"Alright, I won't stop you. You can go see him yourself."
Sendoh also twitched the corners of his mouth, a smile playing on his lips.
That "he" is, of course Shirasawa.
The Ryonan Twin Stars' plan to stop Eiji Sawakita has completely collapsed at this point.
As per protocol, Sannoh Industrial High School didn't even attempt their final attack. Kazunari Fukatsu leisurely dribbled the ball across half-court, waiting for time to finish it off.
His personal statistics now include one more mistake.
But behind this mistake was Kazunari Fukatsu's three-year streak of leading Sannoh into the national finals!
"Our next opponent is Sannoh Industrial High School."
Kogure muttered to himself, just like a script that had played out countless times in his mind over the past few years.
In the end, the only team that Shohoku can defeat is Sannoh Industrial High School, the strongest in the country.
Who hasn't fantasized about standing on the finals floor, with Sannoh on the opposite side?
But not everyone can make this dream come true.
First, your team needs to be strong enough to crush your way into the finals.
Secondly, during the draw, they will be placed in two separate zones with Sannoh Industrial High School.
Finally, you and they all have to fight your way up through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, leaving no one behind, before you can meet at the summit.
Shohoku managed to meet all these conditions.
In the final battle, they actually ran into the ultimate boss.
From the group stage onwards, they were like they had a cheat code, only tackling the toughest challenges.
While others were just skimming the surface, Shohoku was fighting tooth and nail.
Finally, after fighting my way to the last level, I finally faced the biggest monster at the end.
This plot is so bad, you couldn't even build a stage to recreate it.
In particular, he targeted Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure.
It was exactly the same as the scene in their dream.
"Hmph, in the end, it's up to this genius to deal with them."
Hanamichi Sakuragi's lips curled into a wild, unrestrained smile.
This time, however, he wasn't just ignorant and fearless; he also had a bit of a desire to get revenge for that kid Kaede Rukawa.
There are ten seconds left in the game.
Ryonan had possession of the ball, Sendoh was holding onto this last bit of time.
They were the ones kneeling, but they knelt with composure.
Because everyone has squeezed out every last bit of energy.
You could even see that Sendoh's calves were trembling slightly.
He played the full forty minutes, truly giving it his all until he was completely drained.
His signature spiky hair, soaked with sweat, drooped down strand by strand, which ironically added to his air of composure.
The data for Sendoh has been frozen here.
39 points, 14 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.
If there's any regret, it's probably that I was just one point short, failing to reach 40+.
With such impressive stats against Sannoh, who would dare utter a single word of dissent?
head.
Sendoh raised the ball above his head, flicked his wrist, and the ball flew straight towards Uozumi the basket.
The pass was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Uozumi's eyes reddened as soon as he caught the ball.
He understood what the Sendoh meant—this final attack was reserved for him.
This is left for someone who is about to leave.
" Ryonan!"
Uozumi gripped the ball with one hand, tilted his head back, and roared at the ceiling.
The sound was so loud it made the entire stadium buzz, and even the scoreboard on the sidelines shook three times.
That roar unleashed the entirety of his three years of high school life.
Sendoh accomplished what Shinichi Maki couldn't do last year.
As the team's ace and a national five-star high school player, Sendoh deserves all the praise.
After this battle, his name will be a sensation in the high school basketball world.
He could even make it into the list of the top few people in the country.
It's quite ironic that the person who most wants to avoid the spotlight is the one being chased by it.
Where's Kaede Rukawa?
He held his knees, beads of sweat pattering onto the floor.
Sendoh's calf was almost cramping up; how could he possibly be in any better shape?
This kid is practically shoving an oxygen tank into his mouth and inhaling it all in one breath.
When it comes to running distance across the entire field, Kaede Rukawa is second to none.
His breakthrough was unstoppable, even by Sannoh Industrial High School – even though he wasn't the highest scorer, his impact was truly off the charts.
It's important to know that he spent most of his time Eiji Sawakita.
In the second half, Sannoh gave him another Satoshi Ichinokura.
To put it bluntly, Kaede Rukawa was taking the most brutal beatings from start to finish.
This also led to a game-high 7 turnovers.
But what lies behind these seven mistakes?
He scored the second-highest points on the team with 33 points, along with 10 assists.
--This data was obtained by comparing the performance of Eiji Sawakita and Satoshi Ichinokura.
Its value speaks for itself.
Kaede Rukawa is still some distance from being the best in the country, but that distance is no longer insurmountable.
He definitely deserves a place in the top ten of national discussions.
Even higher.
The current Kaede Rukawa is able to accept defeat with equanimity.
He's only in first grade; he has plenty of time to hone his skills.
Sendoh's decision to pass the ball to Uozumi at the last moment was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
He doesn't talk much, but he's very perceptive.
He had a vague feeling that Uozumi might be saying goodbye to basketball.
This was the first time he hoped his intuition was wrong.
Regardless, this was Uozumi's last game in Ryonan.
It's time to put an end to this honest and unassuming captain's story.
Uozumi caught the ball and gave Sendoh a grateful look.
Two large hands gripped the basketball tightly, their knuckles turning white.
That one glance was probably the last time they would ever see each other.
Not all stories have a happy ending.
Uozumi delivered his worst performance of the year in this match.
10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks.
His presence on the field was also pitifully low.
This was the end of his professional career.
Perhaps this will make him more determined to inherit the family business.
Uozumi slowly loosened his grip.
He exhaled, his eyes glistening with tears.
An imperfect career is probably more memorable.
It's a bit of a shame that I never got to face off against Takenori Akagi on the national stage.
But then again, it's the regrets that make a story.
" Ryonan!!"
Uozumi, holding the ball with one hand, looked up and roared again.
One cry for Ryonan, and it's a farewell for life.
His roar signifies the end of his professional career.
This was the last time he would act wildly on the field.
Looking across the entire country, there are only a handful of players who like to shout on the field.
Uozumi counts as one.
That roar is his trademark.
At this moment, he used it to bid himself farewell.
With that shout, all the old images flooded back.
They will become memories, sealed away in the deepest recesses of my heart.
In the future, when it comes up, it'll probably just be something he brags about to his son.
Even Moichi Taoka on the sidelines couldn't hold back anymore.
As soon as Uozumi's roar subsided, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.
Not crying is the last act of defiance for middle-aged people.
Uozumi thought no one knew about his decision, but Moichi Taoka already knew.
He specifically spoke with Uozumi's parents about Uozumi's future.
After a conversation, Moichi Taoka admitted it.
This was not only pressure from the family, but also Uozumi's own choice.
As the head coach and mentor, Moichi Taoka could do was offer his sincerest blessings.
Next time, I'll go to a sushi restaurant, have a couple of plates, chat with my beloved student about the past, and reminisce about the team.
In Moichi Taoka's mind, Uozumi was his most satisfying disciple.
There is none other than that.
No one will be able to replace him in the future.
The bond between master and disciple has deepened.
What happened next made everyone tense.
After Uozumi finished shouting, all the Ryonan team members shouted in unison.
A dozen or so people managed to make those two words go viral.
Having reached this point, they have regrets, but they are also full of pride.
Last year, they were among the top four in Kanagawa.
A year later, the top four were gilded.
At the same time, this can also be seen as a farewell to the third-year seniors—for Uozumi and Ryoji Ikegami, the two captains and vice-captains.
Their contributions to the team and their dedication to their teammates are remembered by everyone.
The era of Ryonan is not over.
Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa will take over the team's mantle, ensuring Ryonan remains among the nation's top teams and takes another step forward.
The champion of the right half of the bracket has been decided.
Sannoh Industrial High School has once again followed the same path to the finals, marking their fourth consecutive year. Their dynasty can continue, and the championship can still be won; they have no intention of relinquishing their power.
However, in this match, Sannoh didn't reveal all their cards at all.
Masashi Kawata only played 20 minutes, scoring 8 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and blocking 2 shots—stats that look like a joke. However, everyone knows that Big Kawata didn't even break a sweat. He played the same way he did in the group stage, just going through the motions today.
But this isn't Ryonan Tai-chan.
It was Eiji Sawakita, the top high school student in the country, who kicked over the powder keg today.
Sawakita stayed on the court for a full 40 minutes, more than he had ever played this hard in either the county tournament or the national tournament this year. The result was 55 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists – he was absolutely phenomenal. He became the third player, after Shirasawa and Hiroshi Morishige, to join the 50+ point club.
However, even among those aged 50+, there are different levels.
Especially compared to Hiroshi Morishige, Sawakita's score is so high it's almost laughable. Ryonan was bombarded by all sorts of amazing players this year, but only Sawakita managed to scrape together 50+ points from them. The second highest score was Shirasawa, in the prefectural tournament finals, with 45 points.
To put it simply, Sawakita won by a narrow margin.
So, Eiji Sawakita single-handedly took down the Ryonan Twin Stars. His position as the nation's number one high school student became even more secure. And the affair between him and Shirasawa was hyped up even more. The day after tomorrow, the two kings will meet in a showdown of the century, and neither of them can escape.
On the Sannoh side, the second-highest scorer is Mikio Kawata.
This big guy was only released in the second half, and he immediately took down Uozumi. In 20 minutes, he scored 18 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots—his efficiency was ridiculously high. If he played the whole game, 30+15 would probably be as easy as drinking water for him. Of course, if he were a bit tougher and hungrier, he would be even more terrifying.
Goro Domoto was quite satisfied.
Sannoh has a promising future in the paint, with Mikio who can keep them dominant. However, next year won't be easy for Sannoh. Of their starting five, Masashi Kawata, Minoru Matsumoto, Kazunari Fukatsu, and Masahiro Nobe are all third-year players. Even defensive stalwart Satoshi Ichinokura is a third-year player. Once these players graduate, the team will be depleted.