Uozumi Mikio from the inside, couldn't gain any advantage. No matter how much he squeezed, Mikio seemed rooted to the spot, completely unmoved.
In the end, Sendoh relied on his individual skill to defeat Kazunari Fukatsu, using a sudden stop and drift to force the ball into the basket.
Kazunari Fukatsu was also convinced. Among the players he had defended, there were very few he felt he couldn't contain. Sendoh's playing style was too straightforward, maximizing his height and wingspan advantage. Fukatsu could guess what he was going to do, but he just couldn't reach him. And since Sendoh wasn't breaking through, what could he do?
Offense and defense transition. Kazunari Fukatsu controlled the ball and organized the offense. As soon as Mikio came on, Sannoh's strategy became clearer - just attack his area.
Fukatsu turned and dodged Sendoh, making a sudden stop and passing the ball to Mikio. Mikio was still a few steps from the basket, with Uozumi behind him, putting all his strength into pushing him away.
Mikio gave a goofy grin, put down the ball, and sat inside.
Thud, pushed it in one step. Thud, pushed it in another step.
Uozumi's feet barely moved; he was as if he'd been bulldozed, his shoes sliding backward on the floor. The force of the impact left Uozumi's face etched with disbelief. No, it should be said that everyone except the Sannoh members was dumbfounded.
Mikio made a strong run to the basket, turned around, and his bulky body sent Uozumi flying two steps. He then leaped up to matchbox height and easily put the ball into the hoop.
The ball went in! Mikio scratched her head and grinned sheepishly at Uozumi.
"Hehehe, are you alright? I was so worried I might have hurt you..."
The fat man's seemingly innocent demeanor stung Uozumi's heart. He had never suffered such an insult in his life. Although Mikio was unintentional, the speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. If it were Hanamichi Sakuragi, he probably would have already started cursing. Uozumi may look fierce, but he still had manners. He just glared at Mikio without saying a word.
On the other hand, Masashi Kawata, sitting on the bench, shook his head, looking utterly disappointed.
"My idiot brother."
" The Monkey Boss wasn't even able to put up a fight against this fat guy!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi pointed at the field, his eyes almost popping out of their Uozumi. Putting everything else aside, in terms of strength alone, Sakuragi acknowledged Uozumi's strength. That monster's physique was no joke. But this fat guy who had just come up had casually pushed Uozumi out of bounds, clearly several orders of magnitude weaker in strength.
The last time Sakuragi encountered a power monster was Hiroshi Morishige, but now he thinks this fat guy is even more outrageous than Hiroshi Morishige. These guys who made it to the semifinals are all fucking monsters.
Takenori Akagi was also dumbfounded.
In terms of pure strength, he and Uozumi were about equal, but Uozumi was also a size thicker than him.
Mikio can bulldoze Uozumi like a bulldozer; if it were Akagi, how much better would the outcome be?
Is this Sannoh Industrial High School's trump card...? Even their backup center is this outrageous. Just imagining the scene with the Kawata brothers sandwiching him makes Akagi feel breathless.
The Sannoh is truly terrifying.
In the final minutes of the first half, thanks to Mikio Kawata's interference, Ryonan not only failed to gain momentum, but the score almost fell further. It was only thanks to the Twin Stars' strong offense that they didn't collapse.
The score remained 65-52 until the halftime whistle.
Sannoh Industrial High School leads by 13 points.
Uozumi's performance in those 20 minutes was completely over. He played the entire first half, scoring only 2 points and grabbing 2 rebounds.
That's right, Ryonan's interior pillar, Kanagawa's monster Uozumi, only played 20 minutes in the semifinals and delivered this performance. On both offense and defense, he was completely outmaneuvered by the Kawata brothers.
When he returned to the locker room, Uozumi was completely dejected. The fierce energy he had at the beginning was nowhere to be seen.
Of course, there are objective reasons why Uozumi played so poorly. Both teams had high offensive efficiency and few rebounds to begin with. Ryonan's offense relied entirely on their Twin Stars, with no one else able to contribute.
It's not that they're the only ones with that ability; it's that they genuinely lack it.
Hiroaki Koshino and Kiccho Fukuda were completely unable to perform to their usual standard, allowing Minoru Matsumoto to handle them flawlessly. Ryonan's Three Muskets was effectively rendered useless.
If it weren't for the exceptionally high level of play from the Twin Stars, this match would have been over long ago.
Sannoh's strength not only overshadowed Ryonan, but also silenced Shohoku.
Watching a hundred recorded games is not as real as witnessing a live match. Apart from Shirasawa and Hanamichi Sakuragi, everyone else had their doubts.
Shirasawa goes without saying. If Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa could fight like that, he could only be stronger than them. This was something everyone could have predicted, including those from Sannoh Industrial High School. No one dared to confidently say, "I can lock down Shirasawa." This was the intimidating power Shirasawa had forged in the group of death.
As for Hanamichi Sakuragi, as always, no matter who you are, you're all trash in front of this genius.
I am the greatest in the world.
This incredible composure, though perhaps a bit naive, is something his teammates are incredibly envious of. Not having to think so much is such a joyful thing.
The one under the most pressure is definitely Takenori Akagi.
This time, the pressure was even greater than when playing against Meihou Industrial. Against Meihou, at least he knew the team had the overall superior strength, and no matter how he performed, the outcome wouldn't change.
But Sannoh is different. Masashi Kawata's true strength has yet to be revealed. The unknown is the greatest fear.
In comparison, Hiroshi Morishige's direct and violent approach was much more satisfying. At least you knew what he was going to do and how to fight back. Besides, Hiroshi Morishige didn't actually beat Uozumi.
Uozumi's performance, to a large extent, also represents Takenori Akagi and the face of the traditional center.
" Akagi, the rest is up to you."
During halftime, Coach Anzai said goodbye to Akagi and then got up to leave. Being able to watch half the game was already a rare treat for the old man.
He seemed preoccupied throughout the first half of the game. He left early partly due to physical reasons, and partly because he had already sat for too long during the first game against Shohoku. Also, watching half the game was enough for him.
We've basically figured out Sannoh's playing style and player abilities. Now we need to figure out how to get the players to counter them.
To reiterate, the psychological aspect is more important than the technical aspect.
Coach Anzai concluded that Sannoh Industrial High School would be their opponent in the finals. He had to win this final game early.
65 to 52.
Ryonan entered the second half trailing by 13 points.
During halftime, Uozumi in the locker room, slapping his face in frustration. 2 points and 2 rebounds—these stats directly reflected his contribution on the court, how could he possibly accept that?
They promised a do-or-die battle, they promised to give it their all, but the result was this. Uozumi felt like committing suicide.
In the end, it was Moichi Taoka truly understood him. This was perhaps the last time Moichi Taoka would advise his eldest disciple. The time the master and disciple had left on the field was running out.
In this match, Moichi Taoka focused entirely on the psychological and mental aspects. There wasn't much to say about the technical aspects; as I said before, Ryonan played flawlessly.
There was really nothing that could be done if Eiji Sawakita couldn't defend against it.
Meanwhile, on Sannoh Industrial High School's side, Goro Domoto unleashed a torrent of criticism in the locker room, expressing his deep dissatisfaction with his players' performance in the first half.
The main problem is that the Ryonan Twin Stars become too arrogant. This is definitely not the level of defense that Sannoh should have.
On the offensive end as well, Goro Domoto meticulously listed several illogical attacks, leaving his teammates speechless.
During the fifteen-minute halftime break, the two teams seemed to be living in two completely different worlds.
As soon as the second half started, the stands on Sannoh's side erupted in cheers, with fans shouting about the Finals.
Based on the first half, who dares to say that Sannoh will lose? Nobody dares. The same goes for Shohoku.
Ryota Miyagi let out a long sigh.
"I really can't imagine what Ryonan can come up with next. Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa are already at this point, unless they can pull out a third player who can score."
"Where did the third one come from?" Hanamichi Sakuragi chimed in quickly, " Fukuda's offense is completely out of sync with the pace of this game. You can't improve that kind of thing in halftime."
Hisashi Mitsui frowned and shook his head.
"I think Ryonan's problem isn't their offense, but their defense. Only by pinning them down for a few rounds will they have a chance to turn things around."
After saying this, Mitsui himself fell silent. Wasn't Ryonan's predicament the same one Shohoku was about to face?
When Shonan finally faces Sannoh, how will they attack? How will they defend? Right now, they're truly in cahoots with Ryonan.
On the field, Uozumi jumped again and won possession of the ball.
Ryonan took the initiative and launched their second-half attack.
But Sannoh made a move, with Goro Domoto benching Minoru Matsumoto and replacing him with Satoshi Ichinokura. This move immediately raised Sannoh's defensive intensity even further.
Satoshi Ichinokura had his sights set on Kaede Rukawa, who had been on fire in the first half.
Nobunaga Kiyota jumped up from his seat, pointing his finger at the court.
"Who is this short guy?! His defense is like a mad dog! Kaede Rukawa can't even touch the ball!"
That's right, the "short guy" he was referring to was Satoshi Ichinokura. If even Kiyota, who's 1.78 meters tall, calls him a short guy, how short must he be?
1.71 meters tall.
He almost snatched the title of "shortest player" from Ryota Miyagi.
Shinichi Maki spoke in a deep voice.
"That's Satoshi Ichinokura, Kiyota. A national defensive specialist, currently only he can live up to that title. His defensive style is all about tearing apart opponents, making it incredibly difficult for them to even receive the ball. Sannoh has no shortage of offensive firepower; they're going to strangle Ryonan on the defensive end."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud "smack" was heard on the field.
Satoshi Ichinokura intercepted Sendoh's pass to Kaede Rukawa.
Just as Shinichi Maki said, this guy's defense is all about tearing and biting, pushing every move to the limit, and the moment he steps onto the court, he throws the word "stamina" to the winds. That's what it means to truly fight with your life on the line.
It was precisely because of this that he was able to gain a foothold in the highly competitive Sannoh Industrial High School complex.
As soon as the ball was intercepted, Sannoh's counterattack shot out like an electric current.
The ball was passed directly to Eiji Sawakita.
Sawakita charged forward with the ball, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Kaede Rukawa and Sendoh chased desperately, but the distance between them just wouldn't shorten.
After crossing the free-throw line, Sawakita caught the ball, jumped, and floated lightly into the air.
A powerful one-handed dunk adds two more points!
The movements were incredibly graceful, almost excessively elegant.
The ball went in. He turned around, looked at Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa running towards him, spread his hands, and smiled.