Teammates rushed over, and Ayako anxiously ran onto the field with a first-aid kit, carefully treating Sakuragi's wounds.
In the audience, a girl finally stopped, her hands nervously clasped together, her eyes fixed on the audience.
On the other side, Tomokazu Godai seemed to have suddenly panicked.
"Sent off... I can't go off! I can't go off like this!" He turned and yelled at the referee, "I didn't do it on purpose! Look carefully! This decision is wrong!"
Seeing Kazumi Kawasaki quickly stepped onto the field and grabbed Godai.
"Alright, Godai, come down with me."
Tomokazu Godai gritted his teeth, his face full of resentment, "Coach, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Kazumi Kawasaki patted him on the shoulder.
"That's enough. You've done more than enough." His tone was calm, yet carried weight. "Go apologize to Sakuragi."
Tomokazu Godai looked into the coach's eyes, paused for a few seconds, then relaxed his shoulders and let out a long breath. He turned to Sakuragi and whispered:
"Sorry."
These words carried a heavy weight, not only for Sakuragi, but also as an explanation to Coach Kawasaki, to himself, and even to Takenori Akagi. Godai knew in his heart that his high school basketball career had come to an end. Although he was unwilling and regretful, for some reason, he also felt a sense of relief.
After saying that, he followed Kazumi Kawasaki off the field.
Takenori Akagi watched his retreating figure, he felt that Godai seemed to have shed something at that moment, and even his walking posture became more relaxed.
The game was paused due to this malicious foul.
Hanamichi Sakuragi was indeed fine, just a scrape near his eye, Ayako was carefully bandaging. He even grinned and said that Godai's elbow should be checked to see if it was broken.
There were less than ten minutes left in the game.
Shohoku leads Tsukubu 99-42, a 57-point advantage.
Tsukubu is on the bench.
The atmosphere became somewhat somber with Tomokazu Godai's departure. In the second half, he led the charge time and time again, his indomitable spirit inspiring everyone and making them temporarily forget about the score. Now that he's off the field, it's as if the dream has come to an end.
Even Koichiro Nango kept his head down and remained silent.
Godai slowly stood up and smiled at his teammates with relief.
"Why are you all making those faces? The match isn't over yet, I'm just leaving early." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "Don't forget the spirit of Tsukubu! Never give up!"
"I can't play anymore, but you guys have to fight back for my share too! That's the kind of basketball that Tsukubu!"
"Once you give up, it's truly over!"
These words moved Koichiro Nango, a rare occurrence, and he was the first to stand up.
"The captain is right! The game is far from over! It's not time to give up!"
The other team members seemed to be ignited, raising their heads one after another.
For Tsukubu, for myself, and for Godai, I'll fight to the very end!
"Never give up!!" The shouts erupted in unison.
Kazumi Kawasaki looked at Godai with satisfaction; this disciple had once again risen from the ashes.
"Alright! Give it your all for the rest of the time! No matter the result, we'll all walk back to the locker room with our heads held high!"
The referee blew the whistle, and the timeout ended.
The players returned to the court, Hanamichi Sakuragi, with a bandage around his eye, confidently walked back onto the court. The game was all he could think about now.
Tomokazu Godai sat on the bench, cheering desperately for his teammates.
On the field, the Tsukubu players ran with all their might, giving it their all.
Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, they still venture into the tiger's den.
This spirit earned them applause from the entire audience, and even their opponents, Shohoku, showed them respect.
Natsume used a screen to get around the defense and received the ball outside the three-point line. Shirasawa was already right in front of him, and he had no time to adjust, so he had to take a shot hastily!
At this moment, almost everyone in the audience was waiting for the sound of hammering.
Because Hanamichi Sakuragi's rebounding record is just one more point away!
Everyone who witnessed this moment was filled with excitement.
So much so that when Sakuragi got injured just now, everyone's hearts were in their throats...
The moment the ball left his hands, the area under the basket erupted into a chaotic scramble.
Koichiro Nango bypassed Akagi and tangled tightly with Sakuragi, desperately trying to grab the offensive rebound!
The two were battling it out under the basket, Sakuragi's gaze was frighteningly focused.
The area under the basket is the battlefield; you absolutely cannot lose your position!
Takenori Akagi's words from back then flashed through his mind again and again.
Sakuragi spread his arms, planted his feet firmly, and trapped Koichiro Nango behind him.
That posture of his is exactly like Akagi's!
Akagi, who was watching from the side, was satisfied and casually cleared away the other distractions for him.
when!
The ball bounced off the rim!
Koichiro Nango unleashed all his strength behind Sakuragi, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace.
But Hanamichi Sakuragi remained completely still, holding his position like an ironclad fortress!
"The area under the backboard is my territory!!"
With a loud roar, Hanamichi Sakuragi leaped into the air!
At that moment, Ayako and Kogure on the sidelines were so excited their eyes reddened, " Sakuragi! Take it down!!"
The audience held their breath, waiting for the record to be set.
Hanamichi Sakuragi stretched out his arm as if to pluck a star, and steadily caught the basketball in his arms!
When he landed, the cheers from the entire stadium nearly lifted the roof off.
Twenty-second rebound!
He broke the single-game rebounding record in the Kanagawa Prefecture tournament.
Applause erupted from all directions. Someone shouted " Rebound King " first, and then the entire arena joined in.
" Rebound King! Rebound King! Rebound King!"
Coach Anzai smiled and called a timeout, stopping the game at that moment so that Sakuragi could savor this glory.
Hanamichi Sakuragi finally snapped out of his daze and scratched his head.
"Rebound King?" He often uses that nickname himself, but now that the whole arena is chanting it, he's a little bewildered.
Koichiro Nango snorted beside him, his face showing dissatisfaction, but in his heart he had already accepted it.
"What are you so smug about, Red-haired Monkey? Go and rest!"
The Shohoku teammates all gathered around, and their way of congratulating them was quite uniform—either by punching or slapping each other.
Shirasawa simply tucked his head under his arm, ruffled his red hair, and laughed, "Silly boy, don't think so much, you're the undisputed Rebound King right now!"
Hanamichi Sakuragi blinked, then hesitantly pointed at himself. "So... all these people are cheering for me?"
Takenori Akagi, unusually, relaxed his brow and placed his large hand on Takenori's head.
"That's right, all this cheering is for you. Sakuragi, the Rebound King of Shohoku."
Hanamichi Sakuragi suddenly stood up, spun around looking at the audience, as if to confirm that he wasn't dreaming.
The next second, he suddenly raised his arms and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I am Hanamichi Sakuragi, the Rebound King!!"
This time, no one thought he was arrogant, nor did anyone laugh at his naivety.
The cheers at this moment are for him.
On Tsukubu's side, Kazumi Kawasaki and Tomokazu Godai also stood up and applauded.
Hanamichi Sakuragi grinned, suddenly feeling something inside him so full it was about to overflow.
It was only then that he realized he had probably already fallen in love with playing basketball.
After the timeout, Coach Anzai substituted the exhausted Hisashi Mitsui with Kogure.
Shohoku launched a smooth offensive run, after which Coach Anzai substituted the starters with the reserve lineup.
Just as they had insisted, Tsukubu fought until the very last second.
The final whistle blows.
Tsukubu's team finally stopped, panting heavily, some even collapsing to the ground.
Shohoku defeated Shohoku 142-69, a 73-point advantage, to advance to the quarterfinals.
Hanamichi Sakuragi ultimately grabbed 25 rebounds, further improving his own record.
Shirasawa delivered a solid performance with 35 points, 32 assists, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 blocks, continuing his impressive "35+30+5+5+5" record.
Tsukubu, last year's quarterfinal team, only caused some trouble for Shohoku at the beginning, and was then completely suppressed.
After this match, many people's opinions quietly changed.
It was originally said that Shoyo was Shohoku's biggest challenge in Group C, but now the topic has reversed, and everyone is saying that Shohoku is the obstacle on Shoyo's way to the semifinals.
In short, the two teams will meet in the next round of the quarterfinals, and we will soon find out who is stronger.
On the sidelines, Kazumi Kawasaki walked up to Coach Anzai and bowed respectfully.
"It's an honor to play against your team. I've learned another lesson from you today."
Coach Anzai nodded with a smile, " Kawasaki, you've led a great team and grown a lot yourself. I look forward to your performance next year."
Kazumi Kawasaki bowed and said, "You flatter me, teacher. I will have much more to learn from you in the future."
After saying that, he rubbed his hands together, made a few more casual remarks about the teacher's health, and just stood there without moving.
Coach Anzai could easily tell that the student was holding something back.
Kawasaki, is there something you want to say?
Kazumi Kawasaki smiled awkwardly, finally mustering her courage. "Teacher, there's something you might not know... Shirasawa was originally supposed to come to our Tsukubu..."
Coach Anzai held his thermos, smiling without saying a word.
Kazumi Kawasaki glanced at him and coughed twice. "Um... teacher, do you think it would be convenient for Shirasawa to transfer here next year?..."
Coach Anzai chuckled and replied gently, "Goodbye."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the players' tunnel.
Kazumi Kawasaki, still unwilling to give up, chased after the retreating figure, shouting, "Teacher, we can talk! The year after next is fine too!"
The reporters in the media section on the sidelines were stunned, and some couldn't help but shake their heads in amazement.
Things have changed.
Coach Anzai, holding his thermos, nodded with a smile.
" Kawasaki, you've built a great team and grown a lot yourself. I look forward to your performance next year."
Kazumi Kawasaki.
"You flatter me, teacher. I'll have to learn more from you in the future."
After saying that, he rubbed his hands together and made a few more small talk about how concerned he was about the teacher's health, but he just stood there and wouldn't leave.
Kazumi Kawasaki smiled awkwardly, finally mustering her courage.
"Teacher, there's something you might not know... Shirasawa was originally supposed to come to our Tsukubu..."
Kazumi Kawasaki glanced at him and coughed twice.
"Um... teacher, would it be convenient for Shirasawa to transfer here next year?"
Coach Anzai chuckled and replied gently.
"Goodbye."
Kazumi Kawasaki was still persistent, chasing after his retreating figure and shouting.
"Teacher, we can talk it over! The year after next is fine too!"
The best young marshal, he's shameless...
Finally, as is customary, both teams returned to the field and bowed to each other.
The three former students from Kitamura Junior High School have reunited.
However, at this moment, the tense atmosphere between Akagi and Godai from the morning was gone, as if they had suddenly come to terms with each other.
"I didn't expect I still couldn't beat you," Tomokazu Godai a smile.
Takenori Akagi still looked serious.
"I've got it, because you'll never beat me."
After saying that, Akagi smiled to himself.
The same words that caused the Godai to hold a grudge for a long time three years ago are now spoken as if in jest, and no one takes them seriously.
Tomokazu Godai smiled faintly.
"My high school basketball career is over. I have no regrets about losing to you guys."
"Just like Kogure said, no matter who leaves, they are all people from Kitamura."
" Akagi, Kogure, let's keep pushing forward! Let's bring back the national championship, including my share!"
Takenori Akagi nodded.
"I can do it without you telling me."