It was as if he had gathered all his strength again, and this time the impact was even more powerful!
Entering the three-second zone, Shinichi Maki took a step forward with the ball, using the momentum to push Shirasawa aside by half a step, and flicked the ball into the net.
This shot was simple and brutal, with virtually no "aesthetics" to speak of, but it was really exciting to watch!
The two collided almost from head to toe, each impact causing a painful sensation.
" Maki has succeeded," Hanagata said. "It seems that it won't be easy for Shirasawa to completely lock him down."
Fujima nodded.
He had personally experienced the impact of Shinichi Maki's attack; that physique was Shinichi Maki's strongest source of confidence.
Few can withstand his collisions; calling him a center in a backcourt wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Besides, Shinichi Maki has extensive experience in tournaments; what formidable opponents hasn't he faced?
Shirasawa is fierce, but it's unrealistic to say he could completely overpower Maki Shinichi Maki.
Just like a couple of years ago when Shinichi Maki played against him, he could still score 20 or 30 points over Shinichi Maki, but the team still lost in the end.
"But I still think Shirasawa is more promising." Fujima's tone was quite firm.
Shirasawa stretched his neck.
Shinichi Maki is indeed tough... there's no doubt about that.
In addition, there is a slight height difference between the two; the top of Shinichi Maki's head is just around Shirasawa's nose.
In that kind of confrontation, it's easy to get injured if you're not careful...
but,
After this collision, Shirasawa had a general idea of what was going on.
Let's put aside the technical aspects and see who's more ruthless!
Shirasawa dribbled the ball forward and went straight for Shinichi Maki.
He waved for his teammates to spread out!
The entire stadium erupted!
" Shinichi Maki has set Shirasawa ablaze!"
"They're finally going to clash! Shirasawa, charge!!"
"That Shinichi Maki looks so scary, his muscles are so big, will Xiao Bai get hurt...?"
"Beautiful lady, you're overthinking it. Shirasawa is not someone to be trifled with! Just wait and see what happens when Mars collides with Earth!"
The stands were noisy and bustling.
The Shohoku Team also had complete trust in Shirasawa, and they all retreated to the outside, giving up all the space.
Let our own ace go and challenge the Maki the Emperor of Kainan!
Under everyone's expectant gaze,
Shirasawa used Shinichi Maki's most frequently used move, performing two consecutive crossovers and charging forward with his body low to the ground!
Shinichi Maki couldn't hide his excitement; in his opinion, Shirasawa had gone completely mad.
Just what he wanted.
All you need to do now is block it!
Shinichi Maki straightened his back and met him head-on without flinching.
Bang! Bang!
The two collided instantly, the dull thud of their muscles colliding sounding like a brutal fight.
It sent shivers down one's spine.
Nationwide, there are quite a few people who dare to directly challenge Shinichi Maki.
But someone like Shirasawa, who deliberately chose to confront Shinichi Maki head-on using the methods he was best at, is truly one of a kind!
The two of them were locked in a standoff like two tanks, neither willing to give way.
Mitsui roams outside the three-point line, ready to receive a pass at any time.
Kainan didn't dare to relax either, fearing they would fall into Shirasawa's trap. While keeping an eye on the two of them fighting, they didn't stop moving, closely following their assigned opponents.
Shirasawa, carrying Shinichi Maki, crushed his way into the three-second zone.
Only now did everyone truly understand how terrifying Shirasawa's power was.
That's a level of strength that even Shinichi Maki found a bit overwhelming!
The referee already had the whistle in his mouth; with this kind of physical contact, he could blow the whistle at any moment.
Entering the three-second zone, Shirasawa combined with the ball and started!
Shirasawa slammed his right foot off the ground and lunged to the left!
The impact hit Shinichi Maki squarely, making his face tense up.
At the same time, it also managed to squeeze out half a step of space.
With a second step, Shirasawa rose straight up from the ground.
Shinichi Maki gritted his teeth and pressed his entire body forward, trying to block the attack with his body.
But Shirasawa's ball-protecting hand held firm, giving him no chance whatsoever.
As the referee blew the whistle, Shirasawa flicked his wrist, and the basketball flew out of his hand.
The ball traced a small arc and fell perfectly into the basket.
2+1!
oh--!!!
The stadium erupted in chaos.
He outmaneuvered Shinichi Maki from beyond the three-point line and even scored a 2+1 play?
This is truly the first time I've ever seen such a scene in Kanagawa!
Whether it's Fujima or Sendoh, scoring over Shinichi Maki mostly relies on skill or long-range shooting.
For someone like Shirasawa to compete purely on who is stronger or tougher is just too exaggerated!
On the Ryonan side, a group of people gasped in shock.
Sendoh clicked his tongue in amazement, and Kaede Rukawa, as if sharing the same sentiment, twitched the corners of his mouth.
Both being top-tier offensive players, they were amazed by Shirasawa's fighting ability, but even more concerned about his final strike—in such intense confrontation, the finishing move was so smooth; his body control was simply incredible.
"Hopefully, when we run into each other, Shirasawa won't fight me like this," Sendoh muttered. "It looks painful..."
Moichi Taoka turned around angrily. " Sendoh! Can't you say something more inspiring?!"
Sendoh chuckled and pointed to Kaede Rukawa beside him, "I think we can have Rukawa guard against Shirasawa. He's always been quite competitive against Shirasawa, right, Rukawa?"
Kaede Rukawa's eyes narrowed. "I intend to defeat you first."
This conversation made Moichi Taoka's temper flare up.
"Are you guys even on the same team?! Shut up, all of you! Uozumi! Uozumi here!"
A moment later, Uozumi frowned and sat down like a mountain between Sendoh and Rukawa.
"You two better behave yourselves," he said in a deep voice, "Or I might really have to learn Akagi."
Just then, Fukuda, who had been quiet all along, suddenly blurted out, "Actually, I can also go toe-to-toe with Shirasawa."
Moichi Taoka: "..."
Uozumi: "..."
"Great shot, Xiao Bai! That was a beautiful shot!" Takenori Akagi up and gave Shirasawa a high five.
Shinichi Maki calmly raised his hand to acknowledge the rules, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He's absolutely thrilled right now!
He has always believed in the law of the jungle: the winner takes all.
Shirasawa had completely ignited his competitive spirit.
Shirasawa stepped to the free-throw line and smiled almost imperceptibly.
He knew that Shinichi Maki wanted to provoke him, force him into a one-on-one battle, and ultimately make him someone who only racked up empty stats.
Now it seems that it's Shinichi Maki himself who's in charge.
But this kind of competition is definitely exciting.
Shirasawa didn't mind continuing.
The penalty was made without hesitation.
A banner had been unfurled in the audience seats at some point.
Red background, white lettering.
A new king shall rise!
18 to 18.
The score is tied!
Just past midfield, Shirasawa moved up to take his place.
He needs to add fuel to the fire for this " Emperor "!
According to Shinichi Maki's plan, if Shirasawa blindly goes it alone, it will be difficult for the other members of Shohoku to perform.
Actually, the same applies to Kainan.
If Shinichi Maki is controlled, Kainan's power will be diminished.
Of course, even without Shinichi Maki, Kainan could easily wipe out a team like Takezono.
But can't Shohoku do it now?
Take Takezono as an example. If you replace Shirasawa with Kogure, Shohoku will still win!
Therefore, in Shirasawa's opinion, since that's the case, why not have a showdown?
The outcome of the match was simply determined by their head-to-head matchup!
Shinichi Maki glanced at the time and score, and made up his mind to fight him for a few rounds!
Shinichi Maki swung his arm and charged straight in!
Shirasawa stayed close by, never losing his position.
The two grappled all the way to the free-throw line when Shinichi Maki suddenly stood up, taking advantage of a moment of inconsistency.
The throw went in.
Turning around, Shirasawa received the ball at a 45-degree angle with his back to the basket. After receiving the ball, he turned and shot, leaning against Shinichi Maki, and sent the ball into the basket.
In the transition between offense and defense, Shinichi Maki made a cut along the baseline, received the ball, and drove to the basket for a reverse layup.
Shirasawa quickly caught up and leaped up, poking the ball with his fingertip, adding another block to the statistics.
But the ball didn't fly far; Shinichi Maki grabbed the rebound himself and scored on a putback.
In the next round, Shirasawa will face Shinichi Maki again.
Using his hang time advantage, he switched hands in mid-air and scored a layup!
The two exchanged blows for several rounds.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
Judging from the situation, Shirasawa seems to have a slight advantage.
However, the score difference didn't widen, and it was basically a situation of both teams exploding.
"To think he could fight Maki to this extent... he's got some skills."
A sigh suddenly came from Hanagata and Fujima's ears.
The two looked in the direction of the sound and were both taken aback.
" Fujima, are you sure you're not mistaken?" Hanagata exclaimed in astonishment, "That's Dai Moroboshi from the Aiwa Academy?"
Fujima looked closely and nodded. "That's right, it's him. I never expected even the Star of Aichi would come to watch this game."
If Hikoichi Aida were here, he'd probably jump up and scream on the spot.
This is a well-known figure in national competitions!
However, Fujima and Hanagata weren't quite surprised; they were simply taken aback, as they were not unaccustomed to grand occasions.
It's truly rare for a prefectural semi-final to attract stars from Aichi Prefecture and captains of the national semi-final teams.
Especially in Kanagawa, the Kainan Team dominated for a full sixteen years, and last year, under the leadership of Maki, they even made it into the national top four.
Anyone would think that this year's champion will be in Kainan's grasp.
Unless... he wasn't even after Kainan.
Let's think about what Dai Moroboshi just said.
Fujima and Hanagata immediately understood: they had come to see Shohoku.
No, to be more precise, we came to see Shirasawa.
They truly hadn't expected that Shirasawa's reputation had even reached the ears of experts from other counties.
Their scrutinizing gazes were noticed by Dai Moroboshi.
Dai Moroboshi and recognized Fujima as well.
Both players play point guard and have both appeared in national tournaments. They're not exactly close, but they definitely know each other.
" Fujima, it's been a while." Dai Moroboshi laughed and spoke first.
Fujima nodded and asked directly, "I didn't expect to run into you here. Did you come all the way to see Shohoku?"
Dai Moroboshi didn't hide anything, and his expression was quite frank.
"Yeah, I read the newspaper. Shohoku let you 'graduate' early."
This sounds like a statement, nothing more.
Fujima gave a wry smile; he had long since let go of this matter.
"Looks like I'll have to wait until university to fight you again," he paused, then continued, "But Moroboshi, let me warn you, that Shirasawa guy is going to give you a run for your money."