Miyagi charged forward with the ball in his hand, while Satoshi Ichinokura chased after him, panting heavily. However, his explosiveness and speed were far inferior to Miyagi's. If Miyagi were to actually get to the basket, Miyagi wouldn't be able to score, let alone Jelly Layup. He could easily score even if he just casually tossed the ball.
Fukatsu, quick-witted as ever, realized he couldn't let Miyagi get going, so he cut in to help defend. The frontcourt instantly fell into chaos. Mitsui ran to the bottom corner, Fukatsu cut across Miyagi, and Shirasawa came up from behind, making Miyagi an easy target.
If Miyagi were to charge head-on, he would be double-teamed from both sides, which would be too risky. Passing the ball to Mitsui would be a better option, but Fukatsu is running like a wall, Fukatsu blocking the passing lanes, so Miyagi can't pass the ball out at all.
Despite the urgency, Miyagi remained calm. As a point guard by training, he didn't have any fancy passing skills, but he possessed the composure expected of a point guard. Instead of collecting the ball, he pulled it directly onto the backboard, putting all the opportunities on Shirasawa behind him.
From the stands, Shinichi Maki slapped his thigh and shouted, "Great shot! That was a brilliant play!"
Miyagi's reaction speed is absolutely commendable; to make that decision in an instant requires considerable skill.
Both of them took off in a flash. Sawakita charged even more fiercely, blocking Shirasawa's dunking path completely. Even if Shirasawa wanted to dunk, he would have to fight him to the death.
As a result, Shirasawa received the ball but didn't attack. Instead, he flicked the ball directly to the left corner – Hisashi Mitsui!
Everyone on the field was huddled in the paint, except for Mitsui, who stood in the corner like an outsider. But Mitsui knew that as long as he was on the field, he couldn't escape Shirasawa's eyes. Shirasawa did not disappoint him; the ball was passed across from the halfway line and landed right in his hands.
The faces of Sannoh's key players changed, clearly panicked. Their chaotic state, where they couldn't keep up with everything, even their supposedly impenetrable defense was breached by Shohoku.
Fukatsu gritted his teeth and charged towards the corner, leaping up to block Mitsui's shot. But Mitsui's eyes were sharp as a rock, and he shot the ball as soon as it left his hand. He knew it went in the first place—accompanied by Mitsui's smug grin, the ball swished through the net.
Fukatsu missed his target and fell next to Mitsui. He looked back as the ball went in, looking utterly pathetic.
He was indeed responsible for that play; helping Miyagi was the right thing to do, but he also missed Mitsui, and there's no way to excuse that. Fukatsu, who's always been as steady as a robot, suddenly lost focus, his breathing became uneven, and the mentality of the fourth-ranked player in the nation completely collapsed.
A three-pointer made, and the point difference was extended to 13 points! The Shohoku bench and fans went wild, cheering uncontrollably. These few rounds were so exciting that not only was Sannoh struggling to breathe, but everyone watching felt their throats tighten.
On the sidelines, Moichi Taoka clenched his fist and exclaimed, " Coach Anzai is truly amazing! This small lineup without Akagi turned the tide in just over a minute. It's an absolutely divine move!"
He finally understood Anzai's thinking: high skill breeds daring, and the reason he dared to deploy his troops in this way was because of the team members he trusted: Shirasawa who controlled the field, Sakuragi who kept a close watch, Mitsui who was all-around capable, Miyagi who was as fast as lightning, and Kogure was fearless.
Taoka sighed softly, " Shohoku is really about to take off."
The referee blew his whistle, and Goro Domoto couldn't sit still any longer.
With 3 minutes left in the first half, Shohoku, who had changed their lineup since the last timeout, went on an 8-0 run against Sannoh!
This 8-0 run is different from the opening 7-0 run. At the start, Sannoh hadn't found their rhythm yet and were just testing the waters. Now it's different; Shohoku dominated Sannoh for half the game, their strength is undeniable.
This 8-0 run was hard-fought; Sannoh didn't even step into the halfway line!
The situation became completely one-sided; even Goro Domoto couldn't react to Shohoku's fast pace.
They had just closed the gap to 3 points, but in the blink of an eye, the lead had widened to 13 points. Their momentum was so overwhelming that it was hard to breathe.
Domoto originally wanted to save his energy for another surge, but if he didn't call a timeout soon, the game would be completely overturned.
This minute was a black minute for Sannoh Industrial High School.
Snap! The timeout whistle blew, and the players from both sides quickly retreated to the bench.
Takenori Akagi rushed forward and high- Kogure. Kogure's reaction was simply amazing!
After just over a minute, Kogure came down completely soaked in sweat, panting as if he had run three laps; he was incredibly breathless.
You could tell how hard he was pushing himself. It wasn't just his body that was exhausted, but also the mental strain. Standing around him were some of the toughest people in the country; anyone would be on edge in that situation.
However, looking at it from another angle, even if Kogure really played like Tomokazu Godai, his basketball career would still be limited. It would be better to set his goals early on, like he is now, and not have to focus on making a living from basketball; he could just find a related job.
Take Tomokazu Godai for example. Even if he could still be a starter on a university team, given his potential, he would have to change careers a few years after graduating from university. He would either have to go to a lower-level league where no one watches to earn a pittance, or he would be better off working part-time at a gas station.
Basketball is really a matter of luck. If you don't have the talent, your potential is limited, so don't expect to make a living as a player. At most, it's just a hobby, a way to preserve your youthful memories. Uozumi understands this well, Kogure is on the same path.
Coach Anzai, who had initially "tanked," gave Kogure the most perfect memory on this final stage. Those few minutes of brilliance made Kogure's playing career worthwhile.
Who knows, maybe one day when he becomes a coach and comes up with an awesome tactic for the team, he'll definitely remember all of this. At that time, Kogure will surely smile and reminisce, calling up his brothers who played alongside him to go out for a couple of drinks.
"Well done."
As Akagi was speaking, he raised his hand and slapped Hanamichi Sakuragi on the head. It's no exaggeration to say that just from that one slap, Akagi's hand was covered in sweat.
This arrogant redhead is really going all out today!
Judging from Sakuragi's performance just now, Akagi could only imagine that if he were matched up against him, he probably wouldn't fare much better.
This genius has evolved all the way, and only in this final match has he truly taken shape. After the Kanagawa tournament, some people said that Sakuragi's stats and abilities were close to an average of 20 points per game, which many people scoffed at the time.
Looking back now, Hanamichi Sakuragi is definitely going to dominate the Kanagawa interior. Especially with all of Kanagawa's top centers retiring next season, Sakuragi will absolutely be able to deliver a dominant performance.
But Takenori Akagi now feels that the stage for this genius is not limited to Kanagawa.
Takenori Akagi's tall figure stood on the sideline, giving each of his teammates a high-five as they came down. As the captain, he was incredibly proud of his team.
He wasn't upset about not playing; on the contrary, he was proud to be in such an excellent team.
This timeout was perfect for Shohoku, allowing them to replenish their energy. Coach Anzai took this opportunity to reiterate and reinforce the offensive and defensive strategies.
The Sannoh will definitely change his tactics next, and the next few minutes will be even more difficult than before.
On Sannoh's side, Goro Domoto didn't shout or make a fuss. He remained quite calm, trying to reassure the players, especially Kazunari Fukatsu, with his own performance.
Fukatsu was Sannoh's worst performer today, contributing nothing on both offense and defense, with more turnovers than points. This fourth-ranked high school player in the nation is experiencing the darkest moment of his high school basketball career.
" Fukatsu, you switch places with Sawakita."
Goro Domoto finally made his decision. Now Fukatsu is free, which is good for both Fukatsu and Sawakita.
"Replace Minoru Matsumoto, withdraw Ichinokura." Goro Domoto drew a tactical board as he gave instructions.
With Minoru Matsumoto brought on, there was another ball-handler on the court. When Sannoh was on offense, Eiji Sawakita, Kazunari Fukatsu, and Minoru Matsumoto could move around at any time. After Fukatsu changed positions, each of them became an offensive threat.
Goro Domoto stared at the tactics board, crossed out the mistakes from before, and told the assistant coach, "We absolutely cannot let that kind of mistake happen again."
He didn't replace the "mobile little iron tower" Mikio, even though that thing moved as slowly as a snail, but Nobe Masahiro Nobe the numbers, wasn't much faster either.
Moreover, Goro Domoto was determined to exploit Shohoku's weaknesses with his tactics book—if Shohoku's interior defense couldn't hold up, he would relentlessly attack it. The Kawata brothers would take turns attacking, breaking through Shohoku's defense on offense and focusing only on shooting, not on drives on defense. Mikio he kept around to keep things under control.
As soon as the timeout whistle blew, players from both sides rushed back onto the court. Shohoku returned to the court with a 13-point lead. This confidence didn't come from the starters, but from the frenzy of the entire bench and the Shohoku fans in the stands who were shouting themselves hoarse.
At this moment, the spectators on the sidelines were watching intently; a tough match was about to erupt.
Nobunaga Kiyota, standing in the stands, slapped his thigh and shouted, "When Shohoku played against us, Takenori Akagi wasn't there either!"
Shinichi Maki, leaning against the railing, scoffed, "What a coincidence! Against Kanagawa's top team, Shohoku, Akagi was injured and had to leave; against the national top Sannoh, this guy is sitting on the sidelines as a spectator."
But Shinichi Maki immediately contradicted him. "That was when they played against us. Shohoku wasn't this strong yet. In this national tournament, their skills have improved ridiculously fast, like they've been given a cheat code."
In the first possession after the timeout, Shohoku didn't immediately press full-court defense. Shirasawa stood alone at the center line, like a roadblock, leading the defense.
Kogure and Hisashi Mitsui guarded the left and right flanks respectively, Ryota Miyagi lingered near the three-point line, and Hanamichi Sakuragi stood near the free-throw line with his arms outstretched, looking as if he wanted to weld the entire paint shut.
The court erupted— Eiji Sawakita moved to point guard! This meant he and Shirasawa would finally be locked in a fierce battle on both ends of the court!
Sawakita dribbled forward, and Shirasawa rushed up to block the midfield line. This was the first time these two had faced off in midfield. The moment they met, their auras were completely different; it was a real, hard-fought battle, with no room for pretense.
Sawakita smirked and shielded the ball tightly with his body, while Shirasawa was also on high alert, standing firmly at the center line. He wasn't planning on playing it safe; he was going to put pressure on Sawakita right from the start, trying to maintain the intensity that Shohoku had shown earlier.
With a loud bang, the two collided head-on, and that was just the beginning!
Sawakita initiated the contact, Shirasawa's chest bumped against him without moving an inch. Sawakita then turned, pulled back, and changed direction, driving towards the basket while staying close to Shirasawa.
To be honest, it's impossible to shut down Sawakita in midfield. Sawakita's physique and skills are top-notch in the country. Before Shirasawa emerged, he was the most freakish player in the country.
The reason why Dai Moroboshi and Shinichi Maki couldn't beat him was because of this gap, just like when they encountered Shirasawa before. T1 and T0 are a qualitative difference.
Although Sawakita was moved to point guard, Goro Domoto told him that now was not the time to go all out. Going all out now could at most keep the score close, but it wouldn't break Shohoku's morale. Shohoku just happened to have someone who could go all out.
The most important thing now is to dismantle Shohoku's small lineup, strike at their weak point, and first break down Shohoku's morale so that Sannoh can regain the advantage in their matchups. Once this balance is shifted, Sawakita can start scoring again, leaving Shohoku with only Shirasawa to carry the team, and then the situation will be reversed.