Jin laughed and explained, "Of course it's Eiji Sawakita of Sannoh. You should know Kiyota? The strongest active high school student."
Although Kiyota only joined Kainan this year, he knew what happened last year— Kainan was utterly crushed by Sannoh Industrial High School in the national semi-finals, and even Maki was helpless. How could he not know about Sannoh's national MVP?
I just didn't expect that Maki had already ranked Shirasawa on the same level as Sawakita, which is the number one level in the country!
"What does Maki mean when he says they might not be matched up?"
At this point, Shinichi Maki frowned slightly, as if recalling something he didn't want to talk about. " Kiyota, you know too little about the top teams in the country. If you only focus on Kanagawa, Kainan won't go far."
" The Kanagawa season ended early, so starting tomorrow I'll take you to see different places. You'll have plenty of opponents ahead of you."
The offensive and defensive play continued.
Shirasawa has gradually suppressed Sendoh, and Shohoku's advantage is expanding little by little.
72 to 60.
The difference has widened to double digits!
Moichi Taoka had no choice but to call a pause again.
He had basically exhausted all the plans he had prepared for this match. Each plan had given him a glimmer of hope, only to plunge him back into darkness, leaving him torn between hope and despair.
It seems like no tactics work against Shohoku; Coach Anzai is playing a game of "no strategy is the best strategy." This made Moichi Taoka start to doubt himself.
However, there was one last element in his plan that he hadn't yet fulfilled—a seed planted at the very beginning.
Hisashi Mitsui.
This was a backup plan he had laid out beforehand. From the start until now, Ryonan had been constantly wearing down Mitsui's stamina. It was an accident that Mitsui had been able to hold on this long, but Taoka believed he was close to the end.
As long as the score is maintained, and Mitsui completely collapses, there might be a chance to turn the tide. At that time, he wouldn't mind using Kaede Rukawa, Sendoh, and Ikegami to double-team Shirasawa!
He didn't believe Shirasawa could still do whatever he wanted in front of these three people.
If that's really the case... then even if Shirasawa brought his grandma, he could still win. What's the point of fighting then?
In short, Taoka believes that as long as they can hold on until that stage, Ryonan still has a slim chance to turn the tide. Therefore, they must hold onto their lead now!
The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the field.
There are 14 minutes left in the game.
Ryonan's lineup remained unchanged, but the positions were adjusted— Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa switched ball control.
You know, no one is less suited to playing point guard than Kaede Rukawa...
Taoka's intention was clear: let Sendoh conserve his energy so that Kaede Rukawa could continue his fierce battle with Shirasawa!
Kaede Rukawa has finally waited for this moment.
Kaede Rukawa had been holding back his anger for three years, and finally he could settle old scores with Shirasawa.
He dribbled the ball around in his hands. Ryonan's rotation strategy was indeed effective, at least allowing Sendoh and him to take turns catching their breath. Now he was full of energy, every cell clamoring to compete with Shirasawa.
" Sanae, your family is about to have an internal conflict." Yayoi Aida tilted her head, looking like she was waiting to see a good show. Ryonan had been suppressed for most of the time, so she finally found a point to tease.
Sanae simply shrugged. "Does it matter who wins or loses? Shohoku won anyway." She blinked. "Senpai, you really can't judge things by appearances."
These words left Yayoi Aida speechless, her eyes wide with disbelief.
On the court, Kaede Rukawa kept his back extremely low, not daring to be careless in the face of Shirasawa. However, Sendoh was not idle either, as off-ball movement has always been his forte. Seizing an opening, Sendoh suddenly took a step to the side, providing a solid screen for Kaede Rukawa.
Kaede Rukawa rushed in.
Sakuragi was tied up on the perimeter by Fukuda, leaving only Akagi guarding the basket. Kaede Rukawa pushed off the ground, took two steps, and leaped into the air, swinging the ball towards the hoop!
"Do you think I don't exist?!" Akagi roared, leaping up from the ground and sweeping his large hand across the area.
The two collided head-on.
The referee's whistle blared—a defensive foul, no doubt about it. But the whistle was blew, and the game wasn't over yet. Kaede Rukawa was determined to get that "2+1" play.
Akagi's jumping ability is no worse than Uozumi's, but when it comes to hang time... that's really not his forte. Seeing Kaede Rukawa still floating in the air, Akagi slapped the basketball! But Kaede Rukawa twisted his waist sharply, dodging the giant hand, and flicked his wrist—
Goal!
"This guy..." Akagi's heart skipped a beat when he landed. Kaede Rukawa's "I'm going to score this ball" kind of fierce determination was probably unmatched in the entire Kanagawa. In his eyes, Kaede Rukawa's offensive firepower was definitely among the top three in the prefecture. As for first place, of course it belonged to his own monster; let whoever wanted to fight for second or third place.
After the ball went in, Kaede Rukawa's cold eyes were fixed on Shirasawa. He was still the same as he was in the middle school finals, knowing full well that there were tigers in the mountains, yet still heading towards them. He was just waiting for Shirasawa to make his move.
"You damn fox! Come at me if you dare!" Sakuragi jumped up and down on the sidelines.
Kaede Rukawa didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, heading straight for the free-throw line. He was actually quite aware of Sakuragi's abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have tacitly allowed the guy to join the team in the first place. But to think he could go toe-to-toe with him right now? Hah... He'd better focus on grabbing rebounds first.
Sakuragi was furious; being ignored was even more infuriating than being looked down upon. "This genius will personally teach you a lesson, you little fox!"
He was grinding his teeth when another annoying voice drifted over from the side. "Hey, your opponent is me. Have you forgotten how you lost before?" Fukuda crossed his arms, feeling left out, and felt compelled to come out and assert his presence.
"Hmph! What the enemy says goes in one ear and out the other!" Sakuragi's ears were like switches, snapping shut in an instant.
Akagi watched from the sidelines, nodding in agreement. Fukuda's provocations were no longer effective against Sakuragi.
The free throw went in cleanly. A super scorer never misses on these easy baskets. 72 to 63, the score difference is finally back to single digits.
Moichi Taoka's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, eased slightly, and his gaze immediately turned to Hisashi Mitsui.
Shohoku launched their attack. From the very first second, Mitsui was constantly being targeted by Kaede Rukawa and Ikegami, especially Kaede Rukawa, who posed a huge offensive threat and had a physical advantage, forcing Mitsui to fight tooth and nail to keep up. And for some reason, Kaede Rukawa was running around the court without the ball... making Mitsui curse him a hundred times in his mind.
Fortunately, he had been training intensively on the sand, which improved his physical condition; otherwise, he would have been in serious trouble by the second half. But at this crucial moment, Mitsui was showing signs of fatigue. The most obvious sign was that his concentration began to waver—when Ryonan was on offense, he was responsible for marking Sendoh, and when Sendoh suddenly moved to set a screen, he was a full beat too slow. By the time he reacted, Sendoh had already run several steps ahead.
His defensive focus is completely different from before; he's like a different person altogether.
Moichi Taoka sharp eye and had already taken in all of this. But he felt it wasn't enough; he needed to add more fuel to the fire.
" Ikegami!" Taoka shouted from the sidelines, gesturing with his hand.
Ikegami immediately understood and nodded emphatically. The coach's meaning was clear: continue to put Mitsui at high intensity, wear him down!
Shirasawa received the serve and slowly pushed it forward to the court.
The defensive task now mainly falls on Kaede Rukawa's shoulders.
Sendoh retreated to the second line, conserving his strength while holding his position, ready to intercept any possible attacks from Shirasawa.
Kaede Rukawa got into position beyond the three-point line, arms outstretched, his eyes fixed on Shirasawa.
"This time, I'll guard against you."
There wasn't a trace of a joke in his tone.
Shirasawa just smiled and said, "Then you'd better work harder."
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned forward sharply, lifted the basketball from his waist, and prepared to drive hard!
Kaede Rukawa Kaede's pupils contracted, and he almost instinctively took a small half-step back—he needed to leave himself some room to maneuver, otherwise he would definitely be overtaken in one step.
But in that split second, he caught a glimpse of the faint smile on Shirasawa's lips.
My heart skipped a beat.
No! This isn't a breakthrough!
By the time Kaede Rukawa reacted, the ball had already whistled past his ear, the wind it generated even ruffling his hair.
"I'm a genius--!!!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi's signature loud voice boomed under the basket, accompanied by a figure leaping into the air.
The ball landed perfectly in his outstretched hand.
He caught the ball and slammed it into the basket!
After a muffled thud, Sakuragi landed and burst into exaggerated laughter.
"Hahaha, did you see that, you stinky Fuku! This is my genius aerial maneuver!"
He ran back to the back field smugly, and as he passed Shirasawa, he jumped up and gave him a high five.
"Their teamwork is amazing!" Kogure exclaimed, slapping his thigh from the bench. " With Xiao Bai on the court, Sakuragi's offensive threat is on a completely different level!"
In his view, if Sakuragi played alone, he would at best be a top rebounder. But once paired with Shirasawa's orchestration, he would be a monster capable of dominating the game on both ends of the court.
This is what makes Shirasawa truly frightening.
Coach Anzai chuckled, holding his teacup.
That pass just now made him vaguely see the boy who delivered the decisive assist in the middle school finals. It was that fleeting glimpse that made him determined to personally bring Shirasawa to Shohoku.
Looking back now, this was probably the most successful investment of his coaching career.
Kaede Rukawa also recalled the past.
Yes... it's that familiar spot again.
He'd been tricked by Shirasawa again.
And... it was a pass again!
Kaede Rukawa felt the fire in his chest was about to burst. After so many games, it was finally his turn to guard Shirasawa one-on-one, but the opponent didn't even try and immediately passed the ball.
Taking all previous situations into account, in official matches, Shirasawa still failed to attempt a single shot when facing his one-on-one defense.
"... asshole."
Kaede Rukawa's eyes were so cold they could freeze you to death.
Shirasawa simply shook his index finger at him, his effortless demeanor reminding Kaede Rukawa of the phrase, "I've already won before I even attacked."
This time, however, Kaede Rukawa didn't frown; instead, he twitched the corners of his mouth.
" Shirasawa," he received the serve, turned, and advanced, "I'm a different person now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaede Rukawa used Sendoh's screen to shake off the defense again and pulled up for a shot from the wing.
However, Shirasawa's defensive cover was incredibly fast, closing in on him in the blink of an eye.
Shooting routes were almost completely blocked.
Given Kaede Rukawa's usual temperament, he would most likely choose to increase the arc and go all in at this point, or... simply not make a move and admit defeat.
Coach Taoka on the sidelines had already shaken his head and sighed in advance.
But Kaede Rukawa made a move in mid-air that made everyone's eyes widen—he forcefully pulled the ball back, flicked his wrist, and threw the ball from the left side towards the baseline!
The ball has been passed!
Kaede Rukawa actually passed the ball!