Miyagi and Shirasawa rushed forward like two bolts of lightning, but Hajime Chiba's speed was no joke, and that's when it became apparent.
He squeezed through the two of them, causing the ball that Miyagi was about to pass to Shirasawa to stop in his hands.
But Miyagi had already collected the ball, and it was too late for him to pass it again.
So he simply flicked his wrist and tossed the ball toward the backboard.
Shirasawa, like an old partner, understood with just a glance, took big strides to catch up, and jumped up in a flash.
By this point, Hajime Chiba was at his wit's end.
Being able to stop them even slightly is already considered doing their best.
Shirasawa caught the rebounding ball steadily and slammed it into the basket with a loud thud!
The moment this play was executed, the fans in the stadium erupted in cheers.
Meanwhile, the point difference between the two teams widened to 4 points.
This is Shohoku's biggest lead since that opening three-pointer!
Hakata Shodai Affiliated immediately called for a halt...
They can't let Shohoku gain momentum like this; they have to nip it in the bud, even if it's just the slightest sign of it.
According to the plans of Hakata Shodai Affiliated, this game will most likely be a battle that goes down to the last few seconds, or even the last ball, before a winner is decided.
Moreover, they had already prepared tactics for this situation.
Absolutely no mistakes can be made along the way.
" Hoshino, you need to be careful of Hanamichi Sakuragi. That last attack of his was definitely not a coincidence."
Hajime Chiba frowned and reminded him.
He saw it clearly just now; the screen didn't have much effect on Sakuragi, Sakuragi attention was focused on Ken Hoshino the whole time.
Moreover, the speed that burst forth in that instant also surprised Hajime Chiba.
"Ah, I understand. I'll pay attention to him next time." Ken Hoshino nodded.
On the Shohoku bench,
Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly became a hot commodity.
As soon as he stepped off the field, his teammates surrounded him and showered him with praise.
After all, it was his first mid-range shot in his professional career!
And that block on Ken Hoshino just now was absolutely brilliant!
" Sakuragi, keep this up! If we can stop a few more of their shots, we'll just go for it and take them down in one fell swoop!"
Takenori Akagi clenched his fists, his face full of confidence.
In the current situation, whoever gains the upper hand first will essentially take control of the game.
"Okay, leave it to me!" Hanamichi Sakuragi's eyes also became particularly serious.
During this pause, he didn't actually float away...
This really took everyone by surprise.
" Sakuragi, that was a good shot."
Coach Anzai stretched out his chubby hand and looked at Sakuragi with a smile.
Sakuragi grinned and gave Coach Anzai a high five.
It seems that the grueling week of training between the master and apprentice finally paid off, and the results are evident.
All the effort and sweat were worth it at this moment.
Pause time is up.
The players from both sides returned to the field.
Hakata Shodai Affiliated School took the inbound pass, which was steadily passed to Hajime Chiba, who then organized the attack.
It's the same old routine: Ken Hoshino moves to the high post, and he sets a pick-and-roll with Hajime Chiba.
After breaking it apart, Ken Hoshino received the ball, turned around, and tried to dribble past Sakuragi.
Sakuragi can keep up with his speed now, but Ken Hoshino has come up with some new tricks.
He won't attack directly; he'll first use a feint to fool you!
Just as Ken Hoshino thought he had shaken off Sakuragi and was about to make his move,
Suddenly, a thunderous roar rang in my ears!
drink!!
Ken Hoshino's ball was slapped away solidly by Takenori Akagi!
Hanamichi Sakuragi isn't fighting alone!
"Here it comes! The Gorilla's fly-swatting hotpot!!"
The Shohoku bench erupted in cheers.
"Chimpanzees."
Hanamichi Sakuragi pursed his lips and gave Akagi a high five.
He knew that Akagi would definitely come to reinforce the defense.
Just like when they played against Shoyo, Akagi knew that Sakuragi would definitely be able to grab those rebounds.
Shohoku's interior defense has always been a cohesive unit!
The intensity of the competition escalated rapidly from this point onward.
Hanamichi Sakuragi stared intently at Ken Hoshino.
Shirasawa's defensive intensity also increased accordingly.
The pick-and-roll offense of the Twin Stars from Hakata Shodai Affiliated can no longer be as unrestrained as before.
With their two consecutive plays disrupted, Shohoku seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack.
Sakuragi on offense was completely alive, running all over the court with Ken Hoshino, constantly looking for opportunities for himself.
Of course, opportunities aren't so easy to find.
Sakuragi was blocked by Ken Hoshino in the middle.
However, this time Sakuragi didn't get angry like before.
After those ten-odd minutes of competition, Hanamichi Sakuragi truly regarded Ken Hoshino as a formidable opponent.
A formidable opponent is someone whose abilities are indeed superior to one's own.
Even geniuses have to admit the truth sometimes. He's currently working hard to catch up with Ken Hoshino.
How to catch up? What else can we do but give it our all!
Can't find an opportunity to run back? Then I'll just pass it across to the baseline!
The baseline isn't an option either? Then I'll just run around the three-point line!
In short, it all boils down to one word: run! Run until you have a chance!
The first half has reached the 18th minute.
Shohoku leads by 6 points, 59-53.
"Holy crap... Ken Hoshino actually fell for Sakuragi?"
Nobunaga Kiyota's eyes widened, and he clicked his Delia in a smirk.
That's right, Ken Hoshino really did fail.
Just seconds ago, Ken Hoshino ran in the opposite direction and collided head-on with Sakuragi.
With a muffled thud, Sakuragi staggered back two steps, while Ken Hoshino landed squarely on his backside.
Ken Hoshino's strength and impact were already comparable to Sakuragi's; the reason he was knocked down was simply because he was exhausted...
I'm really tired!
Ever since Sakuragi made that first mid-range shot, he's been on fire, running non-stop for almost ten minutes without even taking a breath, constantly battling Ken Hoshino physically.
Ken Hoshino considers himself to be one of the best in the team in terms of physical fitness, but he can't keep up with this kind of overexertion!
The 17 shuttle runs in the physical fitness test were called the "deadly 17-shuttle" by the players. Sudden stops and starts are torture for the knees and heart and lungs. But what he and Sakuragi did was hardly a 17-shuttle.
It was a complete collapse from start to finish, collapsing in the frontcourt and then in the backcourt... Ken Hoshino's thighs were numb from all the collapse, and he didn't dare to ask for much ball possession on offense.
This red-haired number 10 doesn't seem to have particularly impressive technical skills, but his physique is incredibly durable! No exaggeration!
In this final collision, Ken Hoshino couldn't hold on any longer; his thigh jerked violently, and he collapsed to the ground.
Sakuragi was stunned. "Get up! This is nothing!"
Ken Hoshino really couldn't get up; his thigh cramped up so badly that half of his face went numb, and he had to be helped off the field by his teammates.
It's not a serious injury, but I need to rest and recover.
Even Shohoku didn't expect that Sakuragi wouldn't use any fancy tricks; he just used sheer stamina to defeat them...
If I had known to let Sakuragi wear him down at the start, he'd probably be in the hospital by now!
Coach Anzai chuckled, "That's right, this is also part of our training camp."
After Ken Hoshino left the field, there was still a little over a minute left in the first half.
In terms of timing, the impact on Hakata Shodai was not significant; during this period Hajime Chiba undoubtedly took over the offensive.
Hajime Chiba dribbled the ball past half-court, making a series of quick changes of direction, and with his lightning-fast first step, he charged straight at Shirasawa.
Shirasawa's physique and speed were not to be underestimated, so they weren't going to let him pass easily. The two of them rushed in side by side.
Hajime Chiba slight stop and pulled back, then threw the ball.
Shirasawa turned and jumped up, and despite being almost two steps away, he managed to block the ball!
Hajime Chiba was speechless: That should have been a good shot, but I encountered a bug...
Hajime Chiba turned and lunged to retrieve the ball from the floor, but Shirasawa caught up with him.
This time, Hajime Chiba chose to break through, using the time difference to slip past Shirasawa, and drove to the baseline to face Takenori Akagi with a reverse layup, which went in.
It was really difficult for Akagi to block him; the two were simply not on the same wavelength— Akagi had barely reacted when the other player had already shot the ball.
It's not that Akagi isn't capable enough; even if Masashi Kawata came, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything to Hajime Chiba. Chiba is a natural nemesis of big guys.
The score became 59-55, with Shohoku in possession of the ball.
Without Ken Hoshino's defense, Sakuragi's side had a much easier time.
While Ken Hoshino was getting cramps, Sakuragi was acting like nothing was wrong, still running around inside the three-point line.
Shirasawa faked a shot and then passed the ball to Sakuragi had made a run to the waist position.
Sakuragi caught the ball, stood up smoothly, and made another mid-range jump shot! He proved with his actions: I wasn't just guessing!
I turned around; there was less than a minute left.
Hakata Shodai inbounds the ball from the baseline, Hajime Chiba screen, moves to the free-throw line and drifts out to shoot, making the shot.
When it was Shohoku's turn to attack, Shirasawa pulled up for a jump shot from the same spot and answered the call.
In the transition between offense and defense, Hajime Chiba faced off against Shirasawa one-on-one at the top of the arc. After a series of large crossovers, he used his speed to dribble behind his back and move laterally, creating an open space on the left side of the three-point line.
Just as Shirasawa was about to block the shot in the face, the three-pointer flew out of his hand—"Swish!" It went in again!
After scoring, Hajime Chiba pointed provocatively at Shirasawa.
Shirasawa smiled faintly, "They're unhappy with the basketball shooting game at the night market that night."
That night, Hajime Chiba hit 19 out of 20, and Shirasawa hit 20 out of 20, even with added difficulty. Hajime Chiba's provocation was definitely because he remembered that incident.
Anyway, he's on a hot streak right now, so provoking Shirasawa might yield some unexpected results.
Shirasawa dribbled the ball up the court, lowered his center of gravity, and dribbled between his legs repeatedly. He then pulled up with a crossover, misled the opponent, and stepped back to the three-point line before jumping and shooting – "Swish!" In the same position, he connected with Hajime Chiba.
The audience realized: these two just came on stage!
With 40 seconds remaining, Hakata Shodai serves another ball from the baseline.
Hajime Chiba didn't hold back, dribbled the ball and ran to the frontcourt, shooting directly between the center circle and the three-point line!
This move caught Shirasawa completely off guard—who would have thought he would throw from such a distance?
Turning around, I saw that it had actually gone in...
The Hakata Shodai High School fans were practically hoarse from shouting, yelling Hajime Chiba's name at the top of their lungs. That long-range three-pointer was incredibly inspiring; they refused to believe that Shirasawa could return the favor. On the other side, the Shohoku fans were not to be outdone, their cheers just as loud, determined not to be outdone. As a result, all eyes and pressure were now focused on Shirasawa.
To be honest, that position is really far. The furthest Shirasawa had ever shot before was a three-pointer from around the mid-court line, but that was pure luck. But now, although the position is even more outrageous, his touch is completely on fire, so it should be... not a big problem? The main thing is whether he can find the right rhythm when he shoots.
"How could he make that? I think Hajime Chiba was just lucky. He definitely wouldn't have made another shot. Shirasawa is really in a bind now." Hiroaki Koshino curled his lip. He didn't believe that he could throw that distance with real skill. Ninety-five percent of the time, it was just luck.