"Today we've made it into the top eight nationwide, so I've prepared some small gifts for everyone. Kogure, go and bring them in." Coach Anzai pointed towards the door, Kogure immediately understood, nodded, and went out.
"Haha, Dad's got some good stuff, even planning a surprise! What is it?"
"Yeah, Coach! There's a gift!"
"Hehehe~ You'll find out soon enough."
Kogure came in carrying several large insulated bags, and everyone's eyes lit up when they saw them—what was this all about? That's right! It was Coach Anzai's side business— Anzai Fried Chicken Shop! This fried chicken was famous throughout Kanagawa; the taste was amazing! The coach used to bring it over often to satisfy everyone's cravings, and it would always be devoured. It was the kind of chicken you'd crave if you didn't eat it for a while, and even Shirasawa loved it. Who would have thought you could find this in Hiroshima? It was a life-saving surprise during this grueling schedule!
"Hooray! I just opened a branch in Hiroshima, eat as much as you want, and I'll order more if you're still hungry."
"Dad, you're amazing! After eating this, this genius will definitely be in top form tomorrow!"
"Hehehe, then eat more and try to reach your 'superb' state."
The next day marked the fourth round of the national tournament. Initially, 59 teams were vying for a spot, but by today, only 8 remain – the national top eight! With over 50 fewer teams and 600-700 fewer players, the fans' enthusiasm has only grown stronger. After all, most of the strongest teams everyone wanted to see are still there. What follows are truly hard-fought battles; some matches will be absolutely epic!
Confidence is the foundation of any game; without it, all tactical arrangements are useless.
Kogure came in carrying several large insulated bags, and everyone's eyes lit up when they saw them... What's this stuff doing here? That's right! It's Coach Anzai's side business... Anzai Fried Chicken Shop!
This fried chicken is famous in Kanagawa, it tastes amazing! The coach used to bring it over often to satisfy everyone's cravings, and it would always be devoured. It's the kind of chicken you crave if you don't eat it for a while, even Shirasawa loves it. Who would have thought you could find this in Hiroshima? It's a life-saving surprise during this grueling schedule!
The next day marked the fourth round of the national tournament. Initially, 59 teams were vying for a spot, but by today, only 8 remain... the national top eight! With over 50 fewer teams and 600-700 fewer players, the fans' enthusiasm has only grown stronger. After all, most of the strongest teams everyone wanted to see are still there. What follows are truly hard-fought battles; some matches will be absolutely epic!
There are a total of 4 games today. Although they are played in two different venues, the Twin Hawks of Kanagawa are once again bound by fate and have been assigned to the same court. Ryonan will play first, while Shohoku will play second. The arrangement of the other court is also very interesting. The first game is Meihou Industrial vs. Jousei High School, and the second game is Sannoh's advancement game.
Ryonan finally gained popularity in Hiroshima after advancing to the quarterfinals. The Twin Stars Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa attracted a lot of attention from fans, while their opponents, Iwashimizu High School, were far inferior and were even jokingly referred to as a "greeting gift" for Ryonan... In fact, the outcome of the match was already decided yesterday.
"That guy Uozumi must be so smug right now." Akagi and Kogure were among the audience members in Meihou Industrial and Jousei's stands. Shohoku didn't require all members to arrive early to watch the game because, according to Coach Anzai's philosophy, it was better to sleep a little longer and be in better condition after a good rest. As for the Problem Children Army led by Shirasawa, they would definitely sleep until they had to get up.
The guys were chatting in their room all night. What could a bunch of old men be talking about, all arm in arm? Anyway, Kogure was in the next room, thought their laughter was sleazy and disgusting... So, Kogure, with a "critical" attitude, went over and joined in... As a result, when Akagi dragged him out of bed this morning, Kogure's eyes were bloodshot...
While others can rest, Takenori Akagi absolutely cannot. He's riding high right now; last night he received a call from Kazuo Karasawa, who clearly told him that Fukazawa Sports University had extended a formal invitation to him.
This relieved Akagi of a great worry, but of course he wouldn't relax because of it. Instead, he would focus even more on the national tournament and achieve his biggest goal—to dominate the nation! Joining Fukazawa as the national champion would give him a completely different level of confidence! So he dragged Kogure out to watch the match early in the morning.
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. Akagi is looking forward to watching the group final between Meihou Industrial and Jousei High School in Group A. The winner of that match will be Shohoku's opponent in the semifinals.
The reason Akagi mentioned Uozumi was because Ryonan would definitely enter the semifinals in an hour, which made Akagi somewhat jealous... Of course, he hoped that Ryonan would enter the semifinals, but he hoped even more that they would enter after him. Uozumi was the same way before, which can be described as a strange friendship between the two.
"Ha~~~ "Kogure yawned. "Compared to us, Ryonan is really lucky this year. Akagi, are you sure you're okay getting up so early? We still have a tough battle to fight later."
Akagi remained calm and composed. "It's alright, I'm in great shape right now. We'll watch this match for about 30 minutes, and then we should go back to prepare."
Kogure nodded. "Yeah, to be honest, we hope Jousei advances. At least we know them better, and we have a psychological advantage. During the offseason, Shohoku, without Sakuragi, crushed Jousei, giving them a huge psychological advantage. Moreover, the difference in strength between the two teams was very obvious in that game. If Jousei can really win today, then the semifinals will be a valuable round for Shohoku..."
"It won't be easy for Jousei to win. That Hiroshi Morishige been shining in these last few games. I reckon Mikoshiba won't be easy to beat," Takenori Akagi said in a deep voice. He had never seen Hiroshi Morishige play, but he knew about his incredible stats.
Akagi came mainly to see Hiroshi Morishige, because if Meihou Industrial advances, Akagi will have to face Hiroshi Morishige! Just thinking about facing a center who averages 30+20 is a bit terrifying, but there is a prerequisite: Shohoku must first get past Hakata Shodai Affiliated High School!
" Hiroshi Morishige! Hiroshi Morishige!"
As soon as the players from both teams entered the field, the entire stadium chanted Hiroshi Morishige's name, making Jousei seem completely unpopular in comparison. Mikoshiba averaged over 30 points per game, was clearly insignificant compared to Hiroshi Morishige's stats.
Ten minutes later, the game officially began. Hiroshi Morishige gained possession of the ball and launched the first attack with Meihou. He received the ball in the low post, backed down and took a step, and Jousei's center was instantly thrown off balance. He then took another step, turned around and dunked with both hands on the rim! It was as easy as if he were in an empty field.
Akagi had also faced off against Jousei in the paint, providing a direct comparison. With just this one play, Akagi gained a new understanding of Hiroshi Morishige's strength—not just that he was definitely bigger, but that 5.2 was absolutely bigger than him!
The game had been going on for 10 minutes, and the cheers from the crowd were almost nonstop. Hiroshi Morishige kept the atmosphere electric with his dunks and blocks. Meihou had a 12-point lead, 28 to 16. Even more terrifying than those 12 points was that Jousei simply couldn't handle Hiroshi Morishige! Even Mikoshiba, known for his strength, managed to hold his own against Hiroshi Morishige Mikoshiba for one possession, during which he was knocked out of bounds...
Kogure glanced at Akagi almost imperceptibly. He never asked, "Could you stop him if you were in his shoes?" because he didn't want to put pressure on Akagi. Or rather, in Kogure's opinion, Akagi probably couldn't stop Hiroshi Morishige either.
Akagi frowned deeply, wondering what he could do, but at least for now, there seemed to be no solution.
When Akagi and Kogure left the court
Akagi glanced at the Mikoshiba, a farewell to his old friend. They didn't watch for 30 minutes, leaving after halftime, as the rest of the match had become meaningless.
This game gave everyone one impression: Hiroshi Morishige is terrifying! He played the full 20 minutes of the first half, scoring 28 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking 7 shots... and that's just the first half! Looking at the entire national frontcourt, there are very few players who can put up those numbers for the full game, and even then, they need perfect timing, location, and teamwork. Hiroshi Morishige, a first-year player, has already climbed to the top of the pyramid, and Meihou Industrial finished the first half with a 20-point lead.
As for Mikoshiba, his value has been almost completely destroyed. He only scored 8 points in the first half, and 5 out of Hiroshi Morishige's 7 blocks were against Mikoshiba! This is related to Mikoshiba's offensive style; his forte is driving to the basket, but unfortunately, the paint was a no-fly zone today. In the second half, Hiroshi Morishige will surely deliver another blow.
Akagi decided to stop watching; continuing would likely negatively impact his condition. He needed to deal with the current situation at Hakata Shodai Affiliated first, and then consider how to counter Hiroshi Morishige.
At 9:30 a. m., the Shohoku Basketball Team arrived at the gymnasium by bus. The area in front of the gymnasium was already packed with people, chanting Shirasawa's name everywhere! Yesterday's instant fame was no exaggeration; Shirasawa's charm even drew many female fans from Sawakita to the gym... Masashi Kawata would probably feel a little gratified if he knew.
Finally, escorted by security personnel, Shirasawa waved and hurriedly entered the stadium with the team. Midway through, a female fan shouted, "I want to marry you!" Shirasawa looked her up and down and politely declined, "No way."
At 9:40 AM, the Shohoku Basketball Team entered the locker room. The game between Ryonan and Iwashimizu had officially ended, with a score of 104-80. As expected, Ryonan easily defeated Iwashimizu High School. Today, Ryonan Twin Stars was forced to hold back by Moichi Taoka. After playing three consecutive games, they needed proper adjustments.
Kaede Rukawa played 21 minutes, scoring 25 points and 4 assists; Sendoh played 18 minutes, scoring 22 points and 8 assists. After widening the score gap, the two players gave their time to their teammates. After the game, Moichi Taoka gathered the players together and shouted encouragement. The middle-aged coach from Kanagawa had tears in his eyes at that moment.
Ryonan will have a day and a half to rest before their next battle against Sannoh Industrial High School. Moichi Taoka will lead Ryonan to challenge this impossible task.
At 10:00 AM sharp, Shohoku left the locker room and headed to the court to warm up. The semifinal match between Shohoku and Hakata Shodai Affiliated was about to begin.