2+1.
Moreover, this 2+1 had an additional meaning—a retaliatory strike against Masashi Kawata! Just now, Masashi Kawata had dunked on Hanamichi Sakuragi, also scoring a 2+1. And within ten seconds, Shirasawa responded! This is the extent of instant revenge, isn't it? The momentum that Sannoh Industrial High School had just generated was once again suppressed.
" Xiao Bai!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi rushed to Shirasawa's side, his eyes practically popping out of his head. He shoved Shirasawa hard in the chest, releasing all the pent-up emotions within him. Of course, he knew what that dunk meant—his brother was standing up for him! On the court, nothing could be more exhilarating.
Kazunari Fukatsu and Satoshi Ichinokura pulled Masahiro Nobe up from the ground.
"Are you alright, Nobe?" Kazunari Fukatsu. "It's my fault for not keeping an eye on him."
He took the blame upon himself, which made perfect sense for a team leader. And frankly, it was indeed his fault for not being able to prevent it, and Masahiro Nobe cleaning up his mess.
"No, no, it's my fault. That guy succeeded in his sneak attack." Masahiro Nobe quickly shook his head. As the person who respected the captain the most in the whole team, he was flattered. However, he described Shirasawa's shot as a sneak attack, without saying that he really didn't fight. He couldn't tell the truth, it would hurt morale.
Even if he hadn't said it, everyone knew perfectly well. They'd fought together for three years; everyone knew each other inside and out. Besides, everyone had witnessed Shirasawa's impact firsthand. This ending was quite reasonable.
In Eiji Sawakita's opinion, it was fortunate that it was Masahiro Nobe; if it had been Kazunari Fukatsu, he would have been crippled. Shirasawa was truly ruthless!
Shirasawa stepped to the free-throw line and calmly sank the extra point.
10 to 3!
Shohoku continued their dream start. The crowd's emotions soared, their shouts rising in waves, making it so loud that the Ryonan players had to shout to each other to be heard. If their fans had provided this kind of atmosphere, the game might have gone much better. But alas, there are no "what ifs."
The fans of Shohoku didn't appear overnight; they were earned game by game, one after another, almost like they were brought in by Shirasawa's masterpieces. Undoubtedly, that moment will be recorded and become one of the top ten highlights of the National Finals. It's also Shirasawa's latest masterpiece!
Sannoh launched another attack. Their mentality remained unaffected, as if nothing on the field bothered them. It was unclear whether they possessed exceptional mental fortitude or simply lacked mental discipline. In any case, they calmly and methodically launched their attack once again.
Kazunari Fukatsu smoothly passed the ball to Eiji Sawakita.
This was Eiji Sawakita's first touch of the ball in the entire match!
That's right, the game had been going on for several minutes before the nation's top high school player finally touched the ball for the first time! In other words, Sannoh's offense was only just beginning! Although Masashi Kawata also had superb offensive abilities, in terms of pure offense, he was on a completely different level from Sawakita.
"You're finally coming."
Hisashi Mitsui spreads his arms and strikes a pose.
Although defense isn't Mitsui's signature move, his skills are still at a national level. Shohoku calls him the "strongest 3D player," it's not just empty boasting from their own people.
However, Shirasawa often thwarted the opponent's sharpest attacks, thus obscuring Mitsui's defensive prowess.
Just like Minoru Matsumoto of Sannoh Industrial High School, everyone says he could become an ace if he switched teams, and Mitsui is going down the same path.
However, this "trump card" was a completely different story when it came to Eiji Sawakita.
Eiji Sawakita smirked. "You can't stop me. I can make you collapse in no time."
His words were outrageously arrogant, but he was unabashedly audacious.
Mitsui gritted his teeth, suppressed his breathing, and immersed his entire body in the defensive play.
Whoosh— Sawakita swayed, feinting left and right, then took a probing step before suddenly pushing off the ground, brushing past Mitsui.
"So fast!" Mitsui hadn't actually lost his position, but Sawakita was just too fast!
In that brief moment, his legs, shoulders, eyes, and even his center of gravity were all casting smokescreens, completely muddling Mitsui's judgment.
With that lightning-fast movement, Mitsui's defense stood there like a wooden stake.
"The strongest 3D"—it's a joke.
Yasuda's eyes widened. " Mitsui- senpai was just passed like that?!"
In his view, Sawakita didn't seem to have done anything special; he just took a probing step followed by a reverse acceleration. If you really want to find fault, the only thing he did was go a little too fast.
Kogure frowned and said, "What Mitsui is facing is not as simple as it seems."
He knew Mitsui's defense all too well; it was practically impenetrable, if not completely airtight.
Back in the prefectural tournament, when defending against Kaede Rukawa, Mitsui relied on his seasoned experience to make that super scorer feel uncomfortable all over.
In other words, those whose offensive skills are inferior to Kaede Rukawa's can't really cause any trouble in front of Mitsui.
Keep in mind that Kaede Rukawa is ranked ninth in the nation! In terms of offense alone, his ranking might even jump higher.
Kogure was very confident in his defense against Mitsui.
That's precisely why it's self-evident how terrifying Eiji Sawakita's attacks are!
They were so strong that Mitsui couldn't even put up a decent resistance!
And indeed, it turned out just as Kogure had predicted.
Sawakita's attack startled Mitsui, much like Akagi Takenori colliding with Takenori Akagi Masashi Kawata; he was completely caught off guard.
After getting past Mitsui, Sawakita drove straight towards Shohoku's basket.
At this point, expecting Sawakita to pass the ball again is basically a pipe dream.
If it weren't for the need to contain Shirasawa, Kazunari Fukatsu ago, because not only does Sawakita dislike passing, he also dislikes losing possession.
Big Pillar Masahiro Nobe blocked Hanamichi Sakuragi, trying to patch up the hole he had just made.
As usual, Takenori Akagi was pulled to a high position by Big Kawata, but he couldn't get back under the basket to protect the rim.
Sawakita dashed in two steps, leaped into the air, stretched his arm into a full moon shape, and slammed the ball into the basket!
This dunk, without any separation or fancy moves, still had a tremendous impact.
The height and explosiveness are terrifying, like someone descending from the sky with a curved blade and splitting the basketball hoop in two!
He brought out the very essence of the tomahawk dunk.
Now, the top two high school students in the country each slammed in a dunk, like two armies simultaneously sounding the charge.
The bugle call shattered the deadlock, and both sides turned red with fury.
The scene exploded instantly as two enormous energies collided, neither able to swallow the other whole.
Eiji Sawakita was a ruthless killing machine.
Once the button is pressed, you can't expect it to stop anytime soon.
In this offensive, Hisashi Mitsui became the sacrifice. He was utterly defeated by Eiji Sawakita.
Mitsui tried his best but couldn't stop him; Sawakita scored 13 points in a row.
Every goal is accompanied by a sarcastic remark; it's so annoying that it opens the door for someone I hate—it's utterly detestable.
Mitsui's mind and body were thrown into complete chaos.
It's funny, Shohoku's plan was to let Mitsui seize the initiative from the start, but Miyagi unexpectedly stole the show.
Sannoh Industrial High School ' plan was to have Satoshi Ichinokura lock down Mitsui, increase his resources, and leave Shirasawa isolated and helpless.
But what happened? Mitsui barely touched the ball on offense, while Sawakita dominated him on defense.
Overall, it seems that both teams achieved their goals, but the process went completely astray.
This is a clash of titans, turning the match into a battlefield where everything changes in an instant.
All the preparations made in advance can only last for one round at most before being torn to shreds by the opponent in the blink of an eye.
On-the-spot performance and decision-making are the true tests.
The match was full of surprises, which made it all the more exciting.
The head coach's influence is being gradually taken over by the players.
As the saying goes, "When a general is in the field, he may disobey orders."
Ultimately, in any competition, the players on the field have the final say.
The two coaches weren't idle either; their minds were racing, plotting their next move.
On Sannoh's side, Eiji Sawakita has gone on a killing spree.
Takenori Akagi stood under the basket, all his strength was useless, he looked like a spectator who had paid for a ticket.
Sawakita repeatedly darted past him to attack the basket, leaving him helpless.
There was nothing he could do; he hadn't even sorted out his own mess, let alone fill in for someone else.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was also Masahiro Nobe, Shohoku's defense under the basket suddenly became vulnerable.
Strangely, the point difference didn't narrow.
Because Shohoku's offense was like it had cheated— Shirasawa was their ultimate solution.
Sannoh fed Sawakita, while Shohoku frantically searched for Shirasawa; the two sides clashed.
Kazunari Fukatsu and Hisashi Mitsui are now in the same boat, suffering together.
Shirasawa riddled them with holes, leaving them riddled with wounds.
Fukatsu wiped the sweat from his face, his heart filled with bitterness: He used to think that Shinichi Maki was the most troublesome, that guy could crush people with brute force.
Later, Sendoh gave him another taste of life. With his long arms and legs and clean fighting style, Sendoh's static attributes were made to look like a weakness.
But the Shirasawa in front of me is practically a monster combining the two of them.
Fukatsu has none of the qualities of a top scorer.
He suddenly remembered Shinichi Maki's words and his teeth started to ache.
"No matter how many ways you come up with to defend yourself against him, he'll always find the hundred and first one, a perfect counter to any challenge."
Takenori Akagi didn't really pull out all the stops on defense, but he managed to turn the tide on offense.
His approach is similar to that of Masashi Kawata; he plays a supporting role to the ace, risking his life to block Kawata and giving Shirasawa plenty of space to attack.
In terms of strength alone, Masashi Kawata was truly impressed by Akagi at this moment; those muscles were no joke.
Shirasawa once again broke through Kazunari Fukatsu's defense, drove into the paint, and scored with a powerful dunk.
His individual offensive form was at its peak, making him a perfect match for Eiji Sawakita.
Ten minutes into the first half, the score remained close at 28-21, with Shohoku holding onto a seven-point lead.
The fans in both stands went wild, and this was only the commotion caused by their indirect matchup.
They've only just drawn their bayonets; who can imagine what it will be like when they truly fight to the death?
06 now hopes the match will proceed this way, allowing everyone to enjoy Shirasawa and Sawakita's performance to their heart's content.
Every attack they launched was a highlight; this level of offensive clash was unprecedented. If anyone in the world could possibly defend against them, it could only be the other side.
Shirasawa had no intention of changing tactics. I'll just break through Kazunari Fukatsu and force you to make the first move. I'll never be the one on the defensive.
Eiji Sawakita couldn't wait any longer. He wished everyone around him would disappear so he could have a thrilling one-on-one duel with Shirasawa.
But before Goro Domoto could speak, Eiji Sawakita dared not act rashly.
Respecting the coach is a rule that Sawakita was taught from a young age; after all, the coach holds the key to your playing time, and you can't afford to offend them...
Even the best player needs playing time.
"If we play like this, Shohoku can win!"
Hikoichi Aida stared intently at the court. In his eyes, Shirasawa and Sawakita were ridiculously strong, and no one could stop them. Therefore, the advantage that Shohoku had seized at the start of the game was crucial.
If this back-and-forth continues and things go smoothly, this advantage might last until the final whistle.
Moichi Taoka nodded.
This is why Coach Anzai insisted on a strong start.
Because he didn't think Eiji Sawakita than Shirasawa at all.
No matter how the situation changes, if I give Shirasawa an advantage, he can maintain that advantage.
Of course, this also depends on the teammates' hard work and cooperation.