Uozumi's voice cracked as he shouted, "Did Sakuragi take some kind of super-powerful drug?"
The basketball flew into the air, and Sakuragi, with his jumping ability, leaped three feet high and caught the ball with a backhand!
Just then, Shirasawa rushed over, and the two exchanged hands. Shirasawa turned and made a layup, scoring two points!
The point difference widened to six points!
With possession changing hands, Shohoku's defense immediately shifted: Sakuragi stubbornly held his ground under the basket, Akagi was pulled to waist level by Masashi Kawata, Mikio Kawata stood in the 45-degree open space.
But Sakuragi's eyes seemed glued to him; as soon as the ball was passed to him, Sakuragi could fly over and steal it in a second!
Eiji Sawakita a screen to rush into the paint, Shirasawa and Sakuragi sandwiched him from the front and back. The two of them jumped so high that they were like two helicopters, completely blocking Sawakita's shooting route!
With no other option, Sawakita flicked the ball to the right, passing it to Masashi Kawata.
Masashi Kawata and Akagi are locked in combat again! They're staring at each other from a half-step distance, neither willing to budge.
Masashi Kawata received the ball, turned around, dribbled two steps against Akagi, suddenly stopped and stepped back, then raised his hand to shoot!
Akagi jumped up, his fingernails even brushing against the ball, but the ball still went in!
Akagi roared in anger, "Rebound!"
Sakuragi had just finished battling with Big Kawata, and then he clashed with Little Kawata, but luck seemed to be on Sannoh's side today, as the ball still went in, and the point difference narrowed again.
For the next two minutes, it was a fierce battle! Every round had a chance to score, but the process was all about hard-fought, bone-to-bone clashes!
The four inside players— Sakuragi, Akagi, and the Kawata brothers—each took turns falling. There were no fouls or conflicts; it was just a matter of whoever went soft first and fell to the ground!
Shirasawa burst in from the baseline, bent over and shrugged off Sawakita, then brushed past Mikio, and with a folding backhand, the ball grazed the rim, and he scored two points!
With 2 minutes and 57 seconds remaining, the score difference is back to six points!
The audience's voices were hoarse from shouting, Shohoku players were covered in sweat. Although Sannoh 'Shohoku willpower was no less than theirs. It was a matter of who would give up first.
Eiji Sawakita pushed the ball across half-court. Time was running out, and Sannoh couldn't afford to waste any more time. If they didn't score a single goal, they might lose their chance.
Sawakita charged at Shirasawa, but failed to break through. He retreated to the top of the arc, swayed for a moment, and then charged forward again.
Just as he blocked Shirasawa's path to break through, Kazunari Fukatsu, as if glued to his shadow, suddenly appeared behind him to set a screen.
On the defensive end, they immediately switched positions, with Eiji Sawakita standing at the free-throw line, leaping directly at Hisashi Mitsui!
Thud! The dull thud of fingertips grazing the ball had barely faded when the referee's whistle blew!
Mitsui desperately stretched out his arm to interfere, but the referee's whistle still blew loudly, and the ball was still floating in the air.
Although Mitsui was already half an arm's length away from Sawakita, the referee still called a foul, the ball went in, and a free throw was awarded!
Eiji Sawakita Hisashi Mitsui one-on-one, creating a 2+1 score!
Hisashi Mitsui, who is known as a "late bloomer," was completely helpless against this truly gifted genius.
When the ball went in, the Sannoh fans went wild, shouting louder than anyone else, shaking the Shohoku bench.
With 2 minutes and 40 seconds left in the game, if Sawakita makes the free throw, the point difference will be reduced to 3 points!
That's a whole round of points difference! Sannoh's momentum immediately surged, and their chasing force was almost enough to overturn Shohoku's basket!
Masashi Big Kawata and Kazunari Fukatsu rushed over immediately to bump chests with Sawakita, their posture suggesting that victory was already in their pockets.
"Damn it!" Mitsui frowned and cursed under his breath, not at Sawakita or the referee, but at his own reckless defense.
Takenori Akagi quickly pulled Mitsui aside, patting him on the back to comfort him, "Don't take it to heart, you defended that ball pretty well!"
His teammates gathered around to cheer him on, and Shirasawa said calmly, "We'll just take back the points we lost!"
Eiji Sawakita walked to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, and flicked his wrist, sending the ball swish through the net.
The scoreboard showed 88-85, the smallest point difference between Shohoku and Sannoh throughout the entire game.
After being dominated for the entire game, Sannoh finally had a chance to take the lead in the last two minutes. Kazunari Fukatsu of his lungs, "Full press!"
We must win the game in one fell swoop!
Takenori Akagi stood at the baseline to serve, Mikio Kawata stood in front of him like a wall, making it impossible for him to get a shot off.
Sawakita chased after Shirasawa, Fukatsu to Mitsui, Minoru Matsumoto stuck to Miyagi, and Big Kawata became entangled with Hanamichi Sakuragi.
"It's over! We can't serve!" " Akagi, watch the time!" Kiminobu Kogure on the sidelines was so anxious that he kept slapping his thigh.
If the ball isn't served within five seconds, it will be ruled a turnover, and possession will go directly to Sannoh. However, a timeout can still be called.
Coach Anzai certainly wouldn't call for a timeout easily. Sannoh's momentum was strong, and it was hard to say whether Shohoku could withstand it after the timeout. After all, Shohoku's physical strength was not as good as Sannoh's, and they relied entirely on willpower. Once the momentum was broken, it would be difficult to get it back on track.
At the critical moment, Shirasawa rushed in front of Big Kawata and set an off-ball screen for Sakuragi. He also had to help Sakuragi block Sawakita's switch, creating a half-body-length opening for Sakuragi.
"Give it to me!!" Hanamichi Sakuragi shouted immediately, rushing out with all his might!
Seeing this, Akagi passed the ball out, deliberately raising the arc to avoid it being intercepted.
Sawakita relentlessly pursued Shirasawa, while Big Kawata lunged towards Sakuragi.
When the ball came flying towards them, Sakuragi jumped first, followed closely by Big Kawata, who crashed into him. The two collided with a dull thud in mid-air, both losing their balance.
But Hanamichi Sakuragi didn't give up. He stretched his arm out so straight it was almost parallel to the ground before he finally caught the ball!
Bang! Sakuragi slammed to the ground, simultaneously passing the ball to Ryota Miyagi who was running over!
" Sakuragi ~~" Tears streamed down Ye Zi's Yoko in the stands, Hikoichi Aida clenched his fist and shouted, " Sakuragi- senpai, this is your spirit!"
Miyagi received the ball and immediately launched a counterattack, forming a two-pronged fast break with Shirasawa.
They formed a two-on-two situation in the frontcourt with Sawakita and Minoru Matsumoto, while Miyagi and Shirasawa made cross-cutting runs, exchanging the ball near the three-point line.
Shirasawa turned and bypassed Sawakita, driving towards the basket!
Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds of muscles colliding filled the air as they broke through, both sides were fighting with bloodshot eyes!
Watching from the sidelines, Shinichi Maki was filled with excitement. He turned to Nobunaga Kiyota and said, " Kiyota, no matter how superb your skills are, in a do-or-die moment, it's either a decisive shot or the most primal battle. Technique is secondary; only the body determines everything!"
Regardless of whether Shinichi Maki's words are right or wrong, that's how things are on the field.
Shirasawa jumped over Eiji Sawakita, switched hands mid-air, and scored!
The scoreboard read 90-85, Shohoku had held on to their lead once again!
Eiji Sawakita punched the basketball in frustration. He had tried his best, but he just couldn't stop it!
Only then did everyone notice that Hanamichi Sakuragi in the backcourt was slowly getting up, his expression a little off, but everyone's attention was on the ball, and no one noticed.
"Well done, Sakuragi!" Takenori Akagi walked over and pressed Sakuragi's head down.
"No problem, get ready to defend, Gorilla." After Akagi left, Sakuragi cautiously stretched his back, but his lips twitched as he muttered, "What the hell, I must be too tired..."
Sannoh Industrial High School reorganized their attack; from this point onward, they had to score every single ball.
Otherwise, they simply couldn't contain the pressure on the defensive end.
Eiji Sawakita knew perfectly well that defending against Shirasawa's offensive ability was a pipe dream. The only thing he could do was to make up for it on the offensive end and force Shohoku into making a mistake. Then victory would be theirs.
However, when he dribbled past half-court, Shirasawa's defense gave him a headache. Although Goro Domoto had deliberately saved his stamina for the second half when he fought Shirasawa to the death, his stamina was still running out.
On the other hand, Shirasawa has been dragging the team along since the start of the game, and his stamina doesn't seem to have dropped much. Sawakita knows best when he collides with him, and if there are still ten minutes left, he can't guarantee that he can hold on.
Fortunately, it's almost over!
At the baseline, Sakuragi was vying for position with Mikio Kawata. His strength hadn't diminished, but sweat was pouring down like rain. Every time he exerted force, his waist would cramp, sometimes so painful that he could freeze for two seconds.
"Something's not right!" Coach Anzai, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed that something was off with Sakuragi. Upon closer inspection, it became even more obvious; his expression clearly showed that he was gritting his teeth and enduring the pain!
My first thought was of the calves, but after staring at them for a while, I suddenly stood up! My lower back!
For basketball players, especially those like Sakuragi who can fly and perform amazing feats, core strength is crucial. If they get injured, their entire career will be significantly shortened!
"Timeout! I need a timeout!" Anzai yelled at the referee, Shohoku bench was instantly stunned.
The referee shook his head. "No surprises. In a half-court offense, only the team with the ball can call a timeout, not the defense, unless a player commits a foul and the ball goes out of play."
Anzai panicked, his concern clouded his judgment, and he tried to get his players to foul and stop the ball, but the game was too fast, and by the time he looked again, Sawakita had already driven to the basket!
Sawakita tossed the ball over Shirasawa Shirasawa, who interfered to the extreme. The ball grazed his fingers and flew off, "Clang!" It hit the rim but didn't go in!
"Rebound!!" Kazunari Fukatsu Sakuragi, Akagi, and the Kawata brothers huddled together under the basket!
Sakuragi's face contorted in shock, and he was the first to jump up! "Ah!!"
The other three also jumped in succession. There were hands all around the ball. Thwack! Just as Sakuragi touched the ball, he was poked away by Mikio Kawata, and the ball flew high again.
Sakuragi landed heavily, a piercing pain shooting up his back to the top of his head, his face contorted in pain. " Sakuragi!!" Anzai shouted, but his voice was completely drowned out by the roar of the audience.
He gritted his teeth, bent his knees, and jumped up again! Thud! He caught the backboard!
He landed in pain, staggered a couple of steps, and then—whistle blew! The referee called a traveling violation on Sakuragi!
Sakuragi, clutching the ball, crashed heavily to the ground! Thud!
It wasn't until this moment that everyone realized what was happening. Anzai quickly called a timeout. As the coach, he couldn't go onto the court and could only stomp his feet in frustration.
" Sakuragi!!" His teammates all swarmed around him. Sakuragi gritted his teeth, his face contorted in a grimace, but he still managed to squeeze out, "No, problem..."
Shirasawa's mind went blank for a moment. He remembered that in the original work, Sakuragi injured his back in this game, and later he was out of action against the Aiwa Academy. He didn't appear in the Autumn National Sports Festival for several months, and he wasn't even a key player.
But after he came to this world, many things changed. Shohoku had already reached the finals stage, and Sakuragi's injury might not be as fatal as it was in the original story.
" Sakuragi, is it on your back?" Shirasawa asked worriedly.
"No..." Sakuragi was helped up by Akagi, "It's just that my lower back is a little sore, I bumped it just now, I'm fine!"
Upon hearing that it was his back, Shirasawa breathed a sigh of relief. Although a back injury could be fatal, the Amazonian butterfly had been flapping its wings for so long, it should be heading in a better direction by now!
During a timeout, Hanamichi Sakuragi was helped off the court by Akagi.
As soon as he reached the edge of the bench, Sakuragi tried to break free from Akagi's arm, but that arm was tighter than Sannoh's interior defense, and he couldn't shake it off at all.