However, to be fair, today Shohoku had Shirasawa who kept Shinichi Maki very tightly marked, preventing them from really executing their drive-and-kick tactics.
Otherwise, Jin wouldn't have only found an opportunity now.
"Prepare to fight back," Shirasawa said simply.
Mitsui smiled confidently. Jin's goal, on the contrary, ignited his fighting spirit.
Moreover, having held back for half the game, Kainan's defensive pressure on him has decreased, making it a good time to act.
"I'm always at my best," Mitsui replied.
Shirasawa dribbles the ball forward.
This time, when facing Shinichi Maki, Shirasawa noticeably intensified his physical maneuvers and physical confrontation.
If you're aggressive, I'll be aggressive too. If the referee doesn't call the whistle, then nobody calls it; if he does, then we'll all get whistled!
The referee doesn't seem to be planning to call a foul.
As long as it's within a controllable range, he'd be happy if these two physically gifted monsters were willing to fight a few more times, making the match even more exciting.
As a result, the physical clashes between Shirasawa and Shinichi Maki intensified.
The muffled "thump" sounds made both teammates grimace.
With that level of intensity, whoever goes up there is doomed.
Shirasawa initiated a three-step layup, his first step directly colliding with Shinichi Maki, forcefully creating a space between them.
At the same time, Mitsui began to move rapidly on the outer lines.
Shirasawa's eyes were fixed on the basket, but his hand flicked towards the baseline!
The basketball skimmed the floor and then whizzed towards the corner.
Mitsui just ran there, caught the ball, jumped, and shot!
The three-pointer sank smoothly, immediately answering the call in kind.
Jin looked at him and smiled, "Not bad, so you want to have a go at me?"
Mitsui's lips curled into a smile, and compared to Jin's, his smile always carried a more flamboyant confidence.
"That suits me perfectly."
In the next few minutes, the focus of the game completely shifted to the three-point shooting duel.
Just as Riki Takato had predicted, Jin entered first, and then it was like a floodgate had been opened for the rest of the way.
The entire Kainan team created opportunities around him, and Jin sank three more three-pointers in a row.
Mitsui was equally determined. Shirasawa relentlessly set up the ball for him, feeding him perfectly timed passes.
Without Tadashi Muto's interference, Mitsui's positioning became much easier.
He also made all three of his three-point attempts.
On the defensive end, Shirasawa also gave Shinichi Maki a hard time.
The physical confrontation between the two had reached a fever pitch, their muscles taut and red.
When Shinichi Maki tried to force his way through, Shirasawa forced him to stop.
Then came a relentless, suffocating defense, leaving Kainan's teammates with no chance to receive the ball, and ultimately managing to steal it away.
During the counterattack, Shirasawa immediately chased down and hit a three-pointer.
Shinichi Maki was completely unprepared for this move. He had been tense and focused on the defense, never expecting Maki to suddenly step back and shoot.
The shot was clearly too powerful, but luckily the aim was still good, and the basketball slammed into the basket like a cannonball.
With a crisp thud, the ball hit the back rim and bounced in.
With just a little more force, it would probably have bounced off.
Upon seeing this situation, Riki Takato quickly replaced the surprise Yoshinori Miyamasu with Tadashi Muto.
Miyamasu's meticulously prepared three-point shooting opportunity has been completely exploited by Ryota Miyagi today.
This is the first time Miyagi has had such a comprehensive advantage in a defensive matchup...
Moreover, the position was perfectly positioned to counteract the characteristics of Yoshinori Miyamasu.
Since taking over, Miyamasu has not earned a single point, nor has he made a single decent move.
However, even when Tadashi Muto took the stage, he was unable to immediately sever the connection between Shirasawa and Mitsui.
With the help of Kiminobu Kogure's off-ball screen, Mitsui circled from the baseline to the other side.
The ball arrived just as the person did.
He receives the ball, raises his hand, and shoots a three-pointer.
Mitsui has completely found his rhythm, and his shooting speed is much faster than before.
Tadashi Muto rushed over to help defend, but he was a beat too slow. He missed the ball and slapped Mitsui's hand instead.
The referee blew his whistle immediately.
Mitsui clenched his fist tightly in mid-air.
The basketball swished through the net, the three-pointer is valid, and an additional free throw is required!
Shirasawa rushed up and bumped chests with Mitsui in celebration.
After holding back for more than twenty minutes, Hisashi Mitsui finally released his pent-up energy in these few rounds.
Mitsui stepped up to the free-throw line, and the score was now 71-61.
Kainan's plan to secure three points has now fallen through.
Takenori Akagi sat on the sidelines, feeling quite at ease.
Even when they were down by only 4 points at the start of the game, he didn't panic. He believed Shirasawa had a way to stabilize the situation.
He has even more faith in Mitsui's three-point shooting; it's second to none!
Others always think Mitsui relies on his talent, but Akagi knows how much sweat this guy has shed behind the scenes.
When Mitsui first joined Shohoku, his training volume was no less than anyone else's.
After three years of neglect, he trained even harder.
As Mitsui himself said, he has talent, but only he knows how much hard work he put in behind the scenes.
The free throw was made without hesitation, extending the lead to 11 points.
Riki Takato quickly called a pause.
Moichi Taoka sighed from the stands, " Mitsui's move completely negated Jin's efforts. Jin is skilled, but Mitsui is even more ruthless."
" Mitsui has concentrated all his talent on his three-point shot. In Shohoku, he doesn't need to think about anything else; he just needs to receive the pass from Shirasawa and then shoot decisively!"
"This simplifies the attack to the extreme, making it a natural and effortless success."
"It seems Riki Takato has played his last card."
Hikoichi Aida's eyes widened in disbelief. "Coach! You mean Shohoku is going to win? My god! Akagi- senpai hasn't even played much!"
Moichi Taoka's brows furrowed into a knot.
Indeed, judging from this, Shohoku has a great chance of winning, but the problem is that Akagi hasn't played much, yet Shohoku is still able to dominate Kainan.
Kainan has its own problems this year, but Shohoku's strength is undeniable.
The stronger Shohoku became, the more uneasy Taoka felt.
The match against Shoyo revitalized Hisashi Mitsui; the match against Kainan brought Hanamichi Sakuragi back into the spotlight.
The matches that Shohoku played were like a series of trials, with each player leveling up in the process.
Add to that Shirasawa's monstrous weapon...
Although Taoka has Three Muskets, as well as Uozumi and a solid rotation lineup, he will suffer a great loss sooner or later if he does not prepare for the worst.
This year is Ryonan's strongest year yet, and he absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip away.
On the Kainan bench, Riki Takato pulled out his tactical board, preparing for a final push.
The timeout has ended, and the game has resumed.
With 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Shohoku led 72-61 by 11 points.
Kainan's lineup remained unchanged upon returning to the court, using the same starting eleven as in the opening game.
The same goes for Shohoku; after all, they have no one to substitute.
The only change was that Takenori Akagi, despite his injured leg, stood up. He planned to stand for the last ten minutes.
Even though he couldn't play and contribute, he had to give himself an explanation and tell his brothers on the field: I'm with you!
The captain's action directly inspired the substitutes. Everyone stood up spontaneously and cheered loudly for the team.
" Shohoku! Charge!" The shouts came one after another, as everyone gave it their all.
For King of Kainan, this was probably the closest they've ever come to a disaster in Kanagawa.
Riki Takato's face was tense; whether this last gamble would succeed would soon be revealed.
Back on the court, the first change was that Shinichi Maki no longer held the ball.
Kainan served from the baseline, Nobunaga Kiyota took over ball control.
Moichi Taoka himself, "Let Shinichi Maki play shooting guard? Is it to reduce the strain on him and Shirasawa and let them play more rounds?"
Kainan quickly provided its answer.
Kiyota dribbled the ball across half-court, and Kainan set up their defense. The other four players began to make overlapping runs and provide screens—primarily to set screens for Shinichi Maki!
After several positional changes, they managed to bypass Shirasawa, and finally Shinichi Maki faced off against Sakuragi in the low post.
Kiyota used a screen to shake off Miyagi and then passed the ball directly to the inside.
Shinichi Maki received the ball on the right side, turned his back to Sakuragi, shoved him twice, and then suddenly turned around—and scored a layup!
The Kainan is not to act quickly, but to completely liberate Shinichi Maki.
Riki Takato frowned. This was the safest approach at the moment. He would let Shinichi Maki play without the ball, try to avoid head-to-head confrontations with Shirasawa, and strive to get the ball in every possession.
The score was 72 to 63, bringing the difference back to within 10 points.
In the transition between offense and defense, Shirasawa just dribbled the ball forward, but before he even crossed the center line, Kiyota and Tadashi Muto rushed in to double-team him!
Meanwhile, Shinichi Maki and Jin kept running around in the attacking third, specifically trying to cut off Shirasawa's passing lanes.
Kainan's physical advantage was now fully apparent, and Shirasawa was practically surrounded by an impenetrable fortress.
Of course, Kainan didn't expect these two to be able to shut down Shirasawa; they simply wanted to increase the intensity on him from the backcourt.
As soon as Shirasawa dribbled the ball across the center line, Kiyota and Tadashi Muto quickly retreated back to their own half.
Shinichi Maki went straight to the top of the penalty area, marking Shirasawa one-on-one. Behind him, Kiyota and Tadashi Muto stood on either side. Further back, Kazuma Takasago and Jin guarded the two sides of the penalty area. The five Kainan players stood like an impenetrable iron barrel, with the opening facing Shirasawa!
Hikoichi Aida, craning his neck in the stands, looked utterly bewildered. " Kainan is... tightening their defense? But it's so tight, they're practically crammed together."
Moichi Taoka gasped, his voice filled with disbelief. "This is Box-and-One Defense! Takato, that guy, is really going all out." He pointed to the field and explained, "He's having Shinichi Maki as the primary defensive anchor, with the other four forming a defensive network behind him. As long as Shirasawa can get past Maki, the other four will immediately swarm him and completely shut him down! Kainan is going all out to contain Shirasawa."
His words stunned the entire Ryonan bench. Shirasawa was impressive, but was Kainan's attitude a complete disregard for the rest of Shohoku? Especially Hisashi Mitsui, who had just hit several three-pointers in a row! And they were just going to ignore him?
Moichi Taoka shook his head and continued, "That's why I said they were going all in. This zone defense, to put it bluntly, is just a united effort to defend against Shirasawa alone. For this, they are willing to give up other offensive options for Shohoku."
"Two poisons, one must drink. They're betting that Shirasawa can't pass the ball inside this impenetrable defense. And look, Jin keeps moving and changing positions; he's actually keeping an eye on Mitsui. Even if the ball is passed, Jin can pounce on it immediately to interfere. In short, this is a high-stakes gamble, but also a last resort; success or failure hinges on this."
Sure enough, Shirasawa accelerated and made a strong breakthrough, barely getting halfway past Shinichi Maki. As if on command, the other four players from Kainan instantly tightened their grip, completely surrounding him!
This scene stunned the entire audience.