The difference between the two in terms of jumping ability and hang time is enormous.
Only after the center's feet landed did Shirasawa show signs of falling, flicking his wrist to gently toss the ball towards the basket.
It's very harmful, and even more insulting!
This move is known in basketball circles as the " Falling Shot ".
"One against five! Did you see that?! He single-handedly swept past the entire Takahata team!"
"That's outrageous! This is a professional versus an amateur, and Shirasawa didn't even use his physical strength; it's all about skill!"
"I'd call him an offensive kaleidoscope!"
" Shirasawa! There's still time, let's do one more!"
With Shirasawa's sudden one-against-five attack, the audience went completely wild.
Of course, Takahata's defense was indeed not very good.
It was supposed to be a one-against-five fight, but in reality, the opponents were just coming up one by one to give away their lives.
If five people held hands and formed a circle, even the God of Heaven couldn't get through.
But that's basketball—it changes in an instant, like lightning.
If that shot had gone in, it would have been a truly memorable moment.
Shirasawa's dribbling skills were truly impressive; he didn't rely on brute force at all, but simply dribbled past one opponent after another.
Even Soichiro Jin in the stands had admiration in his eyes.
He felt that if Shinichi Maki had played that ball, the result would probably have been similar, but Maki's style of play would definitely be like a bulldozer, pushing the ball flat, which is completely different from Shirasawa's agile and graceful style.
After that point, the players on the Takahata team completely lost their composure.
The score was already far behind, and now they've been completely outmaneuvered by one person.
What's the point of fighting?
I really wanted to just throw the ball away and go home... but thoughts aside, the game had to continue.
In the end, Shohoku swept through the enemy lines, winning 155-21 by a whopping 134 points, creating another crushing defeat.
After the game, many of the first and second-year team members from Takahata cried.
She really cried after being beaten.
You can call it good luck or hard work, but at least they made it to the third round this year.
Who would have thought that they would run into Shohoku, and their true colors would be revealed all at once.
Losing by more than 100 points is a feeling few can accept calmly.
This kind of psychological blow is much harder to bear than simply being eliminated.
Takahata's head coach silently comforted the group of young men.
"It's not that you're too weak, it's that your opponents are too strong. Go back and train hard. Losing to this year's champion isn't shameful."
It's unclear whether these words were sincere or just words of comfort, but a reporter standing nearby overheard the whole thing.
The reporter immediately made a note of it in his notebook.
Coach Takahata predicts: Shohoku will be this year's champion.
Shohoku returned to the locker room with a resounding victory.
Hanamichi Sakuragi scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds today. The stats look economical, but his performance was anything but.
All 14 points came from dunks!
He took eight shots throughout the game, each time giving it his all, jumping incredibly high, with an attitude of recklessness.
The only time he missed the dunk was because the defender was still a bit far from the basket, but Sakuragi still forced his way in and dunked the ball over the defender.
Although the shot didn't go in and resulted in a foul, the scene was indeed quite spectacular.
It's exhilarating to watch, showcasing the violent and aesthetic aspects of basketball to the fullest.
During the press interview session arranged by Sanae, Hanamichi Sakuragi finally managed to secure a spot thanks to his performance today.
After all, his playing style is unique in the entire Kanagawa.
Shirasawa's stats are off the charts again.
He played 37 minutes, scoring 36 points, 33 assists, along with 6 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 blocks.
This made him the first player in the history of the county tournament to record 35+30+5+5+5.
Even if the standard is lowered to 20+20+5+5+5, no one has ever done it before.
The reporters' microphones were practically poking Shirasawa in the face.
In the three rounds of the competition, his statistics became more and more outrageous, and they continued to rise.
In the eyes of reporters, the landscape of Kanagawa is likely to change because of this man.
Shirasawa's performance improved with each match, which is certainly related to the weakness of his opponents, such as Kakuno, who chickened out before even fighting.
As for Takahata, the difference in strength was too great, and he gave up resisting early on.
On the other hand, Shirasawa's assist count is also increasing.
The first round had 19, the second round had 30, and the converted ability value boosted him significantly.
With the 33 added in this round, and more to come later, their strength can be further improved.
In addition, Shirasawa also needs this kind of explosive data to boost his fame and influence, so that his agency can develop faster.
The impact of a double 30 and a double 20 is on completely different levels.
It's just that Kakuno and Takahata are a bit unfortunate, becoming stepping stones for Shirasawa and Shohoku.
When facing other strong teams, they might just step over them to get across the river, or at worst, step into the river themselves.
Shohoku has stepped right into the deep sea...
Shirasawa needs a data explosion, and so does Shohoku, to wash away the frustration of the past few years in one go.
After the interview, because it was a workday, the team had to gather and return to school.
Takenori Akagi specifically asked Haruko to come along too... He was genuinely afraid his sister would cause any more trouble.
Just as they were assembling, Yohei Mito, Tetsuo Hotta, and a few others appeared outside the locker room.
It immediately caught the attention of the team members.
Hanamichi Sakuragi walked past smugly.
"You guys are here too! Did you see how awesome I am today? I single-handedly crushed the Takahi Basketball Team! Hahahaha!"
Nozomi Takamiya, with a pained expression, whispered a reminder: " Sakuragi, that team's name is Takano..."
"Ah? So that character is pronounced 'ye'..." Sakuragi stroked his chin.
Takenori Akagi, unable to bear it any longer, walked over and knocked him down with a single punch.
"Disgraceful bastards! It's Takahata! The Takahata basketball team! You idiot, you didn't just say that to the reporters, did you?"
"You're not even studying properly! Get back to class right now!"
After saying that, Akagi grabbed Sakuragi by the collar and dragged him back.
At that moment, Tetsuo Hotta's gaze met Mitsui's.
Tetsuo Hotta nodded, his expression somewhat complicated. Seeing this, Mitsui's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to leave.
"What happened, A-De?"
Actually, judging from Tetsuo Hotta's expression, Mitsui had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth. Ever since the incident at the gymnasium, Tetsuo Hotta had behaved himself a lot at Shohoku, and now, the delinquents at school were all outwardly under Yohei Mito.
However, Yohei, hanging out with Nozomi Takamiya and the others. He wouldn't bother anyone unless provoked. But if it really came down to it, he would never hold back.
The changes within Shohoku were naturally known to those outside. So, there were always people coming to cause trouble. But Yohei and his friends were undeniably strong; even without Hanamichi Sakuragi, they had never lost. As a result, his standing in their eyes actually rose even higher.
Tetsuo Hotta and Yohei aren't exactly enemies now; they sometimes even help each other out. So, theoretically, he shouldn't be in any trouble at school.
That leaves only one possibility— Tetsuo.
Previously, Mitsui had been asking Tetsuo Hotta to inquire about Tetsuo's whereabouts. He had seen Tetsuo once before at the hospital entrance, but the guy wouldn't say anything. A-De's appearance today, something must have happened to Tetsuo.
Tetsuo Hotta licked his dry lips and sighed heavily.
" Tetsuo... something's going to happen."
He paused for a moment before explaining what had happened.
Just yesterday, he heard rumors that Ryu, one of Tetsuo's underlings, had now firmly secured his position as the boss. But the way he rose to power was far from honorable.
After the stadium incident, Tetsuo was first hospitalized and then detained for a period of time. Taking advantage of this lull, Ryu began to stir up trouble everywhere.
He told his men that Tetsuo didn't care about his brothers at all. He knew there were tough guys on the basketball team, yet he led them to their deaths just to help his "good brother" Hisashi Mitsui get back to the basketball team. Mitsui betrayed them, Tetsuo was an accomplice, willing to drag his brothers down with him.
He also said that revenge was out of the question, as Tetsuo had no intention of doing so. Besides, Tetsuo's strength was mediocre; he was easily defeated in a one-on-one fight with Shirasawa. How could someone so disloyal and weak be a leader?
Words alone are not enough; Tetsuo has been around for so many years, he can't be taken down with just a few words. But Ryu has another card to play—he has a brother named Kito.
Kito used to be somewhat famous in the industry, but he went to jail for stabbing someone, and I heard he didn't stay quiet even in there. Nobody expected that he was Ryu's brother, and what's even more unexpected is that this guy was recently released.
With Kito keeping things in check, Ryu used both soft and hard tactics, and had already won over most of the people before Tetsuo returned. As soon as Tetsuo showed up, they immediately launched a rebellion.
That day, Tetsuo was surrounded by Ryu and Kito with their gang. He knew the situation was hopeless and he had no choice but to fight back. However, he had just recovered from his injuries, and the other side had more people, including the ruthless Kito. He quickly found himself at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, Tetsuo was incredibly resilient, and he managed to drag himself out despite being covered in wounds. The so-called " Tetsuo disappearance" began from that day.
However, at that time, Tetsuo Hotta was unaware of these inside details.
It wasn't until yesterday that he figured it out—because Tetsuo had reappeared.
Rumors circulated that Tetsuo, after recovering from his injuries, had recently been secretly plotting to reclaim his territory. One of the people he contacted happened to be a friend of Tetsuo Hotta. That's how Tetsuo Hotta learned the whole story.
Moreover, Ryu has already located Tetsuo's location, gathered his men, and set a date for this afternoon to completely eliminate Tetsuo.
That's why Tetsuo Hotta came to watch the match today. He knows about the relationship between Tetsuo and Mitsui, and he also knows that Mitsui has been inquiring about Tetsuo. Logically and emotionally, he should tell Mitsui.
But Tetsuo's current situation is too dangerous. If he tells anyone, Mitsui will definitely get involved. Mitsui has finally gotten back on track, back to the basketball life he wanted...
Tetsuo Hotta had been agonizing over this all day, and only just now did he finally speak up. He had figured it out: if Mitsui found out later, the guy would definitely feel guilty to death. It was better to make things clear now and let Mitsui choose for himself.
After hearing this, Mitsui gritted his teeth, clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
" Ryu! I knew he was no good back then, but I never imagined he was so cunning!"