already gained a significant advantage in terms of momentum.
No one doubted the outcome of this match.
Everyone just wanted to see how spectacular a performance the Ryonan Twin Stars could put on.
Sanae sat down next to Shirasawa, and the two chatted for a while about Kaede Rukawa.
Hanamichi Sakuragi, who was standing next to him, overheard everything clearly.
" Xiao Bai, why do you guys keep talking about him? Isn't everyone saying that the Sendoh is more powerful?"
Sanae looked at Sakuragi with a smile, "Because he's your teammate."
Sakuragi:????
This was naturally something that Sanae and Shirasawa had discussed beforehand.
However, Sakuragi himself hasn't been told yet.
How could we forget Shohoku's Rebound King in the management team?
Hanamichi Sakuragi was originally someone we planned to bring in, but the reason we hadn't mentioned him was mainly because we were afraid that the difficult person who would come later would have a problem with it.
Especially Kaede Rukawa!
If that cold-faced king were to say, "You said you wouldn't sign some nobody, so what is this Red-haired Monkey? I'm leaving!", then that would be a real headache.
That's why it's been delayed until now.
Today, Hanamichi Sakuragi is widely recognized as the Rebound King of Kanagawa Prefecture and is also the prefecture's top power forward.
Moreover, Shohoku has practically secured a spot in the national tournament.
Once they reach the national stage, Sakuragi will definitely shine even brighter; maybe all those names starting with " Kanagawa " will have to be changed to "National".
But that's a story for later; let's look at the present.
After that battle with Kainan, the nickname " King Kong's Little Brother " was already quite well-known.
He's the one who directly confronted Shinichi Maki!
If Sakuragi is considered "unknown," then there are hardly any famous players in the county.
Besides, Sakuragi will be very useful when the agency organizes tours or something.
As for whether he's willing to join, that's basically a no-brainer.
He always listened to what Shirasawa said.
Moreover, this also paved the way for him, which is a good thing no matter how you look at it.
" Sanae, what are you saying?" Sakuragi was completely confused. "Isn't Kaede Rukawa from Ryonan?..."
"Ah! Is he coming to Shohoku?" He suddenly realized, his face filled with indignation. "That despicable guy! He wants to take advantage of us now that we've gotten stronger!" His thought process is just unbelievable.
Shirasawa was too lazy to argue with him in detail, since the guy probably wouldn't understand anyway.
I decided not to explain further. After the match, I'll just have him sign the papers and that'll be the end of it.
As for the other details, Sanae will naturally explain them to him slowly.
Of course, this is all predicated on Sanae having the patience...
Amid cheers from the stands, the players from Ryonan and Takezato officially entered the field.
Jun Uozumi with great momentum, followed by Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa on either side.
Just by looking at the posture of the top three, Takezato already appears inferior in terms of presence.
It's clear that these three were holding back their anger after watching the fierce battle Shohoku and Kainan, and they were looking for a place to vent it.
" Akagi, how many points do you think Ryonan can win?" Kiminobu Kogure was completely relaxed. After winning against Kainan, it seemed like a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.
Takenori Akagi also appeared unusually relaxed, with a slight smile playing on his lips.
"I've said it before, never underestimate any team."
"In competitive sports, there are no absolute strong or weak; anything can happen."
After he finished speaking, he nodded solemnly, appearing particularly serious.
There was a few seconds of silence on the sidelines, then Akagi let out a soft sigh.
"Let's aim for a 30-point victory, yeah, that's a conservative estimate."
Kogure: "..."
" Akagi, you've become humorous..."
Let's watch the game.
Actually, the difference between the two teams was already quite obvious during the pre-match warm-up.
Takezato's side always seemed a bit hesitant, occasionally stealing glances at Ryonan's position.
On the Ryonan side, everyone's face was filled with fighting spirit, even the usually carefree Sendoh looked more serious than usual.
As top players, it's hard not to be inspired to fight after watching the thrilling duel between Shirasawa and Shinichi Maki.
Needless to say, Kaede Rukawa was tasked with creating an offensive focal point, and his eyes were now chillingly cold.
Uozumi led the charge with a loud shout of " Ryonan!", and the starting lineups for both teams officially stepped onto the field.
Ryonan is also in the stage of testing their lineup.
Moichi Taoka's starting lineup is as follows: Jun Uozumi, Akira Sendoh, Kaede Rukawa, Kiccho Fukuda, Hiroaki Koshino.
First, he didn't Ryoji Ikegami, who is known for his defensive skills.
Secondly, they didn't use point guard Tomoyuki Uekusa, but instead used shooting guard Hiroaki Koshino.
This lineup can definitely be defined as an all-attack lineup!
Even Koshino, the weakest scorer among them, is still considered a top-tier shooting guard in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Coach Taoka's meaning is quite clear.
He wanted to test this all-out offensive lineup and see how well it meshed with his team.
If the results are satisfactory, adjustments will be made later. This will be Ryonan's spearhead force for either closing the gap or widening the score.
Moreover, there's not much to worry about in terms of defense.
Apart from Fukuda, the others are all well-rounded in both offense and defense.
Their overall height is also a significant advantage.
whoosh--
The referee blew the whistle, and the basketball was tossed into the air.
Uozumi in the middle circle let out a loud shout!
They easily won possession of the ball for Ryonan.
In the entire Kanagawa Prefecture, only Takenori Akagi can rival Uozumi in jump ball.
The basketball was tipped to the backcourt, Kaede Rukawa ran forward to receive it, immediately launching a fast break.
He dribbled past two players and charged into the penalty area.
Koshino, outside the three-point line on the right, and Fukuda, at a 45-degree angle on the left, both reached out for the ball at the same time.
Uozumi... Uozumi hasn't even reached the basket yet.