This completely blew Sakuragi away.
As the two ran towards the front, Sakuragi's shoulder bumped into him. He thought the movement was quite subtle.
Unexpectedly, Kishimoto was sent flying by the impact, sliding a short distance across the floor.
Sakuragi himself was taken aback.
I'm that strong now? I didn't even use that much force!
Shirasawa had just dribbled the ball across half-court when the referee blew his whistle.
Shohoku's number 10 committed a foul by ramming into someone!
"The referee was brilliant!" Kishimoto lay on the ground, laughing heartily.
Hanamichi Sakuragi's eyes were practically spitting fire. If he had known this would happen, he should have used all his strength to knock him out of the game and make him unable to take care of himself, which would have been much more satisfying!
"Number 10! Raise your hand!" The referee warned Sakuragi angrily. Sakuragi's defiant look clearly showed he was challenging the referee's authority.
Of course, Kishimoto's elbow strike was indeed a foul, which the referee missed. But that's how games are; referees are only responsible for what they see. There's a lot of physical contact on the court, and unless the action is particularly obvious, they won't blow the whistle casually. Otherwise, the game would have to be stopped and started repeatedly, making it unwatchable.
All I can say is that Minori Kishimoto has mastered both the rules and dirty tricks.
Sakuragi gritted his teeth and raised his hand.
Kishimoto Minori Kishimoto sat on the ground and clapped twice triumphantly.
"That's right, keep your movements small when you play, got it?" Sakuragi's teeth itched with anger at the smug look on the face of someone who had taken advantage of him.
However, compared to before, Sakuragi has indeed matured a lot. He forcefully suppressed that burning anger, preventing it from erupting.
Coach Anzai, standing on the sidelines, finally felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.
He actually felt a little sorry for Coach Kitano.
Kitano certainly didn't want to see the team he led end up playing this kind of game.
Over at the media section, Kitano's head bobbed slightly.
He disliked Jinpei even more.
" Sakuragi, stay calm." Shirasawa walked over and patted Sakuragi on the shoulder. In the current situation, no one else could help, so he could only be more careful himself.
We can't let Kishimoto pull another dirty trick next time, with Shirasawa flying over to act as a human cushion, can we?
That's outrageous.
Hanamichi Sakuragi nodded, refocusing his attention on the offense.
Shirasawa dribbled the ball past half-court.
Itakura, with his large head, stood in front defending, still chattering on and on, and it was unclear where he got all that nonsense from.
Shohoku has a significant advantage when playing against Toyotama.
That's Takenori Akagi.
He completely dominated Mitsuaki Iwata.
Shirasawa casually lobbed the ball towards the inside, Akagi sidestepped and easily caught it.
He took a step towards the basket.
Mitsuaki Iwata braced himself firmly in a horse stance, desperately holding on.
If he takes one more step, Akagi can easily turn and attack the basket.
But just then, he mustered all his strength and leaned back, only to find nothing there!
Mitsuaki Iwata, who had been vying with him from behind, suddenly withdrew all his strength!
They simply removed Akagi's chair!
That was a really hard pull; Akagi almost did a split on the spot.
He stumbled, and the ball slipped from his grasp.
With quick reflexes and agility, Mitsuaki Iwata grabbed the ball and launched a fast break!
Toyotama's defensive counter-attack strategy is truly unique and effective.
They don't have someone like Shirasawa on their team who can pass the ball like magic, but they pass it around smoothly.
After two or three passes, it will surely reach the player who has an opportunity in the attacking third.
It's not that Shohoku can't catch up, but rather that they haven't fully adapted to this pace, both mentally and physically.
Shohoku's offense and defense are fast, but that's only fast in a single attack; they can't maintain that high level of focus all the time.
Toyotama is different; they are ready to sprint every minute and every second.
This time it was Tsuyoshi Minami. He quickly received the ball and easily scored two more points for Toyotama.
They successfully turned the score around.
" Anzai, did you see that? That's the power of run-and-gun offense. By the time you get used to this rhythm, the point difference might have already widened." Kitano's lips curled up slightly.
He saw the team's growth from these two attacks.
He actually only led this initial batch for two or three months.
But they spent the next two years refining this run-and-gun style of play.
What is being shown now has even exceeded Kitano's own expectations.
To put it bluntly, this generation of players has a stronger understanding of run-and-gun offense and a greater tenacity than any other generation he has coached!
He felt a little uneasy.
If I had persisted a little longer, or even compromised just a little more, I might have had the chance to properly mentor these kids...
Who knows, maybe a miracle can actually happen.
Coach Anzai, however, remained calm and watched the game unfold. From the start of the match, he had resolved to be a "silent" coach.
At least for now, there's nothing to be particularly worried about.
A tactic like "removing the chairs" might work well the first time, but try using it three times in a row?
If it still works out, then Akagi should quit playing basketball and go back to studying...
"Mine." Akagi raised his hand, indicating that he had suffered a hidden loss this time.
He will never fall into the same trap twice!
Shirasawa reorganized the attack.
"Are you going to shoot yourself this time, or pass the ball? Seriously, are you a little afraid of me?" Itakura started talking again.
"..."
Shirasawa really wanted to find a sock and stuff it in his mouth.
Snap! Snap!
After a few behind-the-back dribbles and a left-right feint, Shirasawa created space.
The first step was taken with astonishing speed, and in an instant, it had completely cleared out Itakura.
Itakura was also feeling uneasy!
Shirasawa crossed him as easily as crossing an empty road in the early morning; there wasn't even a car on the side, so he could cross however he wanted.
It's truly impossible to defend against!
Driven to the inside, Shirasawa jumped up and swung his right hand in a wide arc, aiming for the basket!
boom--!
The basket wobbled violently as Shirasawa easily scored two points.
Before he even landed, Mitsuaki Iwata had already served the baseline ball!
"Get back to defense quickly!!" Miyagi, who had been anticipating this move, had already rushed back to the backcourt.
Mitsui and Sakuragi also took off in pursuit.
But Toyotama's ball movement was too fast.
You have no idea who will be the one to end it this time.
Sakuragi caught up with Minori Kishimoto.
Kishimoto pretended to catch the ball, and led Sakuragi to the right.
The ball was passed to Itakura, Miyagi quickly closed in. Itakura didn't even look and made a behind-the-back pass to Tsuyoshi Minami.
The moment Tsuyoshi Minami received the ball, he made a feint as if he were about to pass it to Kishimoto.
In that instant, their defensive focus completely shifted.
He took the opportunity to lower his center of gravity and dribbled straight to the basket.
He immediately responded with a clean one-handed slam dunk.
Five seconds, just five seconds, and Toyotama tied the score again.
"Damn it, these guys are even faster than they look on the video!" Hisashi Mitsui frowned. Watching a game is one thing, but actually chasing after them on the field is a completely different experience.
When watching a game, you think you can keep up, but when you actually try to keep up, you realize how difficult it is.
Especially their overall offensive cohesion; everyone can make a good pass.
This makes it impossible for the defense to figure out their tactics.
"Everyone, perk up! Don't just stand there after the attack, retreat and defend immediately!" Takenori Akagi shouted in a deep voice.
Miyagi was still urging his teammates to retreat, but everyone knew in their hearts that if they could be faster next time, they might actually be able to stop them.
Shirasawa figured it out too. With Toyotama's defense, breaking in was as easy as strolling through his own backyard. The problem was that as soon as he broke through, the ball had already been passed out, and the first line of defense instantly became the starting point for a fast break. He didn't even have time to get back on defense.
This kind of fighting definitely won't work, Shirasawa thought, it seems we need to try a different approach.
Then don't rush to the basket. Move the offensive initiation point further away to give yourself room to get back on defense.
While he was reorganizing, Yohei Mito and a few others strolled back from the entrance passage in the audience area.
" Yohei and the others are back!" Noma, who had been watching that direction, finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it wasn't his own territory, and he was genuinely worried that there might be an ambush outside.
Yohei is a good fighter, but he only brought two people with him, while the other side went out with six of them. If there are other people hiding outside, then they'll be in big trouble.
Upon hearing Noma's shout, Takamiya and Haruko quickly turned to look.
Everyone knows perfectly well what those guys were up to when they went out. It couldn't have been a casual get-together for a smoke and a chance to discuss game tactics, could it?
Moreover, just by looking at them now, the answer is written all over their faces.
Yohei, who was walking in front, was alright, except his hair was a little messy. But Tetsuo Hotta's face was a different story; several bruises were very noticeable, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth.
Okusu wasn't much better off; he covered his mouth as he walked, and it didn't seem like a simple toothache.
When Haruko saw this, her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know much about fighting, but she knew that the other side had more people, Yohei and his friends would definitely be at a disadvantage.
However, when she looked back again, her eyes widened in surprise.
Compared to the injuries sustained by senior students Tetsuo and Okusu, the six Toyotama guys behind them could only be described in four words: a pitiful sight.
Especially the blond-haired leader, whose previous arrogance had completely vanished. Now he was being held up by two companions, one on each side, his eyes were black and blue, as if he were wearing sunglasses, and his face was swollen and covered in blood. If it weren't for the blond-haired guy still being there, it would be almost unrecognizable.
The other five weren't much better off; they were all hunched over, their clothes were dirty and torn, and they looked incredibly pathetic.
"They... how could they..." Haruko covered her mouth; she had never seen anything like it before.
Yoko, who was beside her, was more composed and gently squeezed her hand.
The situation couldn't be clearer: Yohei and his group were not only unharmed, but they had won decisively.
" Yohei! Yohei!"
Takamiya and the others waved excitedly, as if welcoming a triumphant hero.
When Yohei Hiraide, there weren't so many people in the stands yet; now that he's back, he almost couldn't find a seat. Hearing the shouts, he finally figured out the direction, waved in this direction, and grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth.
Then, he turned to the group of blond-haired men and said a few words to them. The blond-haired men quickly nodded and bowed—although it was a bit difficult for the blond-haired men to nod, they definitely understood.
" Maki, look over there!!"
Nobunaga Kiyota was also drawn by the commotion. He glanced at the scene and exclaimed in surprise, feeling a surge of satisfaction. He didn't know Yohei, but at that moment he just wanted to give this brother a thumbs up.
Shinichi Maki didn't react much, merely glancing at the scene with a slight smile. "Let's watch the game. Things should be changing on the field soon."