Coach Anzai was much more relaxed.
He simply said, "I don't think we should be thinking about point differential; that's not something strong teams should be concerned with."
These words instantly boosted the team's confidence.
This is the greatest affirmation the coach can give to the team.
Takenori Akagi then chimed in, "That's right! Our goal is to win every match and qualify for the national tournament as number one!"
"So far, no national champion team has ever qualified as the runner-up, understand?"
"Clear!!"
Coach Anzai chuckled with satisfaction.
"That's how we maintain our competitiveness."
The referee blew the whistle again, and amidst cheers, the starting players from both sides entered the field.
Takenori Akagi remained uninvolved, sitting confidently on the sidelines.
He needs to fully recover his ankle so he can prepare to face Ryonan and Uozumi!
Hanamichi Sakuragi continues to replace Akagi.
The ball jumps between the center forward and Takezato's center forward in the center circle.
The current Shohoku exudes an indescribable aura in the eyes of outsiders.
After all, they were the team that had upset Kainan, and that "kingly" pressure seemed to have transferred over, making the Takezato players a little intimidated.
The referee tossed the ball into the air, and Hanamichi Sakuragi, in full swing, roared and jumped vertically, securing the first possession for Shohoku.
Shirasawa controlled the ball and pushed it past midfield, causing the defenders of Takezato to unconsciously retreat.
Wow, this guy scored 59 points against Shinichi Maki, and he did it in a head-to-head style!
How am I supposed to defend against that?
If I bump into him, will the insurance cover it...?
Coach Takezato was furious on the sidelines, shaking his head and gesturing wildly, signaling his players to double-team him.
Unfortunately, the effect was minimal. Shirasawa easily dribbled past two players, penetrated deep into the defense, and casually tossed the ball into the air once in the penalty area.
Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly took off, caught the ball, Alley-oop pass dunk!
The basket slammed open, and the entire arena erupted in screams.
The fans sat down contentedly, having at least witnessed the first dunk of the game.
Returning to the defensive end, Shirasawa switched to group stage mode, directly targeting Takezato's weak defensive line.
A clean and crisp steal, followed by a fast break, dribbling to the three-point line, a crossover dribble, and then a graceful spin.
The basketball flew towards the inside.
The ball led the way, Hanamichi Sakuragi arrived just in time to catch it!
He stood up smoothly and slammed the ball into the basket with one arm!
One person scored the first 4 points for Shohoku.
However, Shirasawa's pass was clearly more amazing than Sakuragi's dunk.
"That pass was so elegant, like an artist on the field, it elevated the game's entertainment value to a whole new level."
The person who said this was a true artist, the renowned photographer Eiichi Harada.
He still takes photos for every game of Shohoku.
Compared to Shirasawa's head-to-head style of play against Shinichi Maki in the previous match, he appreciated this kind of freehand passing more.
It is both lively and elegant, and highly visually appealing.
Soon, Shohoku created a high point on the court.
19 to 0.
Within the first 5 minutes, Takezato was completely shaved bald!
The gap in skill level between the two teams is clearly laid bare.
Rebound King Hanamichi Sakuragi transforms into an inside weapon, incredibly fierce, delivering 4 dunks in 5 minutes! Scoring 8 points on his own!
Takenori Akagi sat on the sidelines, nodding his head. After going head-to-head with two strong teams, Shoyo and Kainan, Sakuragi had indeed improved a lot.
"Coach, you're right," he turned to Anzai, " Sakuragi is now a crucial part of the team."
"He'll definitely be very useful when the national competition comes."
Coach Anzai, holding his thermos, responded with a smile.
"That's not enough," he said slowly. " Sakuragi needs to keep climbing before the national tournament."
Akagi paused for a moment. Not enough?
In his opinion, Sakuragi is already qualified to play power forward. His only weakness is that he's prone to getting emotional. As for further development... could it be...?
He looked up at Coach Anzai, his eyes filled with questions.
Anzai nodded, as if she could read his mind.
"That's right, Akagi." He adjusted his glasses. " Sakuragi needs to work on his shooting. Only when he can shoot and dunk can his aggressive, headstrong style of play be fully utilized."
Akagi understood now.
Sakuragi's playing style requires a lot of space. When it comes to the national tournament, facing those strong teams, how can he be allowed to take off and dunk so easily? But if he had a shot, it would be a different story—an extra weapon, allowing him to create space on his own.
But is there enough time? Sakuragi has practiced shooting a lot, but his accuracy is truly appalling... his shots are hitting the rim like bricks.
Coach Anzai, however, was not worried at all and continued to smile.
The game continued.
After taking a two-game break, Shirasawa returned to his original rhythm, using all sorts of unpredictable passes to lead his teammates.
With a backheel flick from the free-throw line, he passed the ball directly to Miyagi, who was cutting to the baseline, and easily scored with a reverse layup.
He drove into the paint and was surrounded by three defenders, but he managed to pass the ball through the gaps in mid-air to Mitsui on the perimeter, who swiftly drained a three-pointer.
A long-range shot from midfield, the ball seemingly guided by eyes, pierced through the entire defense, found Kogure cutting in, and went in smoothly.
Mitsui, Miyagi, and even Kogure opened their own shops.
Shohoku was in full bloom, and a red wave swept across the land.
On the other side.
Both Kainan and Ryonan teams are in their locker rooms preparing for the next game.
Neither side went to watch the game this time.
There's still plenty of time—in the first round, Ryonan watched the entire match before returning to the locker room. But this time is different; the upcoming match is too crucial.
Kainan is fighting a desperate battle; it simply cannot afford to lose.
Ryonan didn't dare to be careless either, as this was the first time their new lineup had faced a tough opponent. If they lost, their morale would plummet, and they might even be too weak to handle facing Shohoku again.
The best outcome would be to win this match outright!
Without the pressure of qualifying, we can go all out against Shohoku and fight for the championship!
In the locker room in Kainan.
The team members continued their activation training as usual, warming up their bodies in advance so they could be at their best when they took to the field.
Shinichi Maki was shirtless, his muscles were taut, and the veins were throbbing.
" Captain Maki, aren't you training a bit too hard...?" Nobunaga Kiyota, watching from the side, couldn't help but speak up, "Don't go out of shape later."
Indeed, Shinichi Maki trained harder than usual today, even though there's still more than an hour until the match.
Shinichi Maki smiled and reached out to press Kiyota's head down.
"Do you need to remind me?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a certain force. "You'd better be at your best today, you hear me?"
Nobunaga Kiyota patted his chest twice.
"Of course! I don't want to leave my fate in Shohoku's hands."
The words had barely left his mouth when the locker room door was flung open with a bang!
" Shohoku is already leading by 40 points! If they keep playing like this, the point difference might break 100!"
After he finished speaking, the entire locker room fell silent instantly.
Because the person who rushed in... was actually wearing Ryonan's training uniform.
It's Hikoichi Aida.
Hikoichi only realized he had entered the wrong room after shouting.
But the atmosphere in Kainan was so oppressive that his legs were cramping.
Led by Shinichi Maki, almost everyone was drenched in sweat, their muscles bulging, and their eyes glaring as if they wanted to kill.
The word "hunger" is a perfect description of them.
" From Ryonan?" Tadashi Muto frowned as he walked up to Hikoichi. "They've come here to gather intelligence?"
Hikoichi's lips trembled, and he could barely speak.
"I'm so sorry! I went to the wrong door..."
Nobunaga Kiyota scoffed from the side.
"That's about Ryonan is capable of; they can't even find their own locker room."
These words were like a needle, pricking Hikoichi's heart with pain.
You can criticize him, you can scold him—after all, he barged in recklessly. But involving the team is unacceptable!
Sakuragi spirit! Sakuragi spirit!
Hikoichi kept repeating these four words in his mind, trying his best to encourage himself, and finally straightened his back.
"You'll soon find out just how good Ryonan!"
"You can think whatever you want about me, but our Twin Stars will definitely make you regret what you just said!"
See you on the court in Kainan!
After saying that, he turned and ran, trembling with fear, yet feeling inexplicably happy.
Sakuragi- senpai, thank you for giving me courage!
The door to the Kainan locker room closed again.
Shinichi Maki's expression turned serious.
" Kiyota," he said in a deep voice, "You have to keep your promises after you've made them."
"But this time, I'll help you."
Hikoichi Aida ran back to the Ryonan locker room.
This time, the atmosphere was much more welcoming as soon as I entered.
He honestly confessed to Uozumi that he had gone to the wrong door, and even admitted the harsh words he had said in a moment of anger.
Unexpectedly, his teammates gave him a thumbs up after hearing his story.
Why should we, the people of Ryonan, be afraid of those from Kainan?
Uozumi patted Hikoichi on the shoulder and grinned, " Hikoichi, you're something else! If you'd been a little harsher, it would have been even more exciting!"
"That's the spirit that Ryonan should have!" A teammate next to him chimed in.
Hikoichi scratched his head, a little embarrassed, but his heart was warm.
Uozumi straightened his expression and continued, "Don't overthink it, Hikoichi. We'll see who's the best on the field, and we'll make sure your words come true!"
However, Hikoichi's unexpected incident ignited the tension between the two teams. Both captains vowed to take responsibility for their players, but ultimately only one side could keep their promise. This fueled their fighting spirit for the upcoming matches.
Twenty minutes flew by, and the game was going incredibly smoothly, with neither side calling many timeouts. Takezato did call one, but it did little more than give the players a breather. As for Shohoku, Coach Anzai was known for his aversion to calling timeouts.
At halftime, the score was 67-11. Shohoku said they didn't care about the point differential, but they were already leading by 56 points at halftime, leaving Takezato completely stunned.
During halftime, both teams returned to their locker rooms. For Shohoku, a surprise was in store!
It turned out that Akagi had mentioned player benefits to Kogure during the previous rounds against Ryonan and Takezato. Later, Coach Anzai had an accident, and Kogure forgot about it. When he remembered it again, seeing that Akagi didn't say anything, he didn't ask any further questions.
When we returned from halftime today, Ayako was waiting for us in the locker room with a big smile on her face, the floor piled high with shoe boxes!
This perk was something the mustachioed shopkeeper had promised Haruko: if Shohoku beat Kainan, he'd give each player a pair of Jordan sneakers! It wasn't an insignificant expense, but the shopkeeper kept his word and was overjoyed. As soon as the game ended, he dragged Haruko and Ayako off to get the shoes.