The shouts from the stands rose and fell.
The starting players from both sides took to the field one after another.
For Meihou Industrial, the starting five are arranged as follows: point guard is captain Nakashima Norika, shooting guard Daimon Saburo, small forward Morishima Ryoshi, power forward Maeda Ryuu, and center is naturally Hiroshi Morishige.
The players took their positions. Near the center circle, Hiroshi Morishige and Akagi stood face to face, ready for the jump ball. However, from the moment he stood in the center circle, Hiroshi Morishige's eyes changed, and he couldn't hide his fierceness. Takenori Akagi naturally didn't dare to be careless either, and immediately tensed all his muscles, ready for battle.
beep!
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, the basketball was tossed high into the air.
The two centers took off almost simultaneously, their jumping speeds being nearly identical.
Takenori Akagi's large hand reached for the basketball first, flicking it towards his own half of the court!
"Beautiful! Well done, Akagi! You actually snatched the first point from that monster!" Hikoichi Aida excited he almost jumped up, shouting at the top of his lungs. You see, before today, Hiroshi Morishige had never lost a jump ball!
" Akagi has jumped over more balls than that kid has played more games. In terms of experience alone, Hiroshi Morishige is far behind. Of course, looking at the whole country, the only one who can beat Akagi in a jump ball is me, Jun Uozumi." Uozumi curled his lip, his tone a little unconvinced, but also a little smug.
On the court, Shirasawa received the ball from Akagi and began to organize Shohoku's first attack. Meihou's captain, Nakashima Norika, came up to guard Shirasawa, and in this matchup, Shirasawa's side seemed to have a clear advantage. In terms of height, wingspan, and even size, Nakashima Norika was inferior. The only thing he could boast about was his "captain" title, which sounded quite impressive.
Shirasawa easily brought the ball to the frontcourt. Compared to the previous few games, Shohoku's offense was noticeably smoother today. Apart from Akagi being somewhat troubled by Hiroshi Morishige, the other players seemed to be able to find some scoring opportunities.
Akagi was indeed having a tough time. Anyone could see he was giving it his all, but he just couldn't find a comfortable position under the basket. Hiroshi Morishige was like a moving wall, completely blocking the area under the basket.
Shirasawa observed for a few seconds and made up his mind. He dribbled left and right a couple of times, then suddenly accelerated, like a gust of wind, and in one step he passed Nakashima Norika, rushing straight towards the basket!
The Shohoku fans in the stands erupted in cheers. "Holy crap! Shirasawa is going straight for Hiroshi Morishige!" "He's here so soon? Xiao Bai Ze, beat him!" Everyone's hearts were in their throats. Was the game going to be decided in the first few seconds?
Rushing to the vicinity of the free-throw line, Shirasawa gathered the ball, took two quick steps, and jumped!
Almost simultaneously, Hiroshi Morishige also released Akagi, moved sideways a step, and leaped up under the basket, ready to block!
These two are the most outstanding newcomers in this national competition, and they are also formidable figures ranked in the top three on the MVP list. No one expected that such a "collision of Mars and Earth" would happen in just over ten seconds at the start!
Shirasawa held the ball high above his head with one hand, while Hiroshi Morishige's massive body completely covered him, leaving Shirasawa no space to shoot.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, the two collided squarely!
Judging from the scene, neither of them lost their balance in the collision. However, Shirasawa was clearly taller! Using the force of the impact, he slightly shifted his body and slammed the ball down towards the rim!
With a muffled thud, the basketball rim felt like it had been punched.
The basketball pierced the net, bounced high after landing, and almost flew into the stands.
"Holy crap! Shirasawa is done!"
Someone in the audience shouted so loudly their voice cracked.
"A dunk over Hiroshi Morishige! That's fucking violent!"
"My God, that's a monster who averages nine blocks per game!"
" Shirasawa! Shirasawa!"
The place erupted in chaos.
Yusuke Oda agape, and he couldn't close it for a long time.
In all his years as a coach, this was the first time he'd ever seen someone dunk on Hiroshi's head, and do it so hard.
The key point is, this was deducted after the confrontation?
Is Shirasawa even human?
The two fell from the sky.
Hiroshi Morishige's large frame landed on the floor with a thud, but he didn't fall.
Anyone else would have been sent flying by the impact.
Shirasawa glanced at him and nodded inwardly.
However, that alone is far from enough to stop yourself.
The two locked eyes for a moment, their gazes electrifying.
"Hahahaha, you idiot, you idiot!" Sakuragi clapped his hands and jumped up and down. "Got it? Let me tell you, next up is my turn to dunk on you!"
That expression was incredibly smug.
Nakashima Norika walked over and patted Hiroshi Morishige on the shoulder, " Hiroshi, it's okay, we'll get our revenge next time."
Hiroshi Morishige grinned. "Interesting, really interesting."
After the first round, the Shohoku fans had the upper hand.
The entire stadium was chanting Shirasawa's name, as if they wanted to tear the roof off.
" Kawata- senpai," Eiji Sawakita chuckled, "Do you think Shirasawa would dunk on you like this if we ran into Shohoku?"
He clearly already had a picture in his mind.
That shot really startled Sawakita, but he felt he could do the same thing.
So you still dare to joke about this.
" Sawakita, you'd love to see this, wouldn't you?" Masashi Kawata said with a dark face, then suddenly grabbed Sawakita by the neck.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, and with that gesture, he exuded a certain air of authority.
The shift from offense to defense.
Meihou Industrial gets the ball.
Just as Nakashima Norika crossed the halfway line, Shirasawa suddenly pounced on her.
His posture was just like a tiger.
Nakashima Norika's mind went blank for a moment, and her feet unconsciously took a step back.
beep!
The referee blew his whistle.
A turnover on the return court resulted in possession of the ball by Shohoku.
" Shirasawa loves to pull this kind of stunt, he's shameless."
On the sidelines, Hiroaki Koshino muttered to himself, having learned his lesson the hard way.
Shohoku got the ball again.
Mitsui throws the ball in from the sideline, and Shirasawa receives it in midfield.
He dribbled to the left three-point line, slowly looking for an opportunity.
Under the basket, Akagi and Hiroshi Morishige were still locked in a fierce battle, their movements so close it looked like they were fighting.
Sakuragi, on the other hand, ran around happily, dashing all over the field.
Shirasawa knew what he wanted to do; this guy wanted to receive the ball and dunk it in front of Hiroshi Morishige.
As for Coach Anzai's talk about practicing mid-range and long-range shooting, he had long forgotten about it.
But we can't give him the ball now.
Hiroshi Morishige is eagerly awaiting his revenge.
Given Sakuragi's personality, he'd definitely suffer if he went up there.
Shirasawa dribbled behind his back, switched the ball to his right hand, and then pulled it to the right.
Once we reach the top of the arc, we'll provide cross cover with Mitsui.
Shirasawa walked away with two defenders and casually passed the ball back to them.
Mitsui receives the ball at the top of the key and immediately shoots.
Three points in the pocket.
Shohoku defeated them 5-0.
" Meihou Industrial's perimeter defense is simply not keeping up."
"The combination of Shirasawa and Mitsui is likely to crush them."
Hikoichi Aida's eyes lit up.
Sendoh shook his head. "It's not that easy. Meihou Industrial will definitely find a way to get the ball to Hiroshi Morishige."
"Let the inside players go head-to-head with Shohoku and keep the score close."
"So the key still lies with Akagi."
After he finished speaking, he turned to ask, "Right, Kaede Rukawa?"
No one answered.
Sendoh looked and saw that Kaede Rukawa had fallen asleep against the wall.
"That kid," Sendoh said with a smile and a shake of his head, "Coach, Kaede Rukawa is slacking off and sleeping."
Meihou Industrial has launched another attack.
Nakashima Norika was being extra careful this time.
He's not a captain for nothing.
Shirasawa's sudden attack caught him off guard.
Now he is prepared.
However, Shirasawa wasn't stupid, and he didn't continue to try and steal it.
Nakashima Norika successfully brought the ball to the frontcourt.
Meihou Industrial has only one tactic: pass the ball to Hiroshi Morishige.
Hiroshi Morishige had only one task: to figure out how to catch the ball.
But Akagi was stuck in the middle.
From the moment he took his position, Akagi went all out, relentlessly flanking and defending.
He always stood in front of Hiroshi Morishige.
Akagi's height was not a disadvantage, which made Nakashima Norika hesitant to easily lob the ball high.
Kogure's palms were sweating as he watched from the sidelines.
Akagi was practically risking his life, constantly shifting his feet to Hiroshi Morishige's path.
"Hang in there, Akagi!"
However, at this critical moment, Hiroshi Morishige slammed into Akagi, forcefully pushing Akagi aside.
Nakashima Norika breathed a sigh of relief and immediately sent the ball higher.
But the next second, Shirasawa completely filled his field of vision.
How can he jump so fast!
Nakashima Norika had only one thought in her mind.
He's no rookie; he deliberately created distance before passing the ball.
He was clearly at least two or three steps away from Shirasawa, and the ball was thrown upwards.
Who would have thought this guy would spring up like a spring?
This isn't because I'm bad at this, it's because this guy is just too outrageous!
Snap!
Regardless of what Nakashima Norika thought, Shirasawa had already intercepted the ball solidly.
Before the person even landed, they were thrown forward.
At the same time, Ryota Miyagi burst out from the middle and started battling with the ball.
The ball flew in front, Miyagi chased after it, like a dog chasing a frisbee.
When the time was right, Miyagi raised his hand and caught the ball, which landed steadily in his hand.
He jumped and made a layup, adding 2 more points for Shohoku.
7-0!
Shohoku's start was explosive.
"Exaggeration, utterly exaggerated. His athleticism, reaction time, and judgment are all top-notch. The last guy like him was named Sawakita."
Kazunari Fukatsu smiled, his eyes fixed on Shirasawa.
" Fukatsu- senpai is starting to have his eye on you, huh? He'll come specifically to annoy you during the finals."
"I can't believe it," said Eiji Sawakita with a chuckle.
"Not necessarily." Kazunari Fukatsu smiled confidently. " Sawakita, tell me, if I play ten games with you, how many of them can I defend?"
Sawakita stroked his chin and replied rather modestly, "One?"
Kazunari Fukatsu:...
" Kawata, he told me yesterday that you have a big face, go get him."
Two consecutive attacks failed, and captain Nakashima Norika can't escape the blame.
He was the only person at Meihou Industrial with data, and he made two mistakes.
He glanced at the coach on the sidelines.
Yusuke Oda nodded firmly, signaling him to continue fighting.
With her coach's support, Nakashima Norika regained her spirits and carefully pushed the ball across the halfway line.
Inside, Takenori Akagi and Hiroshi Morishige were still battling it out.
Both of them were incredibly strong; each collision produced a dull thud.
Haruko, sitting in the audience, kept covering her mouth, her eyes filled with worry.
She's been watching basketball for so long, and she's never seen an opponent that her brother could fight so hard and still not gain the upper hand.
Uozumi and Akagi arm-wrestled back then, they could only manage a draw at best.
But even with Hiroshi Morishige Hiroshi's advance, Akagi couldn't defend against him.
"My god, if Hiroshi Morishige got into a fight, he could probably kill someone with one punch."
Nozomi Takamiya said incredulously that he felt the metaphor was the most apt.
This is also the most direct feeling in the audience's mind.