Shohoku Had Little Experience in Major Competitions, so Facing Shoyo, They Were Bound to Be Nervous

Afterwards, Sanae's first task for him was to have a breakout performance, which suited Kaede Rukawa perfectly. His answer was 46 points in the first game.

Sanae, sitting in the audience, was completely satisfied and had already started planning her next target.

Of course, the next target will not be an unknown person.

The atmosphere in the Shohoku locker room was much more subdued than usual.

Especially Takenori Akagi, who had been feeling anxious for days, is now even more tense with the competition just around the corner, to the point that he didn't sleep well last night.

" Gorilla, you can actually see dark circles under your eyes on that dark face..."

Hanamichi Sakuragi moved closer to him, grinning in a way that made him want to punch someone.

Takenori Akagi frowned and turned his face away.

This time, he didn't even swing his iron fist, which surprised even Sakuragi.

" Four-Eyes, what's wrong with the Gorilla today? He's acting so strangely."

Kogure pushed up his glasses and chuckled, " Akagi's too nervous. After all, we're playing against Shoyo today. A couple of years ago, we wouldn't have even dared to dream of this."

His expression turned serious, and he continued, "Now, Shoyo has become the first real obstacle on our Shohoku to advancement. Akagi must be feeling very conflicted."

"So Sakuragi, you have to play your best today, we absolutely have to win!"

Sakuragi grinned confidently, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"Of course, Four-Eyes! Leave it to me, the genius Sakuragi!"

"Besides, I have reasons why I absolutely must win!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sakuragi felt his heart pounding, like a little deer was running wild inside it...

His reason, of course, was the Yoko.

But Sakuragi was also a little worried, because Takezono also had a game today, against Kainan, and the two games overlapped in time.

Sakuragi was worried that Yoko would go over there...

If she really goes, then there's probably no chance for them anymore.

Therefore, Akagi wasn't the only one who was anxious about gains and losses.

However, Akagi's worries would only be known after the match was over, while Yoko had actually arrived at the scene much earlier.

Her mind was already made up; she came here today specifically to cheer on Hanamichi Sakuragi.

The stadium announcer suddenly blared.

The players' tunnel doors burst open, Takenori Akagi, head held high, led the entire team onto the field.

" Shohoku! Shohoku!" Tetsuo Hotta, holding a megaphone and acting as the atmosphere-setter. His voice was already a little hoarse, but the shouts had a unique infectious power.

That kind of uniqueness comes from risking your life.

" Shohoku! Shohoku!"

All the Shohoku fans in the stands shouted in unison, their momentum deafening!

At the same time, the door to the other passageway also opened.

Kenji Fujima led the Shoyo team onto the field.

He wore a black training suit over his jersey, a sign that he switched between his roles as a player and a coach.

This jacket isn't just for show. After playing on the court, you get all sweaty, and sitting down on the sidelines makes you feel cold, which affects your performance when you go back on the court.

An outer jacket is used to keep the body warm.

It seems that being a part-time coach isn't easy for Fujima.

My heart was pounding, like a little deer was running wildly inside me...

He walked at the front of the group, but compared to the formation of Shohoku, it was a completely different story.

Shohoku was led by Akagi, a big guy, and his presence alone was intimidating.

Fujima, on the other hand, is the shortest member of the entire Shoyo team.

Behind him followed a line of tall teammates, each one a head taller than him.

But strangely enough, it doesn't look awkward at all when viewed this way.

There was no way around it; Fujima's aura was just too strong, completely overshadowing the height difference.

The Shoyo fans immediately joined in the shouting, frantically banging their water bottles, making a racket that was practically a challenge to Tetsuo Hotta from afar.

"Coach!" Hikoichi Aida from the stands sidled up to Moichi Taoka, his eyes wide. " Shoyo is full of tall guys this year! Exactly as I predicted! This kind of lineup is so rare."

Moichi Taoka.

"That's right," he said, arms crossed. " Shoyo has been thinking about this for two years. Their former coach was adamant that on the basketball court, length is everything, so he searched everywhere for tall players, trying to improve the team's overall height."

"Judging from their performance this year, they've probably gelled quite well, and with Fujima on the team..." Coach Taoka paused, his tone turning serious, " Shohoku is in serious trouble this time."

At this point, he seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly turned around to look behind him.

His gaze swept over each of his teammates, finally settling on Sendoh and Kaede Rukawa.

"You two..." Moichi Taoka cleared his throat, "Your performance today was alright. Listen up, Shohoku and Shoyo, no matter who wins, they'll be our opponents in the semifinals. No one is allowed to leave early today!"

Kaede Rukawa's face remained expressionless, and he didn't utter a sound.

Sendoh grinned, revealing a standard fake smile, "Coach, we never went there beforehand..."

Moichi Taoka his mouth, but swallowed the words back, and could only sigh helplessly in the end.

These two big shots are really a headache.

But then again... it's really delicious!

Both teams returned to their respective benches.

Coach Anzai and part-time coach Fujima each made their final arrangements.

" Shoyo's advantage is height," Coach Anzai said calmly. "Be careful when passing and pay attention when receiving the ball. In comparison, we have better mobility, so everyone needs to run more today and increase our speed."

He looked at Akagi and Sakuragi.

"You guys are in charge of the area under the basket. Control the rebounds."

Akagi nodded heavily.

Hanamichi Sakuragi patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry, Dad! The Rebound King of Kanagawa isn't just a boast!"

Coach Anzai nodded, then turned his gaze to Miyagi.

" Miyagi, try to speed up the pace and make the most of your strengths."

Then he looked at Mitsui.

" Mitsui, you need to use screens more often to create shooting opportunities for yourself. Also... be careful to conserve your energy."

Miyagi grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "No problem, absolutely top form!"

But Mitsui didn't react much; his eyes were unfocused, and he seemed out of sorts.

It was only then that his teammates realized something was wrong with Mitsui.

Shirasawa's eyes flickered; he knew perfectly well that this middle school MVP was overly nervous.

In previous matches, the opponents were practically defeated before the game even started, but this is different for Shoyo; it's a truly tough battle.

It's normal for Mitsui, who hasn't had a proper match in three years, to feel nervous.

Miyagi nudged him with his elbow.

Mitsui then suddenly came to his senses.

"Ah? Yes!" he quickly replied, "I... I'm fine!"

Coach Anzai nodded meaningfully.

Mitsui's condition was within his expectations, but he didn't say much about it.

He believed that Mitsui could adjust on his own.

This battle may be Mitsui's trial to rediscover himself.

Finally, Coach Anzai looked at Shirasawa.

" Xiao Bai," he adjusted his glasses, "The on-the-spot command is in your hands. Securing victory."

He spoke the last four words with particular certainty.

Shirasawa smiled and answered crisply, "Of course."

Takenori Akagi called his teammates over, forming a circle around them, and stretched out a large hand in the middle.

The team members took turns placing their hands on it.

" Shohoku!!"

Akagi roared, his voice like a thunderclap!

The team members felt their blood rush to their heads and shouted in unison.

"Come on!!"

The referee's whistle blew at that moment.

Akagi, leading his Problem Children Army, strode onto the battlefield of the quarterfinals.

The starting lineups for both teams entered the field.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the audience.

But then everyone realized something was wrong.

Kenji Fujima was sitting perfectly fine on the Shoyo bench, without even getting up!

The team representing Shoyo is Hanagata, Hasegawa, Nagano, Takano, and Ito.

" Fujima isn't in the starting lineup?!" Hikoichi Aida almost jumped out of his seat. " Shoyo is so arrogant!"

Everyone knows that Shohoku with Fujima and Shoyo without Fujima are two completely different teams.

Without him, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the team on the court is like Shoyo's second team.

Jun Uozumi also looked surprised.

Shohoku's strength is undeniable; isn't Fujima being a bit too arrogant by doing this?

Even head coach Moichi Taoka frowned, somewhat bewildered by this move.

Needless to say, the players on the Shohoku bench all looked surprised.

Toru Hanagata, observing everyone's reactions, smiled slightly.

The idea of letting Fujima sit on the bench first was actually his idea first.

He has full confidence in this year's team, feeling that although Shohoku is strong, it is not yet at the point where Fujima needs to personally take charge.

Shinichi Maki from Kainan probably won't even play in the quarterfinals.

We Shoyo, cannot afford to lose face like that.

As the coach, Fujima certainly wouldn't let him do whatever he wanted; he had his own reasons for agreeing.

This is a form of deterrence.

It was one of the schemes he orchestrated in his capacity as coach.

Shohoku doesn't have much experience in major tournaments, so it's understandable that they'd be nervous facing Shoyo.

If the game can stay close for a while at the start, then the effect of him sitting on the bench will become apparent.

The Shohoku players will definitely be nervous because the opposing team's star player hasn't even entered the game yet.

If your mindset is off, your performance will definitely suffer.

Moreover, Fujima also believes that this lineup, with Hanagata at its core, is fully capable of doing so!

Even if... even if the plan really goes wrong, he is confident that he can personally step in and turn the situation around.

So far, Fujima's move has gone relatively smoothly.

Because a seed of resentment had already been planted in the heart of Shohoku Team, Takenori Akagi.

Some of his attention was indeed drawn to the composed number 4 on the bench.

However, Shirasawa merely glanced at Fujima with interest.

I was thinking to myself that I'd have to ask you to come up and do some activities in two minutes at most.

beep!

The referee blew the whistle, and the basketball was tossed into the air.

Akagi and Hanagata simultaneously bent their knees to gather strength, their eyes fixed on the rising ball.

As the ball reached its highest point, the Hanagata suddenly shot up from the ground.

Akagi's reaction was noticeably a fraction slower.

Snap!

Hanagata a slight smile, Hanako smoothly flicked the ball towards the backcourt.

" Akagi..." Kiminobu Kogure whispered worriedly from the sidelines.

Shoyo's defender, Ken Ito, caught the ball steadily in the backcourt.