However, there was another player on the field who shared the same fate as him: Kazunari Fukatsu. He had been broken through by Shirasawa once again, and despite his best efforts, he still couldn't stop him.
Did Shirasawa, the guard, hit a lucky break today? No, he hit a wall of fat on Mikio Kawata, who was practically his mobile nightmare. He had just broken into the paint and was about to dunk when Mikio Kawata's 210cm of fat seemed to have a GPS, pushing forward and creating a wall of flesh under the basket.
With that height and all that fat, raising his arms was like lifting two tires; the rim was completely blocked. If you couldn't jump high enough, you couldn't even see the edge of the hoop. With a thud, Shirasawa crashed into him and was almost bounced back. He thought to himself, "Damn, this fat is like jelly." The impact was completely absorbed by his flesh, and he felt like he had stepped into a swamp, unable to pull himself out.
He quickly changed his dunk to a layup, but out of the corner of his eye, a large hand suddenly appeared— Masashi Kawata bypassed Takenori Akagi. These two really are brothers, specializing in sneak attacks. Akagi was stunned for a moment. He was also partly to blame for Kawata's sneak attack. He had defended well before, but he was also getting tired. He relaxed for a moment and gave him an opportunity. He couldn't match Kawata's speed.
Kawata's sneak attack almost succeeded; he was about to block the ball. From the prefectural tournament until now, Shirasawa had never been blocked, and this time was no exception! Just as he was about to be blocked, Shirasawa suddenly let go, twisted his waist and arm, and even twisted his wrist in the opposite direction. The movement was like twisting a pretzel. The ball hit the backboard, bounced, and actually rolled into the basket!
The second " Jelly Layup " of the game was born! The crowd went wild instantly. This was far more difficult than Miyagi's, it was a godlike move! Miyagi just twisted his wrist, Shirasawa twisted even the hair! The name " Jelly Layup " was now firmly established, and it became a lifesaver. From now on, you'd be embarrassed to come to the national competition without this move.
Although Sannoh's defense failed this time, it wasn't a complete disaster; at least they pushed Shirasawa to his limit. Mikio was the right choice to come on; he's more useful than Nobe. There's no need to rush to shut down Shirasawa in one go; just slowly wear him down. Even if you can't stop him, you can still wear him down. Once Shirasawa is tired, it'll be Sawakita's Domoto to come on. That's why Sawakita didn't have Sawakita match up against Shirasawa —it's all for the sake of winning.
A 40-minute game offers a lot of room for maneuver; the opening strategy might only be used in the last minute, and when it is, it can decide the outcome! The game continued, Sannoh changed their offensive approach, making Mikio their main attacker, repeatedly attacking the inside and specifically targeting Sakuragi.
Sakuragi tried his best, but the size difference was too great, and he couldn't stop Mikio, who scored repeatedly. Akagi was also helpless. Sakuragi's defense was flawless; he had done his best. If it were Akagi, he could only try to fight back. Sometimes, in the paint, it's all about physicality.
Before, when they faced Hiroshi Morishige, the two of them could still work together to defend, but not anymore, because the opponent is Masashi Kawata! These two brothers have broken down Shohoku's twin towers in the paint. Anyone could score easily against them, Sawakita has become a spectator, but he hasn't been idle either.
Domoto signaled to Sawakita to defend Shirasawa, not by double-teaming, but by helping out. If Shirasawa broke through Fukatsu, he would cut in from the wing to make things difficult for Shirasawa. After 14 minutes of play in the first half, Sannoh narrowed the gap to 3 points, bringing the two teams back to the same starting line.
The biggest gain wasn't closing the gap, but rather exhausting Shirasawa's stamina; this plan was incredibly strategic. Sannoh has the ball, and they have a good chance of tying the game this round. Sakuragi clenched his fists under the basket, his eyes practically spitting fire, "I'll definitely defend this ball!"
After a series of failures, this Saiyan is about to level up again! In the stands, Yoko gripped the railing, her palms sweating, her eyes filled with both worry and anticipation. She had been dating Sakuragi for a while and knew that he was quite naive. Judging from his current state, Yoko could roughly guess what he was up to.
Many people thought that Mikio would continue to dominate and narrow the gap, not because Sakuragi was bad, but because that fat guy was too strong, and the matchup was simply unfair.
Only Hanamichi Sakuragi's steel frame could withstand it. Anyone else would have been knocked off their feet by Mikio Kawata's sheer size. Although Uozumi was two meters tall back then, had managed to handle this fat guy, Sakuragi's stubbornness was even stronger than Uozumi then.
No one on the court could fail to see that Hanamichi Sakuragi had pushed himself to the limit, putting every ounce of effort into every defensive play. If it weren't for the sturdiness of his shoes, the soles would have been worn down to nothing by now. Even if his skill level didn't justify his 19th place ranking in the nation, his indomitable spirit was undeniable to everyone at Shohoku.
Shohoku fans could only clench their fists and sigh, pinning their hopes for a comeback on the offensive end. Just as Yoko gripped the railing and muttered to himself, Yohei Mito followed with a low shout of " Sakuragi!" His brows furrowed tightly, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity, his posture exactly like someone preparing for a fight.
After all, they were brothers who shared the same pants, and she was Sakuragi's girlfriend; no one understood this red-haired kid's personality better than the two of them. He knew Sakuragi too well; this kid was about to retaliate.
Although others also trusted Sakuragi, such as his teammates on the court and Coach Anzai, this trust was the fundamental reason why Shohoku didn't make any rash substitutions— Sakuragi was someone they could entrust their backs to. He was the man Takenori Akagi could entrust his back to, and he was Shohoku 'King Kong No. 2 player under the basket in this game.
Mikio Kawata is indeed strong, and Uozumi is not weak either, but Sakuragi is a genius.
With a snap, Mikio Kawata received the pass again. Hanamichi Sakuragi bent over at a 45-degree angle, putting all his strength on his back, his teeth clenched so tightly that they almost embedded themselves in the floor.
Sakuragi's fierce voice burst from his throat. "You fatso! This genius won't let you be so arrogant forever!"
Mikio Kawata was holding his breath and not saying a word, but Sakuragi's taunts of "fat pig" and "glutton" buzzed in his ears like flies. Although he was a coward, he wasn't without temper, and he had long wanted to turn around and punch the red-haired guy.
With a muffled thud, Mikio Kawata lunged towards the basket, Hanamichi Sakuragi pressed his entire body against his back, yet his legs didn't falter even slightly.
Hikoichi Aida later had to say that Sakuragi was fearless and acted as if he were risking his life.
Another muffled thud. Sakuragi's face was slightly distorted from the impact, his ears were ringing, and the muscles in his calves clenched into hard lumps, refusing to yield an inch.
Mikio Kawata clearly felt the force behind him growing stronger and stronger, and he could no longer sit down. This was the first time, apart from his brother Masashi Kawata, that someone had given him such a strong resistance, something even Uozumi hadn't been able to do back then.
Kogure, standing on the sidelines, clenched his fists, not daring to blink. He shouted, " Sakuragi, hold on!", his voice trembling.
Although Sakuragi looked a bit disheveled, he was getting closer and closer to success. His teammates felt both sorry for him and hopeful, just like Yoko. Coach Anzai's chubby hands were clenched tightly, as if he was working hard alongside Sakuragi.
Mikio Kawata was getting anxious. He had tried to force his way through twice but failed. He felt like his older brother was watching him from behind, and with Sakuragi's trash talk, he became even more flustered. He knew that the team's offense depended entirely on him, and if he didn't play well, his older brother would definitely not forgive him.
Kazunari Fukatsu wanted to go in to provide support, but Shirasawa wouldn't give him the chance, blocking him out in one step. The rest of the defense was left to Sakuragi! Akagi, Mitsui, and Miyagi were all helping to block the space, leaving room for Sakuragi.
Masashi Kawata and Akagi battled it out on the other side of the basket, he asked, "You trust this kid that much?"
Akagi grinned. "He's a genius."
This was the first time that Takenori Akagi had publicly acknowledged Sakuragi's "genius" nickname in front of the top high school center. This trust was more precious than anything else.
Even Masashi Kawata had to admit that Sakuragi was indeed amazing. The kid had been improving in the game, and his strength seemed to be getting stronger and stronger, but right now, he was still a step behind Mikio.
Don't let his big size fool you, this silly little brother is no pushover when it comes to fighting.
Everyone on the sidelines had their eyes glued to the basket, waiting to see who would win this game.
Bang! Mikio charged forward again with great force, and Sakuragi, bracing himself on his toes, was forced back half a step.
He turned halfway around, intending to hook Sakuragi's arm around him again, just like before, hoping to quickly shut the red-haired guy up.
Just then, Sakuragi's eyes suddenly lit up. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for; seizing this second could decide the outcome!
Sakuragi subtly grabbed Mikio's jersey with his left hand, his grip tightening slightly. Yes, he had used a little trick. However, this trick was different from the underhanded actions Kishimoto Murasame and Toyotama from Miuradai. He didn't elbow or hit anyone; he just tugged at Mikio's jersey to get a step forward, at most skirting the edge of the rules.
Even if the referee saw it, whether to call it or not was entirely up to him. Besides, Sakuragi did it so subtly that no one on the court noticed except for the two of them. Wait, Coach Anzai seems to have figured it out. Although he couldn't see the details clearly, his years of coaching experience allowed him to guess what Sakuragi was doing.
Coach Anzai's lips curled into a smirk. "You could call this growth," he thought. "After fighting this hard, you've got to use a few tricks. Cheating? Go watch higher-level matches; pulling someone's shirt is nothing."
Mikio only noticed Sakuragi's little trick when he got up. Sannoh's jersey was really sturdy; it wasn't torn, which prevented him from shooting properly. He couldn't even jump and was even pulled off a fall by Sakuragi.
The referee was watching this side, Sakuragi just let go. The opportunity had arrived! Genius jumped up and used all his strength to swatt away the ball that Mikio had barely managed to throw!
Smack! That was a satisfying block! This was the first time in Mikio had been blocked! Even Goro Domoto couldn't believe that anyone in high school basketball could block this giant, but this red-haired guy actually did it!
The ball bounced far off the ground, something Shirasawa had anticipated and had been waiting for. He caught the rebound immediately and dribbled forward at full speed! Fukatsu and Sawakita were a beat too slow and quickly gave chase.
They had a chance against Miyagi, given Miyagi speed, but his height was a major disadvantage; at the start of the game, Sawakita almost blocked his shot. But against Shirasawa? Even if they caught up, they'd either get a 2+1 play or get dunked on; they wouldn't dare to really go all out. Fukatsu was even less likely to succeed; once Shirasawa jumped, he couldn't stop him at all. Chasing him was just for show; they couldn't just give up outright.
In the blink of an eye, Shirasawa burst into the three-second zone, slamming a powerful dunk over the rim with both hands! He brought a perfect end to Sakuragi's defensive play. The Shohoku bench and fans went wild. Compared to Shirasawa's dunk, Sakuragi's block was even more exciting, after all, it was something no one expected! Red-haired number 10, truly exceeded everyone's expectations, including Mikio Kawata's.
Mikio turned and glared at Sakuragi, her anger practically exploding.