"Our goal is to close the 13-point deficit within 3 minutes in the second half! And we also want to take the lead!"
Coach Domoto squatted on the ground, confidently making his plans.
Just over a minute into the second half, the Sannoh team had already rallied to close the gap to 7 points, leaving the Shohoku team with no chance to fight back.
This is exactly what Coach Domoto expected.
The Shohoku team is inbounding the ball at this moment.
The Sannoh team continued their tight marking strategy throughout the game, just like before.
Mitsui Hisashi then passed the basketball to Miyagi Ryota with great difficulty.
As soon as Miyagi Ryota received the ball, Sawakita Eiji and Fukatsu Kazunari double-teamed him again.
"Damn it! Is there really no other way?"
Ryota Miyagi protected the basketball while looking for an opportunity, but he felt immense pressure.
Eiji Sawakita is 188cm tall, and Kazunari Fukatsu is 180cm tall.
As for Ryota Miyagi, he is only 168cm tall.
It's no exaggeration to say that when Eiji Sawakita and Kazunari Fukatsu joined forces to surround Ryota Miyagi, Ryota's vision was greatly blocked, and he probably couldn't even see where his teammates were!
"Liangtian! Over here!"
At that moment, Ryota Miyagi heard Sakuragi Hanamichi's voice. He immediately located Sakuragi Hanamichi, made a fake breakthrough move, and then suddenly jumped high to pass the ball to him.
Sawakita Eiji had anticipated that Miyagi Ryota would pass the ball in this way, so he jumped immediately and stretched out his arms to block Miyagi Ryota's pass.
Fortunately, Ryota Miyagi passed the ball with a high lob, which successfully avoided Eiji Sawakita's block.
"You guys are underestimating me by passing the ball so blatantly!"
Minoru Matsumoto had been lying in wait around Hanamichi Sakuragi, just waiting for Ryota Miyagi to pass the ball to him.
Matsumoto Minoru leaped high and intercepted Miyagi Ryota's pass.
Coach Taoka exclaimed, "Full-court tight man-to-man defense and zone defense! This tactic is very physically demanding, but it's really effective!"
Aida Hikoichi exclaimed in shock, "Yes! Shohoku can't even get the ball past half-court now! If this continues, Shohoku is in danger!"
After grabbing the basketball, Matsumoto Minoru dribbled towards the Shohoku team's position and then, just like before, made a jump shot.
Ryota Miyagi rushed over and covered Matsumoto Minoru's mouth.
But unexpectedly, this was a fake move by Matsumoto Minoru. He had no intention of shooting at all; his real purpose was to pass the ball!
The basketball was passed from Matsumoto Minoru to Fukatsu Kazunari.
Seeing this, Mitsui Hisashi quickly came over to cover, leaping directly at Fukatsu Kazunari.
But unexpectedly, Kazunari Fukatsu was also faking a shot. He passed the ball behind his back to Eiji Sawakita, who was rushing over to receive it.
Sawakita Eiji, having received the basketball, jumped and successfully scored a layup.
Rukawa Kaede chased closely behind Sawakita Eiji, but to no avail.
There was no way around it; the Sannoh team's teamwork was just too good, completely outmaneuvering the Shohoku team.
Sawakita Eiji's goal brought the score between Shohoku and Sannoh to 45-41.
The Sannoh team scored 9 consecutive points in one go!
At this moment, Sannoh is only 4 points behind Shohoku!
And all of this happened in just two minutes of the second half.
"Coach, if we keep playing like this, Sannoh will overtake us!" Aida Hikoichi said anxiously. "Isn't there any way to counter Sannoh's tactics?"
Coach Taoka's expression was solemn as he analyzed in a deep voice: "To put it simply, it's simple. We just need to find a way to pass the ball out. Once the Sannoh team sees that they can't stop the Shohoku team from passing the ball, they won't continue to use this full-court press."
These words left Aida Hiko with a conflicted expression. Wasn't this the same as saying nothing at all?
My question is, how do you pass the ball out?
Coach Taoka didn't notice Hikoichi Aida's expression and continued his analysis: "Another possibility is that when Sannoh has a big lead, they will no longer use this full-court tight man-to-man zone defense tactic."
Aida Hikoichi looked embarrassed, thinking to himself, "Isn't this the same as not saying anything at all?"
While Coach Taoka and Hikoichi Aida were talking, Sakuragi Hanamichi shouted, "Ryota! Don't linger! Find a way to pass the ball!"
Because of Matsumoto Minoru's steal earlier, Miyagi Ryota and Sakuragi Hanamichi have both learned their lesson.
With a long pass, Miyagi Ryota sent the basketball to Akagi Takenori at the far end.
Teaming up with Takenori Akagi is what Ryota Miyagi excels at.
Faced with the Sannoh team's full-court tight man-to-man zone defense, the most effective method at present is to make a long pass and pass the ball to the player at the front.
Objectively speaking, Ryota Miyagi's approach was absolutely correct!
However, the one guarding Akagi Takenori was Kawata Masashi!
In a flash, Masashi Kawata rushed in front of Takenori Akagi, leaped high, and intercepted the pass from Ryota Miyagi to Akagi.
"Oh my god! We've been intercepted again!"
"Just now, Miyagi Ryota's pass to Sakuragi Hanamichi was intercepted by Matsumoto Minoru, and now his long pass to Akagi Takenori has been intercepted by Kawata Masashi! Sannoh's defense is just too tight!"
"Shohoku can't even get the ball across half-court right now!"
"Fast attack! Sannoh has launched another fast attack!"
After grabbing the basketball, Kawata Masashi immediately passed it to Sawakita Eiji: "Sawakita! Go!"
In an instant, the offensive and defensive positions on the court shifted again.
The Sannoh team launched a rapid attack.
The Shohoku team hurriedly returned to their defensive positions.
Watching the Shohoku team's rhythm completely disrupted, Coach Takato of the Hainan team exclaimed, "First, they disrupted the opponent's composure, causing them to lose their judgment. Then, they gradually destroyed their confidence, ultimately causing the Shohoku team to lose even their offensive awareness. No wonder they are the strongest champions in the national high school basketball world, Sannoh Industrial!"
This time, instead of going it alone, Eiji Sawakita passed the basketball to Minoru Matsumoto.
In a flash, Matsumoto Minoru accelerated and passed Mitsui Hisashi.
Immediately afterwards, Matsumoto Minoru brought the basketball to the basket and, right in front of Akagi Takenori, went for a layup.
Takenori Akagi leaped up, but failed to block the basketball shot by Minoru Matsumoto.
The basketball flew towards the backboard, bounced off the backboard, and went into the net.
A goal scored off the backboard!
Minoru Matsumoto scores another 2 points for Sannoh!
At this moment, the score between Shohoku and Sannoh is 45 to 43.
Sannoh scored 11 points in one go!
Sannoh is now only 2 points behind Shohoku!
"Sannoh's number 6! Matsumoto Minoru! He's amazing!"
"Yes! With his ability, he would be a key player and ace on any team!"
"That's right! His strength was clearly evident from how he dribbled past Mitsui Hisashi just now."
"His shot under the basket right in front of Takenori Akagi was also incredibly impressive! It was definitely not just luck!"
Just as the audience was shocked by Matsumoto Minoru's formidable strength, the referee's whistle became the final straw that broke the back of Shohoku's team.
"drop!!!"
"Goal! One penalty!"
It turns out that it was Akagi Takenori's henchman who committed the foul!
At this moment, the members of the Shohoku team felt tons of critical damage!
"Is this the strongest champion in the country, Sannoh Industrial?"
Kiyota Nobunaga was visibly shocked and spoke in a trembling voice.
Before this, Kiyota Nobunaga only had eyes for Sawakita Eiji. He believed that as long as Shohoku could contain Sawakita Eiji, their super ace, their chances of winning would be very high.
I never expected that a random substitute player like Minoru Matsumoto would play so fiercely in the second half!
Minoru Matsumoto successfully made the free throw.
The score between Shohoku and Sannoh has now been changed to 45-44.
Now, Sannoh is only one point behind Shohoku!
If they continue playing at this pace, the Sannoh team could take the lead in no time!
"I'll serve!"
Just as Mitsui Hisashi was about to serve from outside the boundary, Sakuragi Hanamichi took his place and served in Mitsui's place.
"Charge forward!!!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi, holding a basketball, shouted loudly.
Sawakita Eiji stood guard next to Sakuragi Hanamichi, preventing him from passing the ball: "Try passing the ball yourself first!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi's lips curled up: "With you by my side, of course I can spread the word!"
This left Sawakita Eiji completely bewildered, unable to understand what Sakuragi Hanamichi meant.
At the same time, Mitsui Hisashi and Miyagi Ryota both rushed forward without hesitation.
"Huh? What does Shohoku mean by this? Nobody's going to receive the ball?"
"Is that red-haired Sakuragi Hanamichi planning to pass the ball directly from out of bounds across the half-court? Is he crazy?"
"Wait! Something's not right! Look!"
"Ah! It's Rukawa Kaede!"
Rukawa Kaede suddenly made a U-turn! He first rushed towards the Sannoh team's position, and then immediately turned around to support Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Although somewhat surprised, Eiji Sawakita said dismissively, "Even so, what can be done?"
The moment Rukawa received the ball, Sawakita Eiji and Fukatsu Kazunari immediately double-teamed him, using the same tactics they had used against Miyagi Ryota.
Rukawa Kaede first dribbled behind his back, then dribbled through the legs.
Both of those dribbling moves were very fast.
The next moment, Rukawa Kaede suddenly jumped up!
"Huh? What is he doing?" Although Sawakita Eiji did not see Rukawa Kaede's intention, he still hurriedly jumped up to block the shot.
Rukawa Kaede successfully passed the basketball to Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had already rushed to the center of the court.
Although Sakuragi Hanamichi caught the ball, Matsumoto Minoru, who was guarding in front of him, teased, "You're a power forward, so what if you catch the ball? Who are you going to pass it to? Mitsui? Or Miyagi?"
Clearly, Matsumoto Minoru didn't care at all about Sakuragi Hanamichi getting the basketball.
When the Sannoh team watched the video tapes, they analyzed Sakuragi Hanamichi and believed that his biggest threat was the area under the basket, followed by his mid-range jump shot.
As for Sakuragi Hanamichi receiving the ball in midfield, that was completely outside of Sannoh's considerations.
Therefore, Matsumoto Minoru's defensive focus is now on Mitsui Hisashi, who is to Sakuragi Hanamichi's left. He judges that Sakuragi Hanamichi will most likely pass the ball to Mitsui Hisashi so that Mitsui can shoot a three-pointer.
Of course, Sakuragi Hanamichi might also pass the ball to Miyagi Ryota, allowing Miyagi Ryota to quickly break through Sannoh's full-court press defense.
This resulted in Matsumoto Minoru being about two steps away from Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Sakuragi Hanamichi's lips curled into a smile as he thought to himself, "It's time to test the waters! I'm fierce! Can you handle it?"
From the stands, Kiyota Nobunaga yelled in exasperation, "Red-haired monkey! What are you standing there for? Pass the ball out! After you pass it, run to the basket!"
Seeing that Sakuragi Hanamichi didn't pass the ball immediately, his arch-rival Kiyota Nobunaga got anxious.
You are my mortal enemy, that's true, but that's an internal conflict within Kanagawa.
Now, in front of the national teams, aren't you just embarrassing Kanagawa?
Kiyota Nobunaga had a great sense of the big picture!
Sakuragi Hanamichi chuckled, speechless. "Just as I thought! That's what everyone's thinking!"
At that moment, Yohei Mito, a substitute player on the Shohoku team's bench, sat up abruptly, his eyes shining: "Is it coming?"
Similarly, in the audience, the three brothers, Nozomi Takamiya, Yuji Oonan, and Tadashi Noma, were all excited. They also realized what Sakuragi Hanamichi might do next, but at this moment, the three brothers held their breath and dared not speak, for fear of affecting Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Haruko Akagi's eyes sparkled, her hands clenched tightly against her chest. She had trained so hard in her katakana practice; it was time to show everyone just how amazing her man was!
Coach Anzai, sitting in the Shohoku team's rest area, stared intently at Sakuragi Hanamichi, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Sakuragi! Very good! That's it! Show everyone the results of your training!"
Taking advantage of Matsumoto Minoru's momentary lapse in attention, Sakuragi Hanamichi suddenly dribbled the ball forward another step, reaching the three-point line.
Emergency stop!
Jump!
"What???"
"He actually!!!"
"Sakuragi Hanamichi! Him!!!"
"My God! What is he trying to do?"
"Three-pointer???"
"Is he going to shoot a three-pointer?"
"Oh my god! What did I just see?"
The moment Sakuragi Hanamichi jumped from beyond the three-point line, everyone was stunned!
Aside from the Sakuragi Army, Haruko Akagi, Coach Anzai, and others who accompanied Sakuragi Hanamichi during his secret training camp, only Rukawa Kaede noticed that Sakuragi Hanamichi could shoot three-pointers during private training; the rest of them were completely unaware.
Mitsui Hisashi had even prepared to receive Sakuragi Hanamichi's pass, but when he saw Sakuragi Hanamichi jump up to shoot a three-pointer, Mitsui Hisashi exclaimed in shock, "What a perfect form!"
When it comes to the form of shooting three-pointers, Mitsui Hisashi is the standard tutorial. Even he couldn't help but admire it at this moment, which shows how standard Sakuragi Hanamichi's shooting motion is!
To everyone's astonishment, the basketball flew over Minoru Matsumoto's head.
A perfect arc appeared on the Sannoh team's position.
"Go for the rebound!"
"Watch out for rebounds!"
"That's right! Get the rebound! He can't possibly make that shot!"
There is no doubt that Sakuragi Hanamichi never attempted a three-pointer.
Therefore, many people do not believe that the ball can go in at this moment.
Although Kawata Masashi was shocked by Sakuragi Hanamichi's shot, after a brief moment of shock, he immediately used all his strength to fight for position under the basket with Akagi Takenori.
When Akagi Takenori saw Sakuragi Hanamichi shoot, he subconsciously thought of Sakuragi Hanamichi's secret training camp, but to be honest, that was a three-pointer after all!
Even Mitsui Hisashi might not be able to maintain his perfect shooting accuracy in the upcoming matches.
Even if Sakuragi Hanamichi had a week of secret training, he wouldn't suddenly become a sharpshooter, would he?
Akagi Takenori certainly hoped the ball would go in, but he was still a little unsure of himself.
boom!!!
Takenori Akagi suddenly collided with Masashi Kawata; the rebound absolutely could not be taken by the Sannoh team.
Otherwise, the Sannoh team would really have overtaken us.
Takenori Akagi was positioned under the basket, looking up at the basketball hoop and backboard.
At that moment, the basketball came into his line of sight, and he instinctively jumped up to grab the rebound.
But as soon as he bent his legs, he exclaimed in shock, "This!!!"
With a "whoosh" sound!
The basketball swished through the net!
Three-pointer!
The genius Sakuragi Hanamichi sank a three-pointer!
At that moment, countless gasps of surprise erupted from the audience.
Countless people suddenly jumped up from their stools!
The super genius Sakuragi Hanamichi once again became the brightest star in the entire arena!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com