"A double-team?" Terashima was taken aback. He'd seen this tactic before when playing against the Fire Phoenix team. But he later learned that it was Yo Aoki who taught Fire Phoenix this technique. "However, this double-team is much more ruthless than Fire Phoenix's!"
Shimizu and Kikkawa's defense was impenetrable, and Sakuragi panicked. Genta Shimizu reacted quickly, stealing the ball with a "snap"!
Yo Aoki raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Oh? I see!" He had already guessed Chiba Team's trump card for the second half from their defense.
After stealing the ball, Shimizu immediately launched a fast break. Sakuragi, in a panic, stomped his foot and gave chase. He caught up with Shimizu in just a few seconds, which surprised Shimizu. However, Shimizu was too strong and didn't panic. Seeing that he couldn't shake off Sakuragi, he suddenly stopped at the three-point line and jumped to shoot. Sakuragi, due to inertia, overshot his marker and could only watch Shimizu jump. "Damn it!"
Fujima was somewhat surprised, "I've only ever seen Aoki pull off this kind of sudden stop three-pointer; I never imagined someone else could do it!"
A three-pointer off the backboard made the score 33-42! In less than a minute, Chiba Team had narrowed the gap to just 9 points.
Wow, Chiba Team is pretty strong too!
"Yeah, 9 of those 33 points were three-pointers!"
"These guys are so accurate with their three-pointers!"
"I can't believe it!"
"Ah!" Sakuragi clenched his fist in frustration, "The script is wrong!"
Miyagi and Kiyota sat in the audience, laughing uncontrollably at Sakuragi's antics, tears welling in their eyes. " Sakuragi, you're hilarious!"
" The Red-haired Monkey definitely doesn't want to be the core anymore!"
And so, amidst Sakuragi's frustration, the first half of the game ended.
The Kanagawa team huddled together, discussing their strategy for the second half. Fujima frowned, "We must be wary of Chiba Team's comeback in the second half!"
What tactics will they use in the second half?
Yo Aoki then spoke up, "I already know."
"Huh?" Kiyota immediately leaned closer, asking with interest, " Aoki, tell us!"
Yo Aoki didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "They'll definitely use zonal pressing defense in the second half!"
Kiyota thought for a moment, "Is it like Sannoh Industrial High School?"
Yo Aoki shook his head, " Chiba Team doesn't have that kind of strength. They only know how to use zonal pressing in their own half; they don't use positional play."
"How did you figure that out?" Miyagi asked curiously.
"When Mitsui passed the ball to Sakuragi, Chiba's number 4 was already preparing to double-team Sakuragi; that's a classic example of zone pressure."
"Isn't that a bit far-fetched?"
"When number 4 moved, number 7 had already moved closer to the position where the Captain Maki was growing, and numbers 8 and 9 were also filling in. This is a reaction honed through long-term training. But if it's been trained for so long, why didn't they use it before? So there's only one possibility: this is their secret killing move."
"This is very similar to a 1-2-2 zone defense, so why isn't it a zone defense?" Mitsui asked.
"That's right, the two tactics are similar, but their players are short, so using a zone defense is a huge disadvantage!"
"A tight press expands the defensive range, allowing us to better block the middle and leave the flanks open, forcing us to pass or dribble the ball to the sideline before we can double-team."
"Oh, I see."
Yo Aoki took the tactical board and placed a piece in the middle. "They'll do everything they can to get Captain Maki to pass the ball." Then he placed two pieces on the sidelines. "Once Captain Maki passes the ball to the baseline, they can double-team the player on the baseline."
Kiyota said, "Why doesn't Captain Maki just pass the ball and break through directly? They definitely can't stop him!"
Maki then spoke up, "Don't underestimate your opponent; even a lion needs its full strength to hunt a rabbit."
"That's right! Besides, the Chiba Team isn't a weak team either!" Yo Aoki nodded.
"What should the person who's surrounded do?" Sakuragi asked with concern.
Miyagi raised his chin. "Of course, it's about breaking through the past!"
Fujima shook his head, "No way! The baseline is so narrow, you have to be careful even when dribbling, let alone breaking through."
Yo Aoki laughed and said, "Breaking this kind of tight double-team is simple, just pass the ball. Whoever they double-team, just pass it out, and the rest of the teammates will have a four-on-three situation!"
"This kind of double-teaming isn't something that can be spread so easily!" Miyagi said, recalling the previous battle against Sannoh.
Aoki chuckled, "Then we'll substitute Sendoh -senpai in the second half, and all these problems will be solved!"
"Is Mr. Takato okay?"
"Of course!" Coach Takato readily agreed to Yo Aoki's request.
At this moment, Fujima said to Yo Aoki, "Actually, there's an easier way: Takezato's cover and coordination!" Everyone was taken aback, and then they all looked at Yo Aoki.
Although they had been discussing tactics, Yo Aoki didn't waste any more time. He grinned and said, "If you can play according to your own ideas, that's fine too."
"You can choose whichever you prefer."
As soon as the second half whistle blew, the Chiba Prefecture Representative Team, just as Yo Aoki had predicted, immediately deployed a zone press tactic.
However, Kanagawa had a contingency plan in place, and they had positioned Sendoh on the sideline.
If the Chiba Team dared to double- Sendoh, he would use his excellent vision to pass the ball to an open teammate.
This caught the Chiba Team completely off guard.
Unexpectedly, in the second half, the Chiba Team didn't cause any trouble, but instead, the Kanagawa team broke out first.
In just 8 minutes, Kanagawa had already widened the gap to over 20 points, and the rest of the time became garbage time.
Looking at the current situation, the Chiba Team's coach exchanged a glance with the two technical staff members beside him and couldn't help but sigh, " The Kanagawa Representative Team is too strong!"
"Especially the number 11 who came on in the second half, his ability is actually on par with number 15 in the first half. His passing timing is absolutely brilliant, it's astonishing!"
"Just thinking about it—if Kanagawa had started with these two, plus Shinichi Maki... it's terrifying! I don't even want to think about it!"
"Otherwise, only Akita Prefecture, where Sannoh Industrial High School is located, can compete with them!"
In the end, the Kanagawa Representative Team defeated the Chiba Prefecture Representative Team by 25 points.
After the match, Coach Chiba approached Coaches Takato Taoka, bowed awkwardly, and said, "I'm so sorry, Takato, I'm sorry you had to see this."
Seeing this, Coach Takato waved his hand. "Don't take it to heart, let's meet again in the national competition."
In addition, Shinichi Maki scored a game-high 32 points, while Sendoh, who only came on in the second half, dished out 17 assists – those stats were incredible.
However, Sakuragi's performance was mediocre, scoring 4 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while also wasting an opportunity to show off in front of the girls.
After all, you can't really blame Sakuragi; facing so many formidable opponents, he simply couldn't perform well.
Yo Aoki only scored 2 points, but he left a very deep impression on everyone.
Even long after that match, the other players in Kanagawa were wondering, "What should we do if Aoki uses those dirty tricks against us on the field in the future?"
This match also allowed Yo Aoki to gain a clearer understanding of his teammates' abilities.
After all, the players on the Kainan Team have a high level of tactical awareness. They are very familiar with the zone defense and pressing tactics that Yo Aoki mentioned, and they also practice them systematically.
In contrast, the Shohoku Team was much worse; they basically knew only a little about everything, perfectly illustrating what it means to rely on talent to play basketball.
That day, in the coaching office of Kainan High School, coaches Takato Taoka were reviewing the warm-up match.
"This match shows that the players are in good form," Coach Taoka said with satisfaction.
Coach Takato nodded. "I'll announce the starting lineup to them tomorrow."
"Still your old starting lineup?"
"Yes, that's right."
Coach Taoka thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you sure you don't want to consider putting Aoki in the starting lineup?"
Coach Takato smiled and said, "Actually, I was still hesitant before, but after this warm-up match, I made up my mind completely."
Why?
Coach Takato handed over a cup of hot tea. "We all know that Aoki is the one who devised the tactics for Takezato Team."
Coach Taoka nodded.
"More than his skills, I admire his understanding of the game and his ability to adapt to changing situations!"
"So I plan to have him analyze the game and study the opponent from the sidelines."
Coach Taoka finally understood Takato's intention, but he shook his head. " Takato, I think no matter what, Aoki is a player, and his role should be reflected on the field, not off the field."
Coach Takato was taken aback for a moment, then fell into deep thought.
Seeing Takato remain silent, Taoka didn't insist on his opinion. "I was just speaking my mind, but you are the head coach after all, and I respect your decision."
As the team leader, Taoka clearly understands his position. He has an obligation to offer suggestions to the head coach, but he would never interfere with the head coach's decisions.
He didn't think Takato's decision was wrong. After all, every coach has their own style and a different perspective, so all he had to do was support them.
Taoka suddenly remembered something, and he smiled, "I heard you went to Kainan to dig for Aoki?"
Coach Takato smiled helplessly, "That's right, it's the school's decision."
"I bet Aoki rejected me, right?"
"Yes." Coach Takato took a sip of tea. "Doesn't Senior Taoka want to get Aoki?"
Taoka raised an eyebrow. "Of course I want him! The combination of Aoki and Sendoh, just thinking about it is exciting!"
Why didn't Ryonan intervene and snatch him away?
Taoka sighed, "I knew Aoki wouldn't leave Takezato!"
How did you know, senior?
Taoka said in a deep voice, "Because the rise of Takezato is unstoppable."
Yo Aoki arrived at the stadium, he could hear Kiyota's shouts from afar.
"What's going on?!"
"Holy crap! How could this happen!"
Kiyota, Miyagi, Mitsui, and Soichiro Jin were gathered around a notice, pointing and gesturing. Yo Aoki leaned over and asked curiously, " Kiyota, what's wrong?"
Kiyota looked worried. "The match schedule for the Autumn National Sports Festival is out, take a look."
Yo Aoki leaned closer and quickly located the location of Kanagawa.
The first match in Kanagawa will be against the winner of the Shizuoka - Saitama game. Yo Aoki pondered for a moment, "Isn't Shizuoka Prefecture the Jousei High School, which played a warm-up match against Shohoku, is located?"
Yo Aoki raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going on between Shizuoka and Saitama?"
Kiyota shoved the schedule in front of him, raising his voice eight octaves. "I wasn't talking about the two of them!"
But look here! Kiyota's finger is pointing directly at the Osaka Representative Team!
Yo Aoki squinted at it, gave an "Oh," and didn't react at all.
Kiyota nearly snapped in anger, then pointed to another spot. "Look here again!"
The sign clearly stated "Aichi Prefecture Representative Team".
"If we beat Osaka, we'll face Aichi Prefecture," Kiyota said rapidly, "And if we can keep winning, we'll run into Fukuoka in the semifinals!"
Yo Aoki paused for a moment, then laughed out loud, "You mean, we've been assigned to the group of death?"
Kiyota's eyes widened. "How can you laugh?!"
"This grouping is good," Yo Aoki shook his head, "We'll definitely be facing Akita Team in the finals, right?"
Kiyota was so shocked his jaw almost dropped. "Are you serious?"