The moment his feet touched the ground, he disregarded his hand position and used the momentum to push the ball directly, trying to send it over Shirasawa's head. But Shirasawa didn't stop after landing; he twisted his ankle and bounced up again, his whole body almost straight as he charged upwards, his arms swinging like a windmill.
With a sharp "smack!", the ball was slapped hard out of bounds. At the same time, the clock stopped, and the referee's whistle blew, ending the match.
"We won!" "We won!" The Shohoku guys were the first to explode. Miyagi's mushroom-headed hair jumped high, Sakuragi's red hair swung like a little motor, and everyone shouted at the top of their lungs.
Coach Anzai on the sidelines raised his hands, his " White-Haired Devil " spirit was back, just like when he won the university league championship. He was full of vigor and didn't look sickly at all.
Sakuragi completely exploded in this game. His stats weren't particularly impressive: 10 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks. In the national tournament where stats explode, that wouldn't even make a splash. But who was he facing? The Kawata brothers.
Mikio Kawata Uozumi in the first half, and Masashi Kawata, who was known as the best center in high school, were both thrown into chaos by Sakuragi. The quality of these two doubles is so high that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were among the top ten in the country. The genius's talent was fully realized on the biggest stage, along with Sakuragi's never-give-up spirit.
With his eyes closed, Takenori Akagi raised his arm and shouted, unable to hold back his tears any longer. After two years of frustration and a year of ups and downs, he finally led Shohoku to the top of the nation. Even though they were dominated by Masashi Kawata throughout the game, no one could deny his contributions.
He guarded Shohoku's restricted area for three years and gave his complete trust to his teammates. Now, he can finally say with confidence, " Shohoku is the champion!"
Just then, someone patted Kogure on the shoulder. He looked up and saw Miyagi. "We won! Akagi! We're the national champions!" Kiminobu Kogure laughed out loud. Those three minutes were more dazzling than his entire basketball career.
He once made things difficult for Kazunari Fukatsu and even hit a crucial three-pointer. His name will definitely be written into the history of the national tournament along with the five small teams from Shohoku. He can finally hold his head high and say that he is the vice-captain of Shohoku.
Ryota Miyagi is only 168cm tall. From Kanagawa to the National Tournament, he has always been the one who is easily overlooked. But today is different. His Ghost cut made everyone remember him, and his Jelly Layup was even more amazing.
Although he didn't seem to stand out much in the crowd of celebrating people, no one could forget him—the mushroom-headed guy who was always running on the court, who proved his worth today.
Satoshi Ichinokura " in the national high school basketball scene, was utterly thrashed by Ryota Miyagi today!
Although Miyagi had been running around like a headless fly on the court, at this moment he was clutching the hem of his jersey, tears streaming down his face like beads from a broken string—this wasn't crying, it was the release of pent-up emotions that had been building up for years.
Hisashi Mitsui rushed towards Coach Anzai with the clanging of his sneakers, grabbed the coach's white sleeve, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Coach!"
Coach Anzai glanced up at him and nodded. "Hmm."
Mitsui bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, tears streaming down his face as he said, "Thank you for letting me return to the team and allowing me to continue playing basketball."
Coach Anzai smiled, his eyes crinkling into wrinkles. " Mitsui, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thank you for coming back."
The challenges the mentor and apprentice have faced over the past few years are like rebounds on a basketball court—they've grabbed them, lost them, but finally managed to hold onto them firmly.
Although Mitsui's athleticism is not as good as it was in junior high school, he is more reliable now. He is no longer the team's spearhead, but has become a top 3D player that college teams across the country are vying for. This skill has not been wasted.
The Shohoku fans in the stands were shouting at the top of their lungs, " Shirasawa! Shirasawa!"
The roar of the crowd nearly lifted the stadium off its feet; this game was truly explosive. But the most explosive moment was Shirasawa's 55 points, which broke the single-game scoring record since the founding of Sannoh Industrial High School.
Shirasawa stood with his hands on his hips on the center line, arms outstretched, welcoming the cheers from the crowd, as if he wanted to embrace the entire stadium.
Some say he represents team basketball, but in the second half, he single-handedly carried Shohoku against Sannoh's five starters for fifteen minutes; some say he's a lone hero, but he always manages to feed his teammates comfortable passes.
Even when Sawakita, Fukatsu, and Kawata teamed up, they couldn't stop him. The title of the nation's number one high school student should have been given to someone else from that time on.
With three seconds left, he jumped up and slammed the Sawakita against the backboard, sealing the game's outcome. Eiji Sawakita stood there, staring at the basket for a long time—he was truly impressed.
In the stands, Hikoichi Aida hard that snot bubbles were coming out of his nose, clutching Moichi Taoka's clothes. " Shohoku won! Shohoku won!"
Moichi Taoka his eyes, then couldn't help but laugh, "Hey Hikoichi, why don't you just transfer to Shohoku next year?"
The fans of Shohoku and Ryonan were arguing heatedly in the stands, but when the players from both teams left the court, they patted each other on the shoulder and handed each other water. This friendship was forged through fighting.
Moichi Taoka led the whole team in applauding Shohoku, feeling both bitter and exhilarated. He was bitter because Shohoku was in Kanagawa, and Ryonan had no chance of making it in the next three years. He was exhilarated because Ryonan was able to play against a tough team like Shohoku and realize where they were lacking. They had to thoroughly study that small-ball lineup that lasted for five minutes.
Just as everyone was having a great time, suddenly "bang!" the roof of the stadium exploded, followed by another "bang!" Countless streamers rained down, like stars scattered all over the ground, and the atmosphere reached its peak!
The stadium was filled with shouts of " Shohoku! Shohoku!" which shook the floor. The Shohoku players bowed to the audience one by one, their backs bent lower than the backboard.
In contrast, the players of Sannoh were quite calm. Unlike the players who cried and wailed when Shoyo lost, or the players who were dejected when Kainan lost, their composure was just like Shinichi Maki's when he lost—he accepted the loss wholeheartedly.
They knew that the myth of the Sannoh had been shattered, but witnessing this miracle firsthand made the trip worthwhile. After all, they had no complaints about the loss, and everyone had given their all. This kind of evenly matched contest is what competitive sports should be like.
Goro Domoto stood on the sidelines with a smile on his face. Before, he had been shouting, yelling, diving, and jumping, using every trick in the book to win. But he had lost, and he was willing to admit it. That's what a true champion is.
The game wasn't just about the players; the coaches were also battling it out. Goro Domoto accepted his defeat wholeheartedly. He knew that Shohoku's turning point was that three-minute small-ball lineup. From that moment on, he had no chance, and his ace, Sawakita, also lost to Anzai's ace Shirasawa.
Eiji Sawakita's face was expressionless, but there was a slight smile on his lips. He wasn't sad, he was happy. He was pursuing the ultimate. Being number one in the country was not his goal, but just a small stop on the way. He would rather be second, third, or fifth, so that he could keep challenging himself, just like when he used to play ball with his father.
Goro Domoto patted Sawakita on the shoulder. "Let's go, it's time to line up for the award." He understood Sawakita's thoughts; this game might change Sawakita's future path.
The celebration paused for a few seconds as everyone waited for the awards to be presented.
At the center line, the players from Shohoku and Sannoh stood in two rows, neither of them moving first.
The Sannoh team shouted "Thank you for your guidance" at the top of their lungs, the volume almost lifting the ceiling, sounding like they had just won the championship. But while their faces showed a hint of resentment, there wasn't a trace of dissatisfaction.
The Shohoku players didn't hold back either, responding in unison with the same words. Although their voices weren't as explosive as Sannoh's, they conveyed genuine respect. They held Sannoh in the highest regard, because if the match were to be replayed, no one could predict the outcome.
Kazunari Fukatsu his hand to shake hands with Takenori Akagi, his tone calm. " Akagi, congratulations."
Akagi gripped his hand and shook it, grinning sheepishly and proudly. "Thanks! I can keep playing this game until graduation!"
Fukatsu sighed and added, "Speaking of which, my goal three years ago was to beat you guys, but unfortunately I still fell short."
Akagi waved his hand dismissively. "Then I have to congratulate you, at least you've made your target public."
Fukatsu scratched his head and said, "It's a real shame, though. I won't have another chance to play with you guys. Winning or losing isn't important; I just wanted to have a good game with you guys."
Sakuragi turned around and saw Mikio Kawata, immediately switching to a smug expression. "You fat pig, do you know the difference between you and this genius?"
Mikio scratched her head, looking aggrieved. " Sakuragi, please stop calling me a fat pig, okay? I'm going to get angry if you keep doing it."
Sakuragi suddenly dropped his roguish act, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Fatty, it's quite interesting playing against you. Although you're still far from being a genius like me, I acknowledge your skill. Remember to train even harder next year."
Mikio opened her mouth, her face instantly turning red. After a long pause, she finally managed to say, "Thank you, Sakuragi. I'll definitely beat you next year!"
Sakuragi shook his head, a smug look on his face. "Forget it, you couldn't catch up with this genius's back even if you ran your legs off."
Masashi Kawata suddenly interrupted, glaring fiercely at Sakuragi: "Idiot, don't forget, if I hadn't pulled you up just now, you'd still be sprawled on the ground!"
Sakuragi immediately exploded. " Bald Gorilla! You broke the rule first! What are you pretending to be a good guy for!"
That's absolutely right. If Kawata hadn't Kawata Sakuragi back, that subsequent attack wouldn't have happened. So this guy's acting as both referee and player, playing double standards?
Sawakita stood opposite Shirasawa and spoke first, "I lost."
Shirasawa smiled and said, "You really put on a good show."
Sawakita was the most formidable opponent he had ever faced. The two were very close in height, weight, and physical attributes, making their matchups incredibly exciting. The two delivered several memorable moments in this game, the most spectacular being Sawakita's almost game-winning three-pointer from a great distance and Shirasawa's block on him with three seconds left. These two plays would be legendary in the national high school tournament.
Sawakita suddenly spoke up, "How about a one-on-one fight?"
Shirasawa raised an eyebrow. "Anytime."
Sawakita laughed, "I heard you signed with an agency and are doing this ' 100-Point Battle' thing? If we were teammates, we might be able to pull off some amazing things."
Shirasawa nodded. "Sure, you can come to my company if you're interested."
The two smiled at each other and gave each other a high five. Sawakita neither agreed nor refused.
The national tournament was much more formal than the county tournament. A podium was quickly set up in the center of the court. Unlike the county tournament, only the champion and runner-up teams stood on the sidelines this time. All the other teams except Ryonan had left. However, the awards were still given, even though many players couldn't experience the honor on the spot.
Amidst cheers from the crowd, the organizing committee first brought out the championship trophy. As the captain, Akagi was the first to reach out and accept it. This time, he wasn't so nervous that he made a mistake. With tears in his eyes, he raised it above his head, and the whole audience erupted in cheers.
There was no suspense about who would win the runner-up title. Kazunari Fukatsu went on stage to accept the silver trophy, which was of great significance to Sannoh Industrial High School. After all, by the next national tournament, almost all of their starting five players would be leaving. Sannoh's three-peat was closely tied to this group of players. Without them, Goro Domoto would have a lot more trouble.