No space on offense? Then search the entire court! Lost your position on defense? Then use your speed and explosiveness to make up for it!
Poor Ken Hoshino became a direct victim of Sakuragi's "beast-like instincts"... being dragged around the field by this red-haired kid, enduring inhumane back-and-forth runs.
Just 13 minutes into the second half, Ken Hoshino's thigh cramped up again.
His teammates had to carry him off the court; this time, there was no going back.
Who would have thought that the nation's top striker, Ken Hoshino, would be literally run off the field...
Ken Hoshino sat on the bench, regretting his actions immensely: If only he hadn't followed that red-faced egg around so much on defense!
As soon as he left the court, Hanamichi Sakuragi seemed to have unlocked a cheat code, successfully breaking through one after another and even delivering several powerful dunks.
At that moment, Ken Hoshino's regret vanished instantly.
Well, I guess my choice back then wasn't wrong after all.
However, this guy's physical abilities are just too freakish...
Ken Hoshino watched Sakuragi bouncing around on the field and sighed inwardly: This red-faced egg will definitely be a big problem in time!
Yes, Ken Hoshino was convinced.
He admitted that he had encountered stronger opponents, and of course, physical fitness was only one aspect.
As his direct opponent, he saw Sakuragi's actions on the court most clearly.
What's even more terrifying is that this red-haired kid is actually improving while playing ball!
In terms of absolute strength, Sakuragi is still far behind Ken Hoshino.
But Ken Hoshino knew in his heart that Sakuragi's talent surpassed his own, and it was probably only a matter of time before he surpassed him.
Even if you don't think that far ahead, at least for now, he's been forcefully "beaten" down by Sakuragi.
Regardless of the method used...
Ken Hoshino clenched his fist. He knew he had to work hard on his physical fitness when he got back!
As soon as Ken Hoshino off the field, Hakata Shodai instantly reverted to its old mode of Hajime Chiba sole core player leading the team.
Hajime Chiba was stunned; he never expected Ken Hoshino to leave in this way.
Even with the two of them teaming up, they couldn't beat Shohoku. Now he's all alone, what's the point of playing basketball?
Even with such a high shooting percentage in the final moments of the first half, they were still dominated by Shirasawa.
In short, Hajime Chiba is now in a real bind, and can only grit his teeth and drag the team forward by himself.
However, this also completely exposed him to Shirasawa's defensive range.
Without his teammate's screen, Shirasawa could finally play freely and have a proper showdown with him.
The first round,
Hajime Chiba wanted to use his speed to break through from Shirasawa's left side, and just as he entered the three-second zone, he prepared to throw a shot.
Shirasawa darted out from beside him like lightning, and with his absolute height advantage, swatted the ball away with a "smack!"
Hajime Chiba's speed is indeed fast, but Shirasawa's reaction is just as quick!
Next round,
Hajime Chiba has learned his lesson and tried to bypass Shirasawa by running along the baseline, then pulled off a reverse layup under the basket.
When he looked up, Shirasawa's face appeared in front of him again.
Hajime Chiba's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong. He had tried to block Bai Ze twice in a row, but Shirasawa was being incredibly disrespectful.
He quickly adjusted his shooting angle and increased his shooting speed, barely managing to dodge Shirasawa's block.
Unfortunately, the ball went wide of the basket as a result.
Rebounds? Those have to be Hanamichi Sakuragi's!
Sakuragi grabbed the rebound and, without thinking, passed it to Ryota Miyagi.
Miyagi dribbled past half-court, seized an opportunity, and passed the ball to Shirasawa, who was following up in the middle, to continue the fast break.
Shirasawa charged into the three-second zone against Hajime Chiba's defense, then flicked the ball backward with his left wrist.
On the right wing, beyond the three-point line, Hisashi Mitsui calmly received the ball, using a fake move to blow away the defender.
Then, with composure, he jumped and shot, the basketball swishing through the net!
At this point, Shohoku had extended their lead to 17 points.
With a 17-point lead, Shohoku naturally wouldn't give Hakata Shodai any chance to turn the tide.
What they need to do is keep pushing the score higher.
With morale boosted, Shirasawa fully activated the pass button, unleashing a powerful offensive wave that surged forward against last year's national runner-up.
In the next 5 minutes, Shohoku went on an 18-2 run, and last year's runner- Hakata Shodai, was completely powerless to fight back.
In the 18th minute of the second half,
Shirasawa dribbled into the paint and, facing the defense, unleashed a powerful tomahawk dunk, the basketball swishing through the net!
This decision effectively sealed the fate of Hakata Shodai Affiliated.
Amidst the deafening cheers of all the Shohoku fans and the excited shouts of the entire bench team,
The referee finally blew the final whistle.
That whistle signaled the end of the match.
This also marks Shohoku's successful entry into the national semifinals!
This moment is a miracle for Kanagawa Prefecture.
For the first time in history, both teams from Kanagawa Prefecture, Ryonan and Shohoku, have made it to the national semifinals!
However, the two teams' paths to the finals were quite different.
The strongest opponent Ryonan encountered along the way was Daiei Academy, which had a full roster this year.
And what about Shohoku? Their weakest opponent was Toyotama High School, which had been among the top eight in the nation for two consecutive years!
They went on to defeat strong teams like Aiwa Academy and Hakata Shodai Affiliated.
As many players have privately discussed, the team that emerged from Group C, the "group of death," truly deserves a "group championship trophy."
After enduring a grueling schedule of back-to-back games, Shohoku did it.
If we're talking about the prestige of advancing to the semifinals, Shohoku is definitely the highest.
But at the same time, they are also the most exhausted.
Although Ryonan played more matches, the intensity of those matches was fundamentally different.
" Shirasawa! Shirasawa!"
"MVP! MVP!"
The chants of "MVP" echoed throughout the arena once again.
Shirasawa scored a whopping 55 points in this game, along with 20 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 blocks.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he single-handedly defeated Hakata Shodai in this match.
Anyway, Hajime Chiba didn't have much to say. He shook hands with Takenori Akagi on behalf of the team, then turned around and found Shirasawa.
" Sannoh is very strong, possibly stronger than you think. I suggest you go all out as soon as you step onto the field, don't let them gain the upper hand, otherwise your teammates might not even have time to react before the match is almost over." Hajime Chiba goodwill, clearly offering a sincere reminder.
"If I use my full strength, it can be quite terrifying," Shirasawa said with a faint smile.
The two shook hands and bumped shoulders.
In Shohoku's locker room, most of the teammates were celebrating making it into the national top four, their joy written all over their faces. Hanamichi Sakuragi also reverted to his usual cheeky self, his mouth stretched almost to his ears in a wide grin.
"Hahahaha... What Ken Hoshino? I, this genius, told you long ago that he's just a stepping stone!"
"I only used 30% of my strength, no, 20%! Heh heh, utterly pathetic!"
Today, Sakuragi's teammates let him play freely. Whether it was a lucky break or not, he did make a contribution and met everyone's expectations. Moreover, Sakuragi's shooting practice finally came in handy—he took 6 mid-range shots in this game and made 3! A 50% shooting percentage is already an unbelievable number for Sakuragi.
There was still a day of rest before the semi-finals, and the atmosphere in the locker room was usually very relaxed, but Takenori Akagi was frowning and looked worried.
At that moment, Kuwata ran back, panting heavily.
"Breaking news! Ryonan and Sannoh have both advanced easily; they will meet in the semifinals!"
" Jousei lost to Meihou Industrial, so our opponent in the semifinals will be Meihou!"
When Meihou Industrial was mentioned, Kuwata's voice trembled slightly.
"What is Meihou Industrial? I've never heard of it! Isn't Jousei the team you went to play practice matches against? Aren't they supposed to be very strong?" Hanamichi Sakuragi looked completely bewildered; these things about the team were far beyond his comprehension.
The battle report brought by Kuwata struck a chord with Akagi, causing him to furrow his brow even more.
"Haven't you paid attention to anyone else besides yourself? Meihou Industrial has been incredibly popular these past few days." Miyagi shook his head helplessly. "Our luck has really hit rock bottom..."
" Kuwata, how did Hiroshi Morishige perform today?" Mitsui asked curiously. Apart from Sakuragi, no player would ignore the daily game reports and statistics—partly to understand potential opponents, and partly out of genuine curiosity. Especially with the explosive statistics in this tournament, the exaggerated statistics of previous years are now commonplace, and several statistical monsters have broken historical records. Shirasawa is one, and another is Hiroshi Morishige of Meihou.
" Hiroshi Morishige achieved a super triple-double with 50 points, 25 rebounds, and 11 blocks!" Kuwata announced the stats, and the locker room fell silent instantly.
"That's way too much!"
" Jousei couldn't contain him at all!"
"Is this the third consecutive game he's been this dominant?!"
After a brief silence, the locker room erupted in excitement. No matter how you looked at it, Hiroshi Morishige's stats were outrageous, even surpassing Shirasawa's 50+20. This was the first triple-double in this year's national tournament.
"What about Mikoshiba? He didn't contribute at all?" Mitsui continued to ask. He quite recognized Mikoshiba's abilities, after all, the two had faced off before, and Mikoshiba was excellent on both offense and defense, and was also a five-star high school student. This was also the first five-star high school student that Hiroshi Morishige had encountered.
" Mikoshiba only scored 14 points the whole game. I heard that his offense was completely shut down by Hiroshi Morishige." Kuwata himself couldn't believe it. He had seen Mikoshiba before. To beat Mikoshiba like this was beyond his imagination.
Akagi and Kogure exchanged a glance; the result was pretty much as they had expected—the first half had said it all. This was the question that had been troubling Akagi: after defeating Hakata Shodai Affiliated School, how was he going to defend against Hiroshi Morishige in the next match?
"This guy is freaking out, he's going to play us next game, Akagi, are you okay?" Mitsui patted Akagi on the shoulder. He hadn't watched Meihou's games, and his knowledge of Hiroshi Morishige came from the game reports. Although the stats were terrifying, the opponents' inside players were weak, especially Jousei, which was the basis for Hiroshi Morishige. He believed that Akagi could contain this rookie.