The basketball bounced twice on the rim before finally falling in. Aiwa and everyone's anxieties were finally relieved, at least for now.
In the following rounds, both sides engaged in positional warfare. Shirasawa intentionally slowed down the pace of offense and defense, preventing Aiwa and helpless. In contrast, Shohoku's approach was much simpler. They were unhurried and not in a hurry to further widen the score gap. As long as they steadily passed the ball to the inside, Takenori Akagi would surely reward them. Shirasawa played with great ease, and his personal assist count was slowly climbing.
In the eighth minute of the second half, Shirasawa backed down Dai Moroboshi at the left 45-degree angle. He switched the ball from behind his back to his other hand, then spun around and launched a fadeaway jump shot with a graceful and fluid motion, the ball sinking cleanly. The score reached 98-73, with the gap between the two sides widening to 25 points.
"Let's go, the game is over." In the stands, Goro Domoto stood up and called for his teammates to leave. He had been quite cautious, thinking that Shohoku was going into the second half with a 20-point lead, Aiwa might still have a chance to turn the game around, so he watched for another ten minutes. But in those ten minutes, the gap between the two teams actually widened, and this wasn't just about the points, but about the overall strength of the teams.
Shohoku is playing with a more relaxed mindset now, but even so, Aiwa is still losing. The last ten minutes are definitely going to be even worse. Garbage time isn't on Goro Domoto's watch list; it's a pure waste of time. Besides, he's already achieved his goal— Shohoku has officially been added to Sannoh Industrial High School's list of opponents.
Sannoh's discipline is always strict. As soon as Goro Domoto gave the order, the entire team immediately stood up without hesitation. Amidst the murmurs of the audience and shouts for Eiji Sawakita, the Sannoh Industrial High School team left the stadium. Tomorrow's quarterfinals will be another day of "stomping the weak"...
As the Sannoh Industrial High School team stepped out of the arena, they bumped into two guys coming towards them. One looked menacing, while the other was a sunny and cheerful handsome guy—it was none other than Ken Hoshino and Hajime Chiba from Hakata Shodai Affiliated. They had rushed to Shohoku's side as soon as their own game ended. Yesterday's performance by Shirasawa had already left a deep impression on them, but after watching this game today, that impression was practically etched into their very bones...
Earlier, Hakata Shodai Affiliated easily won the game with a huge 36-point advantage, advancing smoothly to the quarterfinals. Their star duo, Ken Hoshino and Hajime Chiba, were still in top form, with the former scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, and the latter contributing 33 points and 14 assists, all with zero turnovers... So far, they haven't encountered any significant obstacles in the national tournament. However, after watching Shohoku's game, both of them felt that the real difficulties were probably just around the corner.
How to deal with Shirasawa has become their biggest headache. Hajime Chiba wasn't so arrogant as to think he could defend against Shirasawa one-on-one; their physical talents were simply not on the same level. It felt just like last year when they faced Sannoh in the finals and couldn't do anything against Eiji Sawakita.
Step... step,
Hajime Chiba and Ken Hoshino met with the Sannoh players, exchanging only glances without saying a word. Although last year Hakata Shodai Affiliated was the only team that could cause Sannoh any trouble, even Kainan couldn't do that.
" Chiba, did Masashi Kawata glare at me just now?" Ken Hoshino frowned, his tone slightly annoyed.
"No way, that's just how he is," Hajime Chiba waved his hand helplessly, "Didn't you two almost get into a fight over this last year...?"
Speaking of this, Hajime Chiba found it amusing. Ken Hoshino looked fierce, and Masashi Kawata was no pushover either... Both of them were the type who exuded charisma even without saying a word. If they glanced at each other on the field, they would both feel that the other was provoking them... which is why they almost got into a fight.
"Hmph, just seeing him makes me angry." Ken Hoshino pouted.
"Sigh... wait until you get past Shohoku before you hold a grudge against him," Hajime Chiba. "That kid Shirasawa is really putting a lot of pressure on me."
"What's there to be afraid of? Just give me the ball when the time comes," Ken Hoshino said, patting his chest confidently.
"Oh? Hanamichi Sakuragi made it so easy for you?" Hajime Chiba eyebrow.
Ken Hoshino just chuckled twice and said nothing more...
beep!!
The referee blew the whistle, Aiwa Academy called a timeout. At this point, 13 minutes of the second half had been played, and the score difference between the two sides was still 25 points. Aiwa Academy still couldn't find a way to break through Shohoku's defense. With only 7 minutes left in the game, it was almost an impossible task to close the 25-point gap.
Dai Moroboshi's high school basketball career is nearing its end. But he clearly has no intention of giving up.
Aiwa's head coach kept drawing on the tactics board, even though he knew in his heart that the tactics might not be useful, and even if they were, the players might not be able to execute them. But he still had to do his job.
At that moment, Dai Moroboshi reached out and pressed down on the head coach's tactics board.
His teammates' eyes immediately turned to him.
"I'll do it." Dai Moroboshi's eyes were sharp, and his tone left no room for doubt.
At this moment, Dai Moroboshi's teammates felt that he was fighting a desperate battle. Of course, that's putting it nicely; to be more accurate, it was a fight like a cornered beast. It wasn't that he was unwilling to admit defeat, but rather that he was unwilling to accept that his last year would end so hastily.
Even if there's only one second left, he'll fight with all his might; it's a kind of stubbornness ingrained in his bones. It was the same in the semifinals of the previous two years; Dai Moroboshi always fought until the very last second. He's very similar to his good friend Shinichi Maki in this respect; even if they lose, they'll walk off the court with their heads held high.
Besides, there are still 7 minutes left. He believed that if it were Eiji Sawakita or Shirasawa, they might actually be able to turn the tide. So why couldn't he, Dai Moroboshi, do the same?
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
Aiwa Academy inbounds the ball from the baseline. Dai Moroboshi dribbles the ball up the court and reaches the top of the arc, where he is facing off against Shirasawa. Before either of them can even get their footing, Dai Moroboshi suddenly raises his hand and shoots from two steps away from the three-point line!
Shirasawa reacted quickly enough, but he still couldn't completely block the sudden shot. To many viewers, the shot was simply a random throw, a signal that Aiwa Academy had given up on the game—since they couldn't organize an effective offense, they might as well let their star player throw something randomly and then substituted to surrender.
While everyone was still speculating wildly, Dai Moroboshi Dai's long-range three-pointer swished through the net like a cannonball, instantly narrowing the gap to 22 points.
Dai Moroboshi's eyes clearly told everyone on the field: I haven't given up yet!
In the transition between offense and defense, a three-pointer boosted morale, but its deterrent effect was questionable; it was merely a long shot. Shirasawa calmly orchestrated the offense, a fake pass and drive easily past Dai Moroboshi, then a behind-the-back pass to Takenori Akagi, who slammed home a dunk, bringing the score back to 24 points.
Dai Moroboshi took the ball and attacked again, calling a screen beyond the three-point line. The moment his teammate screened Shirasawa, he immediately took a step to the side and launched another three-pointer!
Two consecutive three-pointers! The point difference has increased to 21 points.
Shirasawa immediately retaliated, driving into the paint and easily scoring with a graceful layup.
Turning back, Dai Moroboshi continued playing at lightning speed, his touch on fire. After a series of dribbling moves, he launched another long three-pointer!
This time, however, Shirasawa didn't give him another chance! Shirasawa jumped vertically, stretched out his long arm, and "snap" the ball away, delivering a clean and decisive block.
The basketball was poked into the air, and after Shirasawa landed, he and Dai Moroboshi jumped again almost simultaneously.
Shirasawa grabbed the basketball first, and upon landing, he executed a behind-the-back dribble, easily brushing past Dai Moroboshi. At this moment, Shohoku's frontcourt was completely empty, and all the spectators held their breath, anticipating what kind of dunk Shirasawa would put on.
But Shirasawa suddenly pulled the ball and stopped abruptly two steps outside the three-point line.
The sudden stop caused Dai Moroboshi, who had caught up, to stumble and almost lose his balance.
He looked at Shirasawa somewhat embarrassedly, watching helplessly as Bai Ze raised his hand to shoot from far beyond the three-point line.
Thump!
The basketball swished through the net cleanly and precisely.
Shirasawa was clearly using the method that Dai Moroboshi was most skilled at to give him a resounding retort!
The score was pulled back to twenty-four points, Dai Moroboshi's efforts were in vain.
Honestly, Dai Moroboshi actually felt that if it were a player of Sawakita's or Shirasawa's caliber, they might actually be able to pull off a miraculous comeback in the last few minutes.
If it were him, it wouldn't be entirely without a chance.
But he completely forgot the most crucial point: Shirasawa was standing right on the other side, and on the opposing team no less!
These top players are not only capable of turning the tide themselves, but they also have the ability to extinguish any chance of a comeback by others.
" Moroboshi is very strong, but unfortunately, Shirasawa is even stronger than him."
Shinichi Maki sighed on the sidelines. Dai Moroboshi's indomitable spirit reminded him somewhat of his younger self.
However, it seems that their era is truly coming to an end.
With Shirasawa hitting another three-pointer, the gap between the two teams reached twenty-seven points.
With less than five minutes left in the game, the outcome was practically decided.
With three minutes left in the game, Dai Moroboshi attempted a floater, but unfortunately, he didn't control his power well, and the basketball bounced off the rim.
In the audience, Kazuo Karasawa craned his neck, thinking to himself: Can't that red-haired kid behave for a while...? Shouldn't we give Akagi a chance to show off?
"I'm a genius!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi was not one to stay still. He roared and suddenly flew out from the crowd, knocking the ball down over two people.
However, he didn't control the force of the shot, and the basketball flew towards his own basket!
Moreover, the trajectory was perfectly straight, heading straight for the center of the basket!
Hanamichi Sakuragi's face turned green instantly; for the first time in his life, he desperately hoped he wouldn't score.
Clang! Clang!
The basketball bounced off the backboard and then onto the rim, as if deliberately playing a joke on Sakuragi. It spun around the rim twice before "mischievously" jumping out.
Only then did Hanamichi Sakuragi's face slowly regain its color.