Shirasawa's sudden appearance stunned the entire Jousei team. Of the thirty-three points, Shirasawa only scored four himself, while the rest of the twenty-nine points were scored by the whole team. Among them, Hisashi Mitsui made five three-pointers, scoring fifteen points, and his touch was red-hot.
The overall level of Shohoku is now several levels higher than it was a few days ago!
Not only their offense, but their defense has also undergone a complete transformation. Apart from the time when Shirasawa successfully stole the ball from Mikoshiba, he shut down Jousei's backcourt for the rest of the time, especially their point guard, who was so badly marked that he could barely dribble the ball and was practically being humiliated.
Jousei quickly called a timeout to make substitutions and adjust tactics.
After the timeout, Jousei focused his offense on Mikoshiba's strength. Seeing this, Shirasawa immediately switched defenders with Mitsui and engaged in a ten-minute battle with Mikoshiba.
Mikoshiba was now under immense pressure. Shirasawa's strength was in no way inferior to his, and his physical attributes were even superior. Every goal became extremely difficult.
In the final ten minutes of the first half, Mikoshiba attempted seven one-on-one shots against Shirasawa. He only scored three, missed three forced shots, and was blocked once, sending the ball out of bounds.
Shirasawa, facing him, only made one shot—driving to the basket, executing a deft layup, and flipping the ball to dunk. The rest of the time, he made all sorts of fancy passes, scattering Jousei's defense and throwing him into complete chaos.
Kiminobu Kogure seized the opportunity, raised his hand and threw, hitting a three-pointer and a long two-pointer in succession, his shooting touch was on point.
With Shirasawa and Mikoshiba clashing, Jousei's weaknesses became impossible to hide.
Their overall strength has indeed declined this year. During the qualifiers, Mikoshiba was there to carry the team, so the problems weren't too obvious. But now that Mikoshiba himself is struggling, the flaws in their lineup have become more apparent.
The current Jousei, apart from Mikoshiba as their only strong point, has a team whose members are all about the same level. They simply can't find a second player who can forcefully counter their moves.
Their individual combat capabilities are simply not up to par.
Conversely, the power of Mitsui and Akagi becomes apparent.
Jousei's approach this year is somewhat similar to that of Kainan, relying entirely on his star players to carry the team.
However, Mikoshiba's personal abilities are still somewhat lacking compared to Shinichi Maki's.
Moreover, their team doesn't have a consistent second scorer like Jin.
Even though Shohoku is missing Hanamichi Sakuragi, their strength is still clearly superior to theirs.
The whistle blew to end the first half.
57 to 36.
Shohoku was leading by a whopping 21 points!
This battle to turn the tide is already more than halfway won.
Jousei's arrogance, which had lasted for six days, was completely extinguished with Shirasawa's arrival.
During halftime, the atmosphere around Jousei was frighteningly tense.
In the second half, they failed to make any significant adjustments, simply intensifying their defense against Shirasawa and desperately trying to cut off his connection with his teammates.
Seeing this, Shirasawa immediately changed his fighting style and started swinging his weapon himself.
He broke through defenses and made shots, scoring 12 points in a row, forcing Jousei to call a timeout once again.
Having fought to this point, Jousei's entire team has finally come to a complete understanding of Shirasawa's strength.
Their head coach was really upset. It seemed that Anzai wasn't trying to trick me; he genuinely wanted to save me face.
Only Mikoshiba still has that indomitable spirit, determined to fight Shirasawa to the bitter end!
The game resumed after the timeout.
Mikoshiba power, using every trick in the book to entangle Shirasawa.
Shirasawa wasn't in a hurry to confront him head-on. Instead, he seized the opportunity to frequently set up Akagi and Mitsui, allowing them to dominate both the inside and outside of the opposing team.
The match has entered its final 5 minutes.
96 to 62.
Shohoku has widened the gap to 34 points!
The outcome of the match is no longer in doubt.
In the previous game, Akagi was fouled out at this point. Jousei didn't hold back, seizing every opportunity to attack relentlessly, giving Shohoku their final surge.
Today, Shohoku must pay this debt back!
With Shirasawa orchestrating the attack, the red wave surged once again, unleashing a 15-2 run in the final five minutes.
The final whistle blew, and the score was 111-64.
They beat Jousei by a full 47 points!
This can be considered revenge for the previous game's crushing 35-point defeat, with interest added.
Shirasawa's almost earth-shattering impact on Shohoku left the entire Jousei team speechless with astonishment.
Shohoku could make excuses for their first loss by saying their ace wasn't there. But Jousei's loss in this game was completely unexcusable; with their full roster, it was simply a matter of inferior skill.
Head coach Jousei knew that if it were last year, the team might still lose, but it would never have been such a humiliating defeat.
The situation this year... seems really not good.
The prospects for the national competition were suddenly shrouded in uncertainty.
Mikoshiba scored 24 points, and as the team's core player, he did his best.
Shirasawa scored less than him, only 21 points.
But he delivered 34 assists throughout the game!
There's no need to argue about who's stronger between these two anymore. In this match, Shirasawa completely defeated Mikoshiba.
Takenori Akagi once again recorded a double-double, proving his dominance in the paint in two consecutive games. He finally got his revenge against his old rival, Mikoshiba.
Thank you for your guidance!
After the match, the two teams bowed to each other.
Akagi and Mikoshiba shook hands again, their expressions foreshadowing completely different paths ahead.
" Akagi, good luck in the national tournament," Mikoshiba said, though her tone wasn't quite so defiant. "If we meet again, we definitely won't lose."
Even he himself sounded a bit unsure about what he was saying. Theoretically speaking, Shohoku's strength had already surpassed the level of the top eight in the country, while Jousei, as the goalkeeper of the top eight, was indeed not in the same league.
Upon hearing this, Takenori Akagi smiled confidently.
" Mikoshiba, to be honest, one of our key players didn't come today." He paused, "That guy... he's pretty strong too."
After saying that, Akagi turned around and led the team away, leaving Mikoshiba with a meaningful silhouette.
"Does anyone know... who else from Shohoku hasn't arrived yet?" Mikoshiba couldn't help but turn around and ask her teammates.
He knew Akagi; that guy wasn't one to brag.
The teammates quickly dug out old basketball magazines to look for it.
A moment later, one of the team members looked up in astonishment:
" Shohoku's number 10, power forward Hanamichi Sakuragi! Kanagawa's new Rebound King, averaging 16.5 rebounds per game!"
After hearing Mikoshiba's shoulders slumped slightly, and he sighed.
" Shohoku... they're really strong." He gazed into the distance. "Let's see how far they can go."
When the entire Shohoku team returned to the training hall, they ran into Hanamichi Sakuragi and Coach Anzai standing on the sidelines.
"You're back! You must have had a long trip," Coach Anzai said cheerfully, without even asking about the results of the practice match. He believed everything would go according to plan.
Moreover, the team members' current mental state speaks volumes.
Looking at these kids now, they seem more composed and have a stronger presence than when they set off!
Just as Akagi was about to speak, Coach Anzai gently raised his hand to stop him.
Then, the coach gestured in Sakuragi's direction with his eyes.
Only then did everyone belatedly notice that the red-haired boy, who would normally have jumped up and shouted, was standing there quietly without uttering a sound.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was intently focused on the basket, sweat dripping down his face.
He took a deep breath and leaped up at a 45-degree angle to the left to launch his attack.
The basketball arced through the air and landed smoothly in the net.
"Haa..."
Sakuragi yelled and collapsed to the ground, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"Dad... I... I did it, didn't I?"
His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.
Coach Anzai looked at him with a smile, his eyes full of approval.
"You did it." The coach nodded. " Sakuragi, you're really strong."
"This..."
That's way too much!
When Akagi and the others gathered around and saw Sakuragi's training plan for the week, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The shot Sakuragi made when he came in was the last shot of this grueling training week.
This is also the exact 20,000th ball.
What does 20,000 shots mean?
That means nearly three thousand submissions per day!
And this is just one aspect of the training program.
Then look at those physical training exercises: five kilometers with weights, tire flipping, shuttle runs... the variety is dazzling.
Picking any one of them would be difficult enough.
Coach Anzai actually piled all of this onto Sakuragi alone.
And it has a seven-day time limit to complete!
No wonder even a stamina monster like Sakuragi is now exhausted.
It's a miracle that they managed to persevere and not collapse.
but...
What everyone is more interested in now is that bright red bald head.
Sakuragi's head was practically "cracked" out by Mitsui and Miyagi working together...
"Hahaha, Sakuragi, your hairstyle is so cool!"
"That's right! It feels amazing to the touch! Hahaha~"
Sakuragi sat up abruptly.
It was only then that he realized his teammates had all returned.
"Oh? The defeated generals have all returned?" Sakuragi grinned smugly. "Without this genius, you really can't move an inch, can you?"
"Idiot, we won the second game by forty-seven points," Akagi said, a smirk playing on his lips. "But you really did a great job this week, Sakuragi, well done."
He reached out his large hand towards Sakuragi.
This week, everyone underwent their own transformation.
The Shohoku Basketball Team is ready to go.
A confident glint flashed across Hanamichi Sakuragi's face as he grabbed Akagi's hand and pulled himself up.
Coach Anzai's gaze slowly swept over each player, and he nodded in satisfaction.
"We are the strongest."
These words struck a chord with everyone.
They had been preparing for this statement for far too long.
And now...
They are really ready.
" Shohoku!!"
"We are the strongest!!"
Three days later.
The sky over Kanagawa was a clear, deep blue.
Despite the beautiful weather, a group of people are about to leave this city.
"Why is Haruko sleeping so much today? She didn't even come out to see me off."
Takenori Akagi was tying his shoelaces at the front door, with a large travel bag beside him.
That's right.
Today, the Shohoku Basketball Team and Ryonan Basketball Team from Kanagawa Prefecture are setting off.
The highly anticipated Summer National Tournament officially kicks off tomorrow.