The first game to start today was the championship favorite, Sannoh Industrial High School. Two hours before the game began, the area outside the stadium was already packed with people. Sannoh's fan base is unparalleled in the country. Many people knew they couldn't get into the stadium, but they were still happy just shouting slogans at the entrance. Besides, many girls were content just to catch a glimpse of Sawakita Eiji.
As soon as the Sannoh team bus arrived at the stadium entrance, fans swarmed around it. " Sawakita! Sawakita!" Amidst the cheers, Eiji Sawakita waved to the fans. It would be a lie to say he wasn't secretly pleased, but Sawakita wanted more than just that.
"Turn off that smug look on your face." Masashi Kawata with a stern face, his words practically overflowing with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
"Hehe, I didn't want this either." Sawakita's words hit Masashi Kawata's sore spot, and in front of the fans, he grabbed Sawakita and locked him in a tight embrace.
"Damn it, everyone says that if you're good at basketball, girls will like you. Why doesn't that rule apply to me?!"
"Could it be because your head is too big...?"
"You scoundrel! Prepare to die!"
Masashi Kawata is a guy with a big head who's always looking for love. Although not many girls like him because of his looks, his skill is truly terrifying. In this match, Sannoh played their starting lineup for only 10 minutes, just like always.
Masashi Kawata was probably spurred on by what happened earlier, and he played incredibly aggressively for the next ten minutes, making all nine of his shots and racking up 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Many big men might not be able to score that many points in a full 40 minutes.
Masashi Kawata's mini-outburst effectively sealed the game's outcome. After Sannoh substituted their starters 10 minutes later, the score was 34-6. Sannoh was telling everyone that they could blow out the game whenever they wanted. So, fans hoping to see Sannoh's true skill had basically had their fill; the remaining 30 minutes were largely uninteresting.
Sannoh's bench is stronger than many teams' starters, but they are true champions and disdain bullying weaker teams. When their substitutes come on, they just play casually and even throw the game, keeping the point difference at around 30 or 40 points. This approach is consistent with Goro Domoto's style of doing things.
When the game ended, Sannoh easily won by 37 points. The much-anticipated Eiji Sawakita once again "coasted," playing only 10 minutes and scoring 6 points with 1 steal, while also missing a defensive play. Averaging 6 points per game over two games, he's earned the title of "point-controlling master." However, no one thinks Sawakita has weakened; the opponents were simply too weak for him to even attempt a shot. Sannoh fans can only patiently wait for the semifinals.
As soon as the game ended, the entire Sannoh team changed their clothes and headed straight for the Shohoku vs. Aiwa Academy match. At this moment, Sawakita's eyes were much more excited than when he was on the court.
Northern Stadium.
The scene here is just as impressive as Sannoh's. The area outside the gymnasium is packed with people. Dai Moroboshi Shirasawa Shohoku and Aiwa Academy are incredibly popular and influential.
While Sannoh was enjoying a relaxed and carefree game, the match between Shohoku and Aiwa Academy was a true clash of titans, which had already been hyped up by fans to the skies.
Dai Moroboshi has been competing in the national tournament for two years, leading his team to the semifinals every year. His strength has been proven in the tournament. However, Aiwa Academy also has a less flattering nickname... the semifinal gatekeeper. They've reached the semifinals for two consecutive years, but ended up finishing fourth. To put it bluntly, if they encounter the other three semifinal teams, they're basically just easy prey.
This also shows that they were indeed quite lucky. Take last year for example, the Kainan Team was at its peak, but unfortunately, they were drawn into the death bracket of Sannoh Industrial High School. As a result, they ran into Sannoh in the semifinals Aiwa, on the other hand, was drawn into the left bracket with Hakata Shodai Affiliated. They had a smooth run until the semifinals when they met. In the end, Dai Moroboshi fought hard, but still lost to the Hakata Twin Stars.
Some fans couldn't resist commenting that if Kainan were moved to the left half of the draw, Kainan would likely make it to the finals; but if Aiwa were moved to the right half, they would at best reach the quarterfinals.
Of course, this is all just casual talk among fans, there are no "what ifs"... Luck is also a part of ability. Reaching the semifinals for two consecutive years is definitely not just good luck. No one can deny Dai Moroboshi's superb individual ability. At least before the semifinals, Dai Moroboshi was a bug-level existence, often leading the team to victory by himself.
His performance led many to haile him as "the man closest to Eiji Sawakita ".
However, what others say is their business, Dai Moroboshi himself doesn't agree. During a team interview this year, Coach Aiwa was full of confidence and said that Dai Moroboshi might be able to surpass Sawakita this year. As a result, Dai Moroboshi next to him shook his head like a rattle drum and said "Impossible", which almost made the coach faint on the spot.
Looking at Shirasawa on the other side, after yesterday's tough battle against Toyotama, he has truly made a name for himself in the National Tournament, proving that the previous news reports weren't just empty boasts. He and Hiroshi Morishige are being called this year's super rookies. Most fans believe that Dai Moroboshi is Shirasawa's touchstone. If Shirasawa can put up impressive stats today and lead his team to victory against Aiwa, then he will be the next Eiji Sawakita... 0 0... He will definitely become famous overnight and become a national sensation.
An hour before the game started, the two teams arrived at the stadium one after another, and the cheers outside almost lifted the roof off.
"Just got the news! Hakata Shodai Affiliated High School beat Akizuki High School by a large margin and advanced to the quarterfinals!" A player ran in breathlessly to report in Aiwa's locker room. It seems Aiwa's luck has really been bad this year. Last year's semifinal opponent is now firmly in the quarterfinals, waiting for them with predatory eyes.
"Don't think that far ahead," Dai Moroboshi said. "Our first priority is to take down Shohoku. I'll emphasize again, Shohoku is very strong; their strength is no less than that of Hakata Shodai Affiliated." If you were to ask who outside of Kanagawa Prefecture understands Shohoku's strength best, it would definitely be Dai Moroboshi. He personally witnessed Shohoku defeat Kainan and also personally witnessed Shirasawa take down Shinichi Maki.
In Dai Moroboshi's mind, Shirasawa was at least on his level. Moreover, Shohoku had a huge advantage over Aiwa... that was their inside game. Takenori Akagi and Hanamichi Sakuragi were incredibly destructive. Whether Aiwa could withstand them was directly related to Aiwa survival.
"Alright, get ready to go! Remember this, everyone: show your best skills and give it your all!"
In Shohoku's locker room, Takenori Akagi was acting differently today. He started warming up early, or rather, releasing excess energy, his excitement palpable. This game held another special meaning for him. Over a month ago, someone told him that if he could reach the national top eight... today, Akagi stood on that threshold, and that person was watching him from the stands.
In the audience, sat an old man and a young man, namely Shota Sugiyama and Kazuo Karasawa.
"Do you think Akagi can complete the mission?" Kazuo Karasawa asked.
Shota Sugiyama replied calmly, "If he doesn't perform as expected in this game, even if Shohoku advances to the quarterfinals, I will take back my previous promise."
"Oh? That's a bit like breaking your promise, isn't it?"
"I believe he knows in his heart that Fukazawa Sports University doesn't need weaklings." Shota Sugiyama didn't say this lightly. A month ago, he promised Akagi that if Shohoku could make it into the national top eight, Fukazawa Sports University would send him an invitation. Today, he suddenly said he might take back his promise because Shohoku's opponent is Aiwa Academy.
According to his understanding, Aiwa's interior defense is quite weak... If Akagi can't even break down an interior defense of this caliber, then this quarterfinal spot is meaningless for Fukazawa. After all, Fukazawa wants individuals who can stand on their own, not just those who get in through teamwork.
"So what exactly do you mean by 'making it through'?" Kazuo Karasawa asked with a smile. His thoughts differed from Shota Sugiyama's. In his opinion, even if Akagi had been eliminated and sent home yesterday, he would still want to recruit Akagi into the team. From a coach's perspective, he valued Akagi's potential more, while Shota Sugiyama clearly valued his current strength more.
"You need at least 25 points and 10 rebounds, that's the minimum requirement," Shota Sugiyama stated. Akagi was unaware that his upcoming task had this hidden clause.
As the stands erupted in thunderous cheers, the players from both teams took to the court, each occupying their half and beginning their warm-up shots. Just then, another commotion broke out in the stands... because a group from Sannoh Industrial High School walked in! Wherever they went, they were the absolute center of attention, especially Eiji Sawakita.
Masashi Kawata, his face looking somewhat intimidating, moved closer to Sawakita and chuckled, "Hey, Sawakita, looks like you have quite a few female fans here."
"Um... okay, I'm quite happy, is this answer acceptable?"
Sawakita put on an innocent look, but the female fans' topic was like a stubborn leech, clinging to him and Big Kawata no matter how hard they tried to shake it off.
"Heh, I knew you'd say that... This is really infuriating!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Big Kawata grabbed Sawakita by the throat again.
"Whoa! Sannoh's gang is here too!"
Nobunaga Kiyota craned his neck to peer into the audience, " Maki, does Sannoh even regulate hairstyles? Everyone's head looks almost the same!"
Shinichi Maki nodded calmly.
" Sannoh also invited me three years ago, but I turned them down because of this awful hairstyle requirement."
"Hmm... if it were me, I'd probably refuse too."
"You're overthinking it. You have no chance at all."
The referee blew his whistle, and both teams' players retreated to their benches.
The coaches began their opening instructions.
Shohoku's strategy is clear: focus on inside offense.
Use your strengths to relentlessly attack the enemy's weaknesses.