Before leaving, Sakuragi gestured at Hiroshi Morishige twice, his eyes filled with a look that seemed to want to devour him whole.
But in reality, this matter is not really Shigehiro Hiroshi Morishige.
He plays aggressively, but he never uses dirty tricks.
He was really enjoying the physical challenge against Akagi, even finding it somewhat exhilarating.
As for Sakuragi —from that initial collision at the start of the game, and then watching him dunk several times under the basket, he had been seething with anger for a long time.
On the bench, Akagi tilted his head back and stuffed gauze into his nostrils.
Once the bleeding stops, everything is fine; the bridge of the nose and other parts are okay.
Ayako handed him an ice pack, which he took and pressed against the bridge of his nose.
Suddenly, Akagi turned his head towards Sakuragi.
" Sakuragi, you have to help me."
On the court, Akagi reappeared.
" Akagi is back!"
"It's nothing serious! Hang in there!"
" Gorilla! Teach that kid a lesson!"
The Shohoku fans in the stands went wild, shouting at the top of their lungs.
They dare to fight on the field even when blood is spilled; that's what makes them tough.
Who wouldn't give it a thumbs up after seeing this?
Akagi and Hiroshi Morishige for the entire match, which was witnessed by the audience. The intensity of the confrontation, with blood flowing and still continuing to fight, makes them true men no matter where you look.
Haruko stared at her brother on the field, her palms sweaty.
Others might only go online when they have nothing else to do, but her brother is different.
He's the kind of guy who'd charge forward even with a broken leg.
Only he knows the full extent of his injury.
" Haruko, don't worry," Yohei Mito said from the side. " Coach Anzai won't let them do anything reckless."
Yohei was a thoughtful person; a single sentence from him put Haruko at ease.
She even considered whether she should introduce Matsui to him.
Of course, what you see as a wonderful best friend may not be seen that way by others.
Both teams returned to the field.
Hiroshi Morishige committed an offensive foul, and possession of the ball returned to Shohoku.
Shirasawa received the ball at the top of the arc, flicked his wrist, and delivered a bounce pass across the halfway line.
The ball passed through three defenders and landed precisely in Ryota Miyagi's hands.
Miyagi smoothly rose and tossed the ball into the net with a clean and decisive motion.
Returning to the defensive end, Meihou began to increase ball movement.
Inside, Hiroshi Morishige on Akagi.
But this time, Akagi recovered and his erection was even harder than before.
Hiroshi Morishige's face turned red, clearly struggling.
Snap, snap--
Hiroshi Morishige the ball and still forced his way through.
After sitting down twice, Akagi took half a step back and then prepared to get up!
As a result, he didn't manage to jump up.
Akagi didn't lose his position, nor did he jump after him; instead, he firmly blocked his lower body.
Hiroshi Morishige couldn't generate enough power, and his original plan to dunk had to be changed to a small hook shot.
Just then, a loud roar exploded.
" Sakuragi!!"
"Knew!"
Snap--
Hanamichi Sakuragi sprang up like a cannonball, swatting the ball away with a single palm strike.
"Nice shot!"
"This hat is so beautiful!"
The entire bench jumped up, and Coach Anzai clenched his fists.
This is what he wanted— Akagi finally got it.
It's not about fighting alone, but about learning to trust and cooperate with your teammates.
With Akagi like this, he could rest assured once he entered university.
In terms of talent, Akagi may not reach the level of Shota Sugiyama or Masashi Kawata.
It's quite possible that Hiroshi Morishige will be involved in the future.
But Akagi won't lose to them.
Because he can not only fight, but also lead the team.
He may not be the ace, but he can definitely be a leader.
Ryuji Yazawa lacked was Akagi's comprehension.
Sakuragi's powerful block finally vented his anger.
After landing, he and Akagi gave each other a hard high five, and the two roared in unison.
The Twin Towers of Shohoku are an imposing force.
Shirasawa grabbed the ball first and launched a counterattack.
He dribbled past two opponents, charged into the frontcourt, leaped into the air, and executed a folding back dunk.
The entire Shohoku bench erupted in cheers.
On the sidelines, Moichi Taoka kept nodding.
The more he looked at Akagi's choice, the more he admired it.
He was very envious of the chemistry on the Shohoku team.
"Having crawled out of the death squad, they are more united now."
Moichi Taoka himself.
Honestly, if Ryonan had that kind of chemistry, their strength would be elevated to another level.
He couldn't help but think about it—his players were much easier to manage than those troublemakers from Shohoku.
Why can't they just work together as one?
What methods does Coach Anzai employ?
They can mold a group of unruly individuals into a cohesive team.
As soon as the offense and defense switched, the deafening roar of the crowd filled the ears of the Meihou players.
The pressure was real, overwhelming them and leaving them scrambling to keep up.
The ball was almost stolen by Shohoku again, and in a panic, they tried to stuff it back in.
Hiroshi Morishige hasn't gotten a seat yet.
The ball just went in.
Hiroshi Morishige was still two steps away from the basket, so he could only continue to back down and drive towards the basket.
Seeing the distance, Akagi decided not to waste any more time with him.
" Sakuragi!"
With a roar, Sakuragi lunged at him.
The two men, one in front and one behind, Hiroshi Morishige between them.
Three burly men huddled together, six arms and six legs, all their muscles taut.
This is a pure contest of strength.
Meihou wanted to help, but they couldn't even find a crack in the wall.
Sakuragi seized the opportunity and grabbed with both hands.
He gripped the basketball tightly with both hands.
Hiroshi Morishige also grabbed the ball, and the two began to compete.
Sakuragi's eyes widened, and the veins on his neck bulged.
He actually stood up to Hiroshi Morishige!
Even though it was just for a fleeting moment.
Hiroshi Morishige and suddenly pulled hard.
At the same time, his shoulder sank, and he slammed into Sakuragi.
Sakuragi stumbled.
But his hands were still gripping the ball tightly, not letting go.
The referee blew the whistle.
Fight for the ball.
But the three people on the field didn't hear it at all.
They're still stubbornly clinging to that position.
This shows how involved they were, and also how fierce the scene was.
The referee rushed over and blew the whistle again, finally separating the three people.
As soon as Sakuragi let go, he immediately put on an innocent face.
I didn't foul!
Hiroshi Morishige blinked his small eyes, looking completely bewildered.
I didn't foul, did I?
The referee frowned. "What foul? A jump ball."
" Sakuragi, well done!"
Akagi slapped Sakuragi on the back.
"Of course, I'm a genius."
Sakuragi raised his chin, a smug look creeping onto his face.
"How about that, little fatty? Now you know how powerful I am, right?"
Hiroshi Morishige simply smiled faintly and shook his head casually.
The two players walked to the free-throw line and stood in position.
The referee tossed the ball up into the air.
Sakuragi suddenly leaped into the air and swatted the ball forward.
But no one in the entire room moved.
" Shohoku's number 10 committed a jump ball violation; Meihou Industrial has possession."
when!
Sakuragi immediately took a punch to the back of the head.
"Idiot! What are you getting so worked up about! Haven't you jumped over the ball before?!"
Akagi was so angry he kept cursing.
That's just how Sakuragi is.
The moment you praise him, he'll make you regret it.
Just as Meihou got possession of the ball, Hiroshi Morishige and Akagi got tangled up under the basket again.
Meihou wanted to use Daimon Saburo's position to drop the ball inside.
After all, Daimon Saburo was facing the Miyagi.
As long as he doesn't dribble, Miyagi can't do anything about him.
The restrictions were in place, but the opponent used their height to force the pass, and there was really nothing you could do.
However, the ball hadn't yet reached Hiroshi Morishige's hands.
Sakuragi suddenly appeared from the side and intercepted him in mid-air!
They personally won back possession of the ball, which they had just lost.
Sakuragi has another characteristic.
You've just been utterly disappointed in him, and he can immediately make you feel like you were blind.
Shohoku capitalized on the momentum and launched a fast break.
Shirasawa broke through and passed the ball to Hisashi Mitsui on the outside.
Mitsui raised his hand and slashed again.
Three points secured.
In the final minutes of the first half, Sakuragi and Akagi continued to team Hiroshi Morishige.
Whether it was strength or the sense of oppression, it was the most ruthless thing Hiroshi Morishige had ever encountered.
One of his major flaws has also been exposed.
Pass the ball.
When he's double-teamed and has no other option, he'll pass the ball.
But once that ball is passed out, it basically just sends the ball into a fast break.
The timing was wrong, the awareness was insufficient, and the accuracy was far off.
The Meihou and Meihou continued to widen.
The whistle blew to end the first half.
66 to 38.
Shohoku leads by 28 points.
He's already halfway into the national finals.
" Shohoku!"
Akagi roared.
He clearly had a great time today.
This kind of exhilaration doesn't necessarily come from scoring a lot of points, putting on an exaggerated performance, or breaking a record.
Sometimes, giving it your all is a kind of exhilarating experience.
Just like Akagi now, his power is being fully unleashed in a match for the first time.
That's not even enough.
Moreover, through hard work and cooperation, they managed to contain their formidable enemy.
Akagi was feeling very pleased with himself.
He's a completely different person compared to when the competition first started.
During halftime, both teams returned to the locker room to adjust.
The player tunnel from Shohoku was right where Ryonan was waiting.
Two teams from Kanagawa met in the national tournament.
Although they didn't face each other on the court.
As they passed by, Uozumi said something in a low voice.
"Well played, Akagi."
Akagi smiled slightly and left a message.
"I'm waiting for you."
Uozumi slowly exhaled the air from his chest.
He wanted to play his last game as a professional player and face off against Akagi.
Unfortunately, it depends on whether the other side agrees.
As soon as the area was cleared, the forces from both Ryonan and Sannoh Industrial High School were able to see them clearly.
More than an hour later, it was their turn to go on stage.
Kitazawa.
Sendoh raised the corner of his mouth and glanced at Eiji Sawakita across from him.
Eiji Sawakita was also staring at him.
Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.
"Senior Sendoh, his name is Sawakita, Eiji Sawakita."
Hikoichi Aida corrected him again.
The entire Ryonan team knew about Sendoh's one-on-one fight with Sawakita.
However, the Sendoh never mentioned winning or losing, only saying that he had forgotten.
The purpose of bringing this up is one thing—to tell everyone that Kitazawa is ridiculously strong and we must keep a close eye on him.
However, the constant use of "Kitazawa" felt really jarring.
Hikoichi Aida patiently reminded him time and time again to call Sawakita.
" Hikoichi, I know him. He used to be called Kitazawa, I'm used to calling him that."
Sendoh replied with a smile.
His mouth is as stubborn as a dead duck.
before?
Hikoichi Aida is now a true data maniac.
According to the records, Eiji Sawakita was named Eiji Sawakita from the day he was born.
The second half began, and the grueling match continued.
After a flurry of activity during halftime, neither side's lineup changed an inch.
Hiroshi Morishige was still standing on the field.
This shows that Meihou Industrial has not yet admitted defeat.
The two teams jump the ball.
This time, Hiroshi Morishige had the upper hand and snatched possession of the ball from Akagi.
It's not that Akagi has become lax.
Rather, growth isn't something unique to Shohoku.