Sakuragi Hanamichi gained control of the basketball at the start.
After losing the ball, Ryota Miyagi was able to catch up with Satoshi Ichinokura immediately and forcefully win back the basketball.
Then Ryota Miyagi made another excellent assist, giving Kaede Rukawa the opportunity to dunk with an alley-oop.
The way Shohoku scored their first goal of the game truly shocked everyone present.
But Sakuragi Hanamichi found Rukawa's attitude towards him inexplicable.
Could it be because of the conflict with Haruko yesterday?
Uh, is it really that bad?
However, it must be said that Rukawa's urging Sakuragi to quickly return to defense was very reasonable.
Because the Sannoh team immediately passed the ball after the Shohoku team scored, and quickly launched a fast break.
Sakuragi Hanamichi was about to exchange a few words with Rukawa Kaede when his eyes widened instantly, and he sprinted back to defend, exclaiming as he did so, "As expected of the Sannoh team!"
In an instant, all the players on the field started running at full speed.
The Sannoh team's offensive speed was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, Fukatsu Kazunari dribbled the ball and charged into the Shohoku team's territory.
Although Ryota Miyagi was positioned directly in front of Kazunari Fukatsu, Fukatsu's ball control was exceptional, and Miyagi's attempts to steal the ball failed several times.
As soon as Fukatsu Kazunari sprinted into the three-point line, he jumped up and shot, giving Miyagi Ryota no chance to react.
The basketball went into the net.
The Sannoh team tied the score with a fast break.
At this point, the score between Shohoku and Sannoh is 2-2.
What shocked the five Shohoku players even more was that the Sannoh team immediately retreated to defense the moment they scored, demonstrating a very strong defensive awareness.
Sannoh truly lives up to their reputation as three-time national champions!
At this moment, the Shohoku team launched an attack, and the basketball came into Akagi Takenori's hands.
Akagi Takenori, positioned inside the penalty area, received the ball and backed down Kawata Masashi.
The moment Akagi made physical contact with Kawata Masashi, he clearly felt that Kawata's defensive movements were very tight. He thought to himself, "As expected of the center of the Sannoh team!"
But Akagi Takenori wasn't nervous or timid; instead, he was extremely excited. He would be laughing in his sleep if he could play against the strongest team, Sannoh, in the finals!
Masashi Kawata also sensed Takenori Akagi's formidable strength and prepared himself for battle.
Just when everyone thought that the two centers of Shohoku and Sannoh were about to have a head-to-head showdown, Takenori Akagi took two steps to the outside with the ball and then passed it to Hisashi Mitsui on the outside.
During this process, Takenori Akagi also successfully executed a screen.
After getting the basketball, Mitsui Hisashi jumped up and shot decisively without hesitation.
The moment Mitsui Hisashi jumped.
The moment that perfect shooting form appeared.
Everyone familiar with Mitsui Hisashi held their breath.
That man made his move!
A perfect parabola swept over the players' heads on the field.
With a "whoosh" sound!
The basketball swished through the net!
It's a three-pointer!
Mitsui Hisashi helped Shohoku score a three-pointer!
The score between Shohoku and Sannoh is now 5-2!
In an instant, the entire stadium erupted in deafening shouts that could lift the roof off!
"Well done, Mitsui!"
"See that? See that? That's my older brother, Mitsui Hisashi!"
"That was awesome! The way that guy shoots a three-pointer is so cool! It's the first time I've ever seen such an amazing three-pointer!"
"The key is that against the strongest team, Sannoh, he was able to make such a powerful three-pointer at the start of the game. Mitsui Hisashi of Shohoku is really amazing! His mentality is also very stable."
Coach Anzai, sitting in the Shohoku team's rest area, wore a relieved smile.
The strategy of creating comfortable scoring opportunities for Mitsui Hisashi from the very beginning was something that Shohoku had internally agreed upon before the game started.
Mitsui Hisashi lived up to expectations, perfectly sinking a three-pointer on his first attempt, which undoubtedly gave the Shohoku team a very strong boost.
"Get back to defense! Get back to defense!"
Before the Shohoku team could even celebrate for a few seconds, the Sannoh team launched another fast break.
Sannoh's Eiji Sawakita led the charge on the right front, while Satoshi Ichinokura passed the ball to Kazunari Fukatsu, who was positioned in the middle.
Fukatsu Kazunari, who had the basketball, was still running at high speed, giving Miyagi Ryota no chance to steal the ball.
Just as they were about to penetrate into the heart of Shohoku's territory, Fukatsu Kazunari made a beautiful pass, and the basketball ended up in the hands of Sawakita Eiji, who was charging ahead.
Sawakita Eiji smoothly dribbled the ball and made a layup, and the basketball was steadily passed into the basket by Sawakita Eiji.
Kazunari Fukatsu and Eiji Sawakita executed a very good teamwork play, and even though Kaede Rukawa was right next to Eiji Sawakita, it was to no avail.
There was no way around it; on one hand, the Sannoh team's offense was too fast, on the other hand, Kazunari Fukatsu's passing was superb, and Eiji Sawakita's positioning was very agile.
In the blink of an eye, the score between Shohoku and Sannoh became 5-4.
Although Shohoku is leading by one point, it's hard to say who is stronger based on the current performance of both teams.
However, when Mitsui Hisashi made another three-pointer, bringing the score between Shohoku and Sannoh to 8-4, everyone became uneasy.
"Wow! Another three-pointer!"
"Two shots, two makes! Mitsui Hisashi's three-point shooting is too accurate!"
"Could this be the secret weapon that led Shohoku to the finals?"
From the audience, Maki Shinichi smiled slightly and said, "Mitsui! As expected of you! Back then, you dominated the entire junior high school era in Kanagawa! Now you've shone brightly in the national tournament finals! I'm truly happy for you! Keep it up!"
Jin Soichiro nodded and said, "Mitsui's stable performance from the start is very advantageous for Shohoku!"
Coach Takato stared intently at the Sannoh players and analyzed, "As expected of the Sannoh team, who have won three consecutive national championships! Mitsui's two consecutive three-pointers didn't disrupt their rhythm. Moreover, I believe the Sannoh team will definitely strengthen their defense against Mitsui."
Just as Coach Gao Tou of the Hainan team said, Coach Domoto of the Sannoh team was indeed watching Mitsui Hisashi closely, carefully pondering, "I didn't expect Mitsui Hisashi to be so good at three-pointers. He made both of his first two shots at the start, making us trail by 4 points."
Thinking of this, Coach Domoto looked at Ichinokura Satoshi again, "It seems that it was a very wise choice to put Ichinokura on the court. Although Ichinokura Satoshi has not yet completely stopped Mitsui Hisashi, I have confidence in Ichinokura."
Coach Taoka of the Ryonan team, also sitting in the stands, exclaimed with heartache, "Ah!!! If Mitsui had joined our Ryonan team back then! Then the team playing in the finals today would definitely be our Ryonan team! Damn it!!!"
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