The Shoyo fans were completely silent, overwhelmed by the momentum of the Shohoku team. In the stands, Hikoichi Aida couldn't help but sigh, "It seems Shoyo is really finished. Coach, how did Shohoku become so strong?"
Most of the Ryonan team members nodded in agreement, all feeling that Shoyo had no chance of turning the tide.
Moichi Taoka agreed. " Shohoku is a team with unlimited potential. You all need to be on your toes. They'll be a tough opponent in the future." As he spoke, he was mentally calculating that he would have to keep a close eye on every detail of Shohoku.
But Akira Sendoh crossed his arms and smiled. "I think Shoyo still has a chance, although the chances aren't great, but the upcoming matches might be quite exciting."
His gaze returned to the field. Fujima received the ball in the backcourt and, without a word, launched a full-speed attack.
He didn't care whether his teammates could keep up or not. After crossing the midfield, he didn't slow down even when facing Shirasawa's defense. He did a crossover dribble and a left-handed spin, and swiftly passed by.
He continued his charge, reaching the free-throw line, where Hanamichi Sakuragi lunged at him menacingly to block him. Fujima simply launched a floater.
In a moment of desperation, Sakuragi slapped Fujima's arm.
As the whistle blew, the basketball swished through the net.
Fujima tugged at the elbow pad on his left arm, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"Damn it! I was so close to covering that shorty!" Hanamichi Sakuragi was jumping up and down in anger.
Fujima stepped up to the free-throw line, caught the ball, and shot immediately, looking as eager as if he were rushing to catch a train.
The ball went into the net cleanly, making it a 2+1 play.
80 to 62.
Wow, they scored 3 points in 12 seconds, narrowing the gap to less than 20 points. Fujima's energy has ignited the entire Shoyo team.
They're going all out this time; it's not just empty slogans, the captain is risking his life.
"Get back on defense! We have to hold this ball!" Hanagata shouted at the right moment, adding fuel to the fire.
Shirasawa dribbled the ball across half-court at a leisurely pace.
But Fujima's defensive stance completely changed. He pressed forward, moving quickly with small, quick steps, his hands constantly reaching out. His aggressiveness made it seem like he was stealing something rather than defending against someone.
However, Shirasawa was not one to be taken advantage of.
He pulled the ball away, used his body to push Fujima aside a few steps, and then with a swift turn, he blocked Fujima behind him.
He drove straight to the basket, and Takano and Nagano immediately rushed in to double-team him.
Hanamichi Sakuragi finally found an open space. Shirasawa seized the opportunity and bounced the ball, which whizzed between Takano and Nagano's legs and landed steadily in Sakuragi's hands.
"Go, Sakuragi! Dunk him down!!"
The Shohoku bench was already popping champagne.
Sakuragi, of course, wouldn't hold back; in his dictionary, catching the ball was equivalent to dunking.
He leaped up and flew towards the basket.
Hanagata jumped up with all his might, facing Sakuragi head-on!
He had to buy time for Fujima, and he also had to make one last desperate gamble for himself!
Hanagata let out a rare, loud roar, putting all his strength into it.
Sakuragi showed no mercy, throwing the ball down with all his might!
Just as the ball was about to go into the basket, the Hanagata fingers brushed against it.
"Watch out!!" Fujima shouted anxiously from the sidelines.
In terms of hang time and strength, Hanagata was at a disadvantage. It looked like Sakuragi was about to slam his hand against the rim.
But Sakuragi only had eyes for the basketball hoop and couldn't care less about anything else.
"Ah!!"
In that instant, Hanagata face contorted in pain, his expression one of utter desperation.
He had no choice but to stop you! That was his only thought.
when!
The rim jolted, and the ball was knocked away.
Hanamichi Sakuragi looked completely bewildered; in his mind, the ball was a sure thing.
They actually managed to defend against it?!
There was no time to be surprised; Nagano entangled Akagi, Takano stole the ball and flicked it forward.
Fujima took off running, with Shirasawa hot on his heels.
All eyes followed the ball to the frontcourt.
No one noticed that under the basket, Hanagata was wincing in pain, his left hand gripping his trembling right hand tightly...
Fujima received the ball smoothly and charged towards the opponent's half.
Shirasawa was right behind him, leaving him no choice but to keep going!
"They're here!! Can Shirasawa stop Fujima?!" Hikoichi Aida stood up excitedly.
Kaede Rukawa simply snorted, "Of course."
That "I knew it" expression couldn't be clearer.
The two rushed across the free-throw line one after the other. Fujima calculated the distance and jumped first, followed closely by Shirasawa, who also took to the air.
I didn't expect Fujima to use his right hand for a layup this time!
He bet Shirasawa would defend against his left hand, and sure enough, he pulled a trick.
Shirasawa was indeed fooled, and his entire body weight shifted to the right.
But his reaction was frighteningly fast. Relying on his abnormal core strength, he twisted his waist in mid-air and blocked the basketball with his left hand!
It was about to touch the ball.
Fujima suddenly pulled the ball back, twisted his body, and switched to a left-handed layup.
This series of actions takes less than a second; it all comes down to who reacts faster.
Shirasawa inwardly cheered for Fujima after his palm struck empty air.
The idea of first using the less dominant hand to deceive someone, then switching back to the dominant hand, is indeed quite clever.
But he still underestimated Shirasawa.
As soon as Shirasawa's left hand missed, his right hand followed almost without pause, slapping down.
It was like Fujima was being chased by a Grim Reaper with a scythe; he could dodge the first blow, but he couldn't dodge the second one!
Snap!!
The ball had barely left his hands when Shirasawa slammed it firmly onto the backboard with a loud, alarming sound.
The audience erupted in cheers!
"Holy crap!! That block was amazing!"
"Two consecutive mid-air strikes?! What kind of monster is this?!"
"That was so satisfying! They just managed to stop Sakuragi, and now Shirasawa has gotten his revenge!"
"Great shot! Let's take the game in one fell swoop!"
The ball bounced off the board and landed squarely on Miyagi's hand.
Miyagi sped up instantly, blowing past Hasegawa in one step and rushing into the three-point line in the blink of an eye.
Facing the towering Nagano, he made a sudden stop and then started again, completely disorienting the other man.
Driving to the basket, Miyagi tossed the ball into the air without hesitation, determined to give Sakuragi a perfect finish.
Hanamichi Sakuragi understood perfectly.
He strode forward, leaping high into the air with both feet pushing off the ground!
Not confident using one hand? Then use both hands!
He caught the ball in mid-air with both hands and slammed it down on the basket with all his might once again!
Hanagata gritted his teeth and jumped up again to block the attack.
However, almost exactly like the previous scene, Hanagata's raised right hand this time drew everyone's attention.
It was difficult to even straighten that hand; the entire back of the hand was bruised and purple, with a particularly conspicuous bloodstain.
It wasn't until then that everyone realized— Sakuragi's missed dunk was no accident at all!
That was the result that Hanagata risked his life for!
But now, the Hanagata has surprisingly made it to the top again!
Not to mention the members of Shoyo, even Takenori Akagi felt a tightness in his chest as he watched.
But everything happened in the blink of an eye; there was no time to stop it.
Fortunately, Sakuragi jumped with all his might this time, and he learned his lesson, using both hands to dunk.
He slammed the ball into the basket, his entire body passing over Hanagata's desperately blocking hand!
As the ball went in, Sakuragi's momentum also knocked Hanagata to the ground.
The audience cheered wildly for the two exciting rounds of combat, but Akagi, Takano, and the Takano had already rushed over and surrounded Hanagata.
Fujima quickly called for a pause and rushed to Hanagata's side.
Hanagata's right hand trembled with pain, but he gritted his teeth and sat up, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong.
" Hanagata, your hand..." Fujima was interrupted by Hanagata before he could finish speaking.
"Captain," Hanagata said breathlessly, "I still couldn't stop him... but I really tried my best."
He forced a smile. Regardless of the outcome, he had used up his last bullet, so he had no regrets.
Fujima forced back his tears and reached out to pull Hanagata up.
Hanamichi Sakuragi finally realized what was happening, scratching his head a little embarrassedly. " Four-Eyes, I really didn't mean to... I didn't know you hurt your hand."
Hanagata waved his uninjured left hand and shook his head. "It's not your fault. Let's continue the match."
However, his statement about "continuing the competition" no longer concerns him.
When the timeout ended and Shoyo returned to the court, Hanagata was already sitting on the bench with his right hand wrapped in a thick bandage.
The fans of Shoyo were generous, giving the warrior who fought to the very end a round of applause.
While Hanagata's points and rebounds in this game may not be his career highs, they are definitely among his best performances.
In the next few minutes, Fujima completely let loose.
He ran like crazy on the court, never passing the ball again, nor calling for a pick-and-roll.
It's about constantly challenging Shirasawa and continuously launching attacks on his own.
In his words, this was a last-ditch effort; in the eyes of the audience, it was almost like a cornered beast fighting.
Even when cornered, you have to struggle a bit, even if it doesn't change anything.
Every time Fujima attacked or defended, it made the fans of Shoyo feel heartbroken.
But Shohoku had no intention of giving him any chance.
Compared to Fujima, Shirasawa seemed even less unstoppable.
He systematically dismantled Shoyo's inside players one by one, rendering Fujima's desperate efforts futile.
Incidentally, Shirasawa's personal scoring record also skyrocketed.
With the game nearing its end, the substitutes on the Shohoku bench were getting restless, their hearts pounding, wishing they could get on the court themselves.
The moment has finally come for Shoyo, a major hurdle that has kept them stuck for over a month!
In the stands, Shohoku fans chanted " Shohoku! Shohoku!" in unison, the shouts growing louder and louder.
The reporters in the media section couldn't hide their smiles—they had made the right bet, putting all their eggs in one basket with Shohoku, and they were about to make a fortune.
Only the people from Basketball Weekly looked a bit downcast.
The editor-in-chief probably had to swallow his words: "News needs to be timely and forward-looking..." After this incident, Basketball Weekly is likely to suffer significant losses.
The score is now 110-81.
Shoyo was down by a full 29 points.
There are only 20 seconds left.
Fujima still hadn't given up; he seemed to have forgotten everything else, his eyes only fixed on the basketball hoop.