"Brother, please be careful," Haruko Akagi whispered.
Nakashima Norika faced Shirasawa for the third time, and thankfully didn't fall into the same trap three times.
He found an opportunity and passed the ball inside.
Hiroshi Morishige once again forcefully pushed past Akagi and received the ball in the midfield position.
Akagi did everything he could, flanking the ball to interfere with receiving it and constantly pulling Hiroshi Morishige outwards.
That off-ball defense was already quite impressive.
But Akagi was indeed having trouble with Hiroshi Morishige Hiroshi's strength.
Bang!
Hiroshi Morishige his back and attacked Akagi -on.
Normally, those two shots would have been enough to get him right to the basket.
But Akagi was no match for that level of opponent, and he stubbornly resisted with his exaggerated pectoral muscles.
With each blow, Akagi took a deep breath.
Even so, Hiroshi Morishige still managed to squeeze in quite a bit.
Just then, Hiroshi Morishige suddenly turned around and slid past Akagi.
His agility was completely unlike that of someone his size.
With a quick grab of his ball-protecting hand, he spun around in a flash, catching Akagi completely off guard.
Then, taking another step, he forced himself on her.
Boom!
He slammed the ball in with both hands.
Meihou Industrial finally broke their scoring drought.
The impact of that dunk was so strong that it made people gasp and feel a little sorry for the rim.
"Having strength comparable to Akagi, and that kind of agility, is just too outrageous."
Hikoichi Aida vigorously.
"Otherwise, how did he get those insane stats? But I don't think Akagi will make things too easy for him today."
Uozumi said firmly.
Kaede Rukawa Moichi Taoka, and was desperately trying to keep his eyelids open.
" Sendoh, you're not human."
Takenori Akagi was sweating profusely; his jersey was already soaked through.
He really put in all his effort in those few rounds.
Shirasawa dribbled forward, then suddenly made a misdirection, causing Nakashima Norika to be completely outmaneuvered.
He charged into the paint again!
Hiroshi Morishige; this guy was clearly looking for trouble.
Can we back down? We have to fight back!
He took a step forward and blocked Shirasawa's path once again.
Shirasawa dribbled past another player between his legs, then took off straight towards Hiroshi Morishige!
The two collided head-on.
Hiroshi Morishige the opportunity to slap him, but missed.
Shirasawa actually lowered his waist mid-air and forcefully pulled the ball back.
Swoosh~
The ball flew out like a skipping stone.
The point where the pebble lands Takenori Akagi!
Hiroshi Morishige and Shirasawa collided, sparks flying, and everyone's attention was drawn to the two of them.
But Shirasawa casually lit another ball of fire, and a third explosion suddenly occurred on the field.
Takenori Akagi caught the ball steadily under the basket.
His lips trembled, and every pore on his body seemed to explode.
roar!!
With Takenori Akagi's indestructible body rose from the ground!
He swung the ball behind his head with both hands, as if to slam all his pent-up anger into it.
boom!!
That shot practically split the basketball hoop in two.
The entire basketball hoop shook even more violently than when Hiroshi Morishige dunked earlier, and the stands erupted in cheers and screams.
"Hiss~~"
Nobunaga Kiyota gasped, "That was a really powerful shot! It felt like the rim was going to fall off any second now."
Shinichi Maki chuckled. "The best center in Kanagawa? Who's kidding me?"
On the field Takenori Akagi and Shirasawa high-fived. "Beautiful pass!"
Shirasawa's hand went numb from the slap.
This ball must be given to Akagi. How could Kanagawa's top center let Hiroshi Morishige dominate him the entire time?
Even if someone's individual skills are lacking, there's still us.
Winning the game is important, but winning the match is even more important.
The offensive and defensive maneuvers continue.
Meihou orchestrated the attack, passing the ball forward.
Takenori Akagi continued to front Hiroshi Morishige to defend him.
This was probably Hiroshi Morishige's most frustrating start to the game. Not only could he not contain the ball on defense, but he also got dunked on. On offense, he couldn't even get the ball, with Akagi constantly guarding him.
He is indeed stronger than Akagi, but when Akagi goes all out, his power is absolutely not to be trifled with.
Therefore, Hiroshi Morishige never felt comfortable.
As for the other players from Meihou, let's not even mention them.
Since Hiroshi Morishige joined the team this year, the team has basically revolved around him.
There is absolutely no other reliable strength.
So far in the Aichi Prefecture tournament, they have only lost one game.
That was the match where he was defeated by Dai Moroboshi in the county finals.
That game was also full of stories, Dai Moroboshi and Hiroshi Morishige didn't play together for very long.
Aiwa Academy was the first tough nut they encountered.
The second one is Jousei High School, which they thrashed in the last match.
This is yet another one-man team that's on the decline, and their star Mikoshiba, just happens to play a style that involves driving to the basket.
This is practically feeding Hiroshi Morishige food.
Therefore, Meihou Industrial has never actually encountered a truly strong team.
There's no doubt about Hiroshi Morishige's strength, but the others are another story.
When faced with Shohoku, a team that has been forged through countless trials, they can only reveal their true colors.
Ryota Miyagi suddenly darted out from a 45-degree angle and intercepted Meihou's pass.
Their attack was thwarted once again.
After intercepting the ball, Ryota Miyagi sprinted forward.
No one can catch him.
Oh wait, there's still one.
Hanamichi Sakuragi!
" Miyagi!" Sakuragi shouted as he ran.
Miyagi's lips curled slightly as he tossed the ball into the air.
Hanamichi Sakuragi leaped up as if by divine intervention, catching the basketball with one hand in mid-air and slamming it into the hoop.
11 to 2.
So far, Meihou has only managed one successful attack.
beep!!
Meihou Industrial has suspended operations.
Both teams returned to their respective benches.
"Good shot, Miya! You finally did something decent!" Hanamichi Sakuragi smugly rubbed his mushroom-shaped hair.
Miyagi grabbed his wrist. "Idiot, if you keep acting like this, I definitely won't pass it to you next time."
"Hahaha, don't be so stingy."
The atmosphere on Shohoku's side was incredibly relaxed, something rarely seen in the previous games.
The only one who wasn't having an easy time was Takenori Akagi.
He was already covered in sweat after only a few minutes of the match.
However, he was in surprisingly good condition, and his worry about Hiroshi Morishige had obviously been relieved a lot.
" Akagi, well done."
Coach Anzai patted Akagi on the shoulder, his tone filled with satisfaction.
Akagi nodded. "Thank you, Coach."
The simplest of methods, flanking him, was precisely what Coach Anzai had taught him.
Otherwise, Akagi would still be stuck in the vortex of trying to fight with brute force.
However, this method caught the attention of another person.
On the sidelines, Moichi Taoka frowned, trying to defend from the front. Akagi could do that, but Uozumi have a hard time.
With its Uozumi possibly Hiroshi Morishige? It would only get itself tangled up.
Moichi Taoka his knuckles turned white.
One thought kept running through his mind— Sannoh Industrial High School, how do I fight them?
As soon as the whistle blew to end the timeout, Yusuke Oda's expression changed.
A smile played on his lips, and his eyes held a certainty as if he had already won.
Meihou takes the ball from the baseline, and Hiroshi Morishige runs towards the attacking third.
Those eyes shone eerily, like someone who hadn't eaten for three days seeing meat.
" Hiroshi is going crazy this time."
Yusuke Oda back and sprawled out in a "big" shape.
His shoes were all kicked off, and his toes were dangling.
Calling him a coach is an understatement; he's more like an old man watching a show.
People in the industry are gossiping behind my back—"If you gave me Hiroshi Morishige, even my grandma could lead the team to the semifinals."
These words were hurtful, but Yusuke Oda didn't care at all.
He made his living off that fat, white guy.
Meihou began their attack.
Hiroshi Morishige, sticking his butt out, Akagi behind him.
Akagi twisted and turned, but he just couldn't squeeze through.
" Akagi- senpai has been suppressed!"
Hikoichi Aida yelled until his voice cracked, "That arm is way too long! There's no way to wrap it around!"
The ball was passed to the low post, Hiroshi Morishige received it and immediately unleashed a powerful shot.
Turn around!
He swung his arm in full force!
boom--
Akagi was knocked back two steps, watching helplessly as the fat man hung up the basket.
After landing, Hiroshi Morishige tensed his arms, his muscles bulging as if they were about to burst.
Akagi rubbed his chest, his teeth grinding together.
On the sidelines Uozumi his fists, muttering, " Akagi, you can't back down."
He said this partly to Akagi, and partly to bolster his own courage.
Masashi Kawata is an even more ruthless character than Hiroshi Morishige.
I'm somewhat confident that Akagi can hold on.
In the next round, Hiroshi Morishige came again.
He took a big step and hopped to the basket, then flipped over and slammed it home with a two-handed dunk.
He then received the ball in the waist position, toughed it out against Akagi, and smashed it in with one arm.
On the next attack, Hiroshi Morishige.
But his big, thick arms easily broke through Akagi's defense, and he jumped up to dunk the ball.
After several rounds, Akagi was starting to struggle.
Hiroshi Morishige was playing increasingly aggressively, but he couldn't catch up in the score.
On the contrary, Shohoku's offense was like a floodgate had been opened.
Shirasawa took the ball and started running all over the court.
Passing, dribbling, and distributing—the entire Shohoku team came alive.
Meihou's defense is as flimsy as paper.
The score was 43-25 after 12 minutes of the first half.
Shohoku is leading by eighteen points.
The difference is simply not in the same league.
People outside had already guessed it— Shohoku's advancement to the finals was a foregone conclusion; everyone just wanted to see how Hiroshi Morishige under the basket.
Or, to put it another way, whose stats are more explosive, Shirasawa's or Hiroshi Morishige's?
Shirasawa currently has 19 points and 9 assists, and he almost reached 20+10 before the first half was even over.
Hiroshi Morishige 18 points and grabbed 6 rebounds; he'd never had such a poor performance before.
But Yusuke Oda still had that "dead pig doesn't care" look on his face.
Are you satisfied with just making it to the semifinals? Well, with Meihou's lineup, getting this far is something to brag about for a year.
People only care about rankings; nobody cares who you crushed in the group stage.
If we can land a top-tier point guard to team up with Hiroshi Morishige next year, that would be a real breakthrough.
beep--
As Hiroshi Morishige turned around, the large elbow struck Akagi squarely on the nose.
Blood spurted out immediately.
Her teammates all rushed over, Haruko Akagi, sitting in the stands, anxiously stood up and looked around.
"Fine."
Akagi covered his nose and forced himself to stand up.
Blood seeped from between his fingers, dripping down.
"I didn't mean to, are you alright?"
Hiroshi Morishige tilted his big head, looking completely innocent.
Before Hanamichi Sakuragi could even speak, Sakuragi Akagi lunged forward and retorted, "I'll give you a punch, you try it!"
He had already rushed up to Hiroshi Morishige, their noses almost colliding, and his eyelashes nearly brushing against the other's face.
" Sakuragi, come back!"
Takenori Akagi roared, and although blood was still seeping from his nose, his voice was full of energy.
He wiped away the blood and waved to Hiroshi Morishige.
"It's normal for there to be play in the paint, don't take it to heart."
Coach Anzai then called a timeout. The old man stood up slowly, his first priority being to check on Akagi's injury.