Hiroshi Morishige was also absorbing knowledge rapidly during this match.
Akagi was the toughest opponent he had encountered in his relatively short professional career.
High-level games are the best place for players to improve their skills.
Hiroshi Morishige may seem reckless and simple-minded, but his talent and potential are phenomenal.
Meihou Industrial's first attack in the second half.
Power forward Maeda Ryuu receives the ball on the baseline.
This can be considered a change that Meihou has come up with on the offensive end.
They prevented Hiroshi Morishige from being double-teamed as soon as he got the ball.
Maeda Ryuu's individual abilities aren't particularly strong; his only advantage on the field is his height.
Standing at 198 cm tall, he's even a bit taller than Akagi.
The downside is that she's thin.
He was ridiculously thin, like a giant bamboo pole.
Especially when he stands next to Hiroshi Morishige, the scene looks like he's entered the Mystic Dragon Cult.
Maeda Ryuu's role at this moment is to seduce Hanamichi Sakuragi.
This will relieve some pressure on Hiroshi Morishige on the offensive end.
No longer let Hiroshi Morishige- teamed, like he did in the first half.
This is one of the few tricks that Meihou Industrial can come up with.
Sakuragi couldn't avoid going.
Although Maeda Ryuu is thin, his height is undeniable, and his finishing ability is genuine.
If you're not careful, they'll score two points in no time.
Hanamichi Sakuragi reluctantly rushed forward to provide physical resistance.
Upon impact, a muffled thud resounded.
Having just finished Hiroshi Morishige, he suddenly found himself fighting Maeda Ryuu, and he couldn't control his strength at all.
The impact nearly broke Maeda Ryuu.
He staggered and nearly fell.
Sakuragi wasn't much better; he lacked the texture of Hiroshi Morishige.
He felt as if Maeda Ryuu's bones had pierced his body.
My nerves tensed up instantly.
The referee blew the whistle.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was called for a defensive foul.
"Hateful!"
Sakuragi frowned in annoyance, "This pole is way too soft!"
Takenori Akagi swung a punch at him.
"Idiot! Stop thinking about using your filthy hands!"
"Raise your arms and use your body to hold him down; just apply pressure."
Meihou takes the ball forward.
Then it was given to Maeda Ryuu.
Hanamichi Sakuragi followed Akagi's instructions, only interfering without exerting force.
Maeda Ryuu's offensive threat was instantly reduced by more than half.
Left with no other choice, it was given to Hiroshi Morishige again.
Hiroshi Morishige Takenori Akagi, pushing Akagi to his limit in one fell swoop.
He leaps up from under the basket and slams it in with both hands!
Meihou Industrial managed to close the gap to two points without much trouble.
However, those two points were gone in the blink of an eye.
On the defensive end, they couldn't find a way to break through Shohoku.
Meihou's defensive strategy, to put it simply, is to force the opponent into the paint.
Prevent sudden deployment.
Put him in so the attackers face Hiroshi Morishige.
It works against other teams, but against Shohoku, it's like giving them a free win.
First of all, Shohoku has a top-tier shooter, Hisashi Mitsui.
Mitsui is simply not someone that a defender like Morishima Ryoshi could contain.
Moreover, there's Shirasawa's unparalleled ability to control the ball.
As soon as Mitsui gets into position, the ball is immediately in his hands.
Once it's in hand, it's done in a flash.
This is exactly the same behavior they displayed when they played against Aiwa in the county tournament.
They have a hard time holding down Aiwa's shooting team.
Not to mention Hisashi Mitsui.
They're not even in the same league.
The offensive and defensive positions shifted again.
Maeda Ryuu received the ball again.
They wanted to use the same old trick to relieve the pressure on Hiroshi Morishige.
But Shohoku has already made adjustments.
Takenori Akagi stepped up.
Hanamichi Sakuragi replaced Hiroshi Morishige in the defense.
In terms of absolute strength, Sakuragi is almost on par with Akagi.
This won't make Hiroshi Morishige too comfortable either.
In contrast, it was Maeda Ryuu's side that was suffering.
Akagi nearly drove Maeda Ryuu to tears.
That guy can barely stand, let alone pass the ball.
Hiroshi Morishige had already blocked Sakuragi under the basket, holding his position firmly.
But the ball just wouldn't come over.
However, Akagi was like a mountain pressing down on his back, making it hard for Maeda Ryuu to even breathe.
Akagi suddenly made a move and snatched the ball from his hands.
Clean and efficient, directly eliminating Maeda Ryuu's point.
Coach Anzai watched from the sidelines, nodding in approval.
Even if he had to choose a hundred times, or a thousand times, he would still choose Akagi. No matter how strong Hiroshi Morishige, he can't match what Akagi can do on the field.
Masashi Kawata was sitting on the sidelines at that moment.
The people from Sannoh Industrial High School were also watching this match.
Masashi Kawata was quite interested in both centers, after all, everyone was saying that Hiroshi Morishige was catching up to him, and Takenori Akagi wasn't exactly an unknown player at the center position. However, he already had a general idea of what to expect from these two.
His gaze shifted away from the two centers.
" Nobe, what do you think of that redhead?"
Masashi Kawata was asking about Masahiro Nobe.
One of the five starters for Sannoh Industrial High School, in other words, a member of the strongest lineup in the country. Some of Sannoh's substitutes would become starters in college, let alone these starters.
Masashi Kawata singled him out because Masahiro Nobe forward, the same position as Sakuragi.
Moreover, the two of them did roughly the same amount of work.
Scoring is secondary; defense and rebounding are the main priorities.
Especially rebounds!
Among the Sannoh players, Masahiro Nobe was only average in other aspects. But he managed to squeeze into Sannoh and even become a starter just by virtue of his rebounding ability!
When Masashi Kawata saw Sakuragi, it was as if he were seeing Masahiro Nobe.
"He's alright, a young lad with little experience but explosive athleticism."
Masahiro Nobe grinned and summed up Hanamichi Sakuragi in one sentence.
Surprisingly, it was quite accurate.
"Really? I think he played quite well. I noticed him when we watched Shohoku play Aiwa last time."
Kazunari Fukatsu chimed in.
As the captain of Sannoh, Kazunari Fukatsu is absolutely the soul of the team on the court. His presence is even stronger than that of Masashi Kawata and Eiji Sawakita. As the captain and starting point guard of the nation's number one team, his leadership and dominance are beyond question.
But off the field, this guy is a complete idiot.
They have virtually no authority whatsoever.
They seem like two different people on and off the field.
So when he's off the field, unlike traditional captains who can scare their teammates even when they're sleeping at home, he doesn't act like one.
Of course, even if Kazunari Fukatsu is like this, there are still people who respect him at all times.
For example, Masahiro Nobe.
Kazunari Fukatsu spoke, Masahiro Nobe put on a serious face.
"Captain, that guy's name is Hanamichi Sakuragi. I've studied him carefully."
" Kanagawa Rebound King is indeed skilled at rebounding, but he plays too hastily and easily loses control when his emotions get the better of him."
"Most of his actions on the field depend on Takenori Akagi's direction."
"Like now, it's more accurate to say that Akagi is Akagi's right-hand man, rather than him being Akagi's right-hand man, constantly cleaning up his messes."
Masahiro Nobe spoke at length, as if he were taking an exam.
Kazunari Fukatsu was somewhat embarrassed by him.
He swore it was just a casual remark and he absolutely did not intend to test him.
"Um, Nobe, don't always be so serious. It's not that I don't believe you."
"Yes, Captain!" Masahiro Nobe replied crisply.
Kazunari Fukatsu was speechless, "Anyway, once we meet Shohoku, that redhead is yours."
"Mission accomplished!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi on the field had absolutely no idea that he was being analyzed from beginning to end.
Moreover, the conclusion doesn't seem to be very good.
However, Masahiro Nobe is right about one thing: Akagi did do a lot of work for Sakuragi on the court.
Ever since Akagi took charge of defending against that big bamboo Maeda Ryuu, Meihou Industrial's last bit of wavering has completely stopped.
Akagi used his defensive skills to create a barrier in the paint.
Even if Maeda Ryuu passes the ball to Hiroshi Morishige, Akagi can immediately cover and double-team Sakuragi again.
Similarly, Hiroshi Morishige received the ball directly, and Akagi left Maeda Ryuu unattended.
In any case Maeda Ryuu was completely under Akagi's thumb.
It's completely ruined.
After this change, Meihou Industrial never recovered.
Apart from Hiroshi Morishige, who could occasionally manage to kill one or two opponents, the other team members were completely finished.
The game was in the second half, twelve minutes in.
Shohoku has widened the gap to over forty points.
The outcome of this semi-final match was no longer in doubt.
During one of Meihou Industrial's defensive plays, Shirasawa charged into the paint and forcefully attacked Hiroshi Morishige.
Take off, crash into it, whistle blows, fire!
It was forced into a 2+1 score.
Coach Yusuke Oda has now made his final decision.
He replaced Hiroshi Morishige, unilaterally announcing his withdrawal from the match and from this year's competition.
When Hiroshi Morishige left the court, his stats were 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
This was the most frustrating match he had ever played in the national tournament, and the only time he failed to achieve a double-double.
But the kid didn't feel ashamed at all. Instead, he grinned and yelled at Yusuke Oda, "Uncle, we really have to pack our bags and go home now. Fighting those two guys was so much fun!"
After hearing Yusuke Oda's lips curled up, and there was not a trace of discouragement in his eyes.
" Hiroshi, we won't let you shoulder this alone next year. Consider this your chance to shine; we've made a fortune."
He said it casually, but everyone could tell that the old man had already planned his next move.
Immediately after the next round, Coach Anzai decisively withdrew all his key players.
With weapons sheathed and horses released to graze, Shohoku has officially entered the national finals!
"The national finals! That's a hurdle we from Kainan have never even crossed."
Shinichi Maki, standing in the stands, sighed. It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious.
Kainan is a powerful place, a dominant force in Kanagawa Prefecture, reigning supreme for sixteen consecutive years, and a formidable force known throughout the country.
Ironically, their best historical result was reaching the semi-finals.
Note that the final four does not include the champion and runner-up!
That's why Shinichi Maki managed to utter such a poignant remark.
Well, that's just fate.
Kainan has maintained a fairly high level of strength over the past sixteen years, with several years in which it ranked among the top two in the country, such as last year.
But just when you've reached the top two in the country, another team with the same strength will run into you. And let me tell you something—top two means second place, not first.
Ultimately, it's because Kainan isn't strong enough to act with impunity.
Including Shinichi Maki, Kainan has never produced a monster of T0 level like Shirasawa or Sawakita.
Even for top-tier players like him and Dai Moroboshi, the absolute best they could hope for is a top-four finish in the nation.
The person involved probably wouldn't think that way; at most, they'd lament being born at the wrong time, then console themselves. "If it were this year, we could definitely have achieved this or that..."
" Shohoku created a miracle this summer. Whether this year can be defined as the year of Shohoku depends on this final game."
Shinichi Maki's words were full of anticipation.
Nobunaga Kiyota smiled faintly, asking that question for the umpteenth time, " Maki, we all guessed that Shohoku would get this far, perhaps even foresaw it when they beat Shohoku, but we never dared to be certain of the outcome. What do you think now?"
Shohoku and Sannoh Industrial High School, who is stronger?
Shinichi Maki's answer was exactly the same as before, "Like I said, no one can predict the outcome until these two teams play a match."
"Is it because Sawakita is on one side and Shirasawa is on the other?"
Nobunaga Kiyota pressed on, " Maki, do you think Ryonan will definitely lose the match between Ryonan and Sannoh later?"
Shinichi Maki glanced at Ryonan on the sidelines, pondered for a few seconds, and then nodded firmly.
"That's right."
Yasuda, Tetsushi Shiozaki, and Satoru Kakuta were among those fortunate enough to make an appearance in the national semifinals.