After defeating Toyotama, Shohoku team advanced to the top 16 of the national tournament.
Shohoku's next opponent is the Asian Light team from Tokyo.
The coach of Asia's Light is Hajime Moriyasu, who, like Coach Anzai, was once a national team player.
Under Coach Moriyasu's rigorous training, the Asian Light team is very strong.
The rating manual also gives Asia's Light an A rating.
Not only that, the players from Asia's Glory are also very famous.
Ryu Doan, Takuma Asano, Aoi Tanaka, Isamu Osaki, Kaoru Mizuki, Takumi Minamino, and Daran Maeda. . . All very famous.
Despite their victory over Toyotama, Shohoku did not become arrogant.
In every game, the Shohoku team gives it their all.
The game started quickly, and Akagi Takenori lived up to expectations by being the first to dribble the basketball.
With the help of Ryota Miyagi, Kaede Rukawa scored the first goal of the match.
The Shohoku team started the game very smoothly, taking an 8-point lead over the Asian Light team in just a few minutes.
It's not because the Asian Light Team is weak, but because the Shohoku Team is too strong.
More importantly, Rukawa Kaede got into the game right from the start.
Shohoku's top scorer title isn't just for show!
When Rukawa Kaede gets into form, he's unstoppable!
However, what surprised Sakuragi Hanamichi was that, despite being down by 8 points at the start, the players of Asia's Light did not show any signs of impatience or anger. They appeared very calm and composed, and did not lose their composure despite being behind.
At this point, the Asian Glory team had possession of the ball.
Kaoru Mitoma dribbled the ball at high speed, and just as he entered the three-point line, he passed the basketball to Takumi Minamino.
As soon as Minamino Takumi received the basketball, Sakuragi Hanamichi surrounded him, but the instant Minamino Takumi received the ball, he made a passing motion.
An alley-oop pass!
The basketball was passed directly from Minamino Takumi to Doan Ritsu, who shot decisively without hesitation.
The basketball went into the net.
The Asian Glory team played very steadily, with smooth teamwork and a very fast basketball movement.
As a result, the Asian Glory team regained their former form.
When trailing, every goal is like a shot in the arm, boosting the morale of the Asian pride players.
But that's far from enough. After all, Shohoku's firepower is just too fierce. Not to mention that Akagi Takenori and Sakuragi Hanamichi dominate the paint, just look at Rukawa Kaede, who can break through the entire line. The Asian Light Team simply can't stop him.
At that moment, Rukawa Kaede, carrying the basketball, swirled like a hurricane to the basket of the Asian Light in a flash.
When it comes to individual fighting ability, no one in Asia can compare to Rukawa Kaede.
Thanks to Rukawa's amazing performance, Shohoku scored another 2 points.
Just when everyone thought the Asian Glory team would continue to score steadily, Takuma Asano stepped up.
Instead of passing the ball to his teammate, Asano Takuma decisively cut inside after receiving the basketball!
Facing Takenori Akagi and Hanamichi Sakuragi under the basket, Takuma Asano showed no fear and bravely dribbled the ball into the paint.
Sakuragi Hanamichi jumped decisively to block, but unexpectedly, Asano Takuma's movements were exceptionally agile. He made a layup in mid-air, avoiding Sakuragi Hanamichi's defense and successfully putting the basketball in.
Not only that, Asano Takuma also drew a foul from Sakuragi Hanamichi, scoring a 2+1.
Takuma Asano's goal truly restored the confidence of the Asian Glory team.
Subsequently, the Shohoku team and the Asian Light team played back and forth, each scoring a goal.
However, when three-point sharpshooter Mitsui Hisashi started to exert his strength, the Asian Light team seemed powerless.
Despite Tanaka Aoi and Maeda Daizen also starting to score, the Asian Light team still couldn't withstand the onslaught from the Shohoku team.
In the end, Shohoku won the game 98-88.
But it must be said that this game gave everyone on the Shohoku team a completely new understanding.
That is, when you are in the lead, you will feel complacent and a little proud. So when you see your opponent gradually catching up, you will feel a certain degree of frustration.
When Shohoku faces strong teams in Kanagawa, they usually fall behind first and then catch up.
If we put ourselves in their shoes, the teams of Shohoku, Hainan, and Ryonan must have been devastated when they watched helplessly as Shohoku caught up.
At this moment in the national tournament, Shohoku took the lead at the start, but then the Asian Light team narrowed the gap. Only then did they truly realize that sometimes a short-term lead is not necessarily a good thing.
Of course, it would be a good thing to maintain the lead.
But this is, after all, a national competition! How many of the teams that can participate in the national competition and make it into the top 16 are weak?
If one's mindset is slightly unstable or one's condition is slightly off, the opponent may seize the opportunity and turn the tide.
The Shohoku team fought their way through many tough battles, overcoming even the toughest challenges and the most difficult obstacles to overcome.
It would be incredibly painful to become complacent after a victory and then lose the game.
Therefore, when the Shohoku team and the Asian Light team lined up to shake hands, all five members of the Shohoku team showed their respect to the players of the Asian Light team.
Thanks to the Asian Glory team for teaching them a lesson!
Although the Asian Glory team did not make it to the final round, their fighting spirit, never-give-up attitude, and solid skills won everyone's applause.
You can draw inspiration and strength from the hard work of others; that's the charm of competitive sports!
The saying "a person lives for their spirit" doesn't refer to fighting or bickering with others, but rather to one's own vitality and fighting will!
When the Shohoku team and the Asian Light team shook hands, Coach Anzai smiled with satisfaction and said, "You learned something very important from just one game. You are really excellent!"
After defeating the Asian Light team, the Shohoku team successfully entered the national top eight.
In the quarterfinals, Shohoku's opponent was Aiwa Academy from Aichi Prefecture.
Aihe Academy was fourth in last year's national competition, demonstrating their formidable strength.
Moroboshi Dai of Aiwa Academy is known as the "Star of Aichi". He is not only the top shooting guard in Aichi Prefecture, but also a nationally renowned shooting guard. His coach believes that he is the person with the best chance of defeating Sannoh Kogyo's super ace, Sawakita Eiji.
Before the match, Coach Anzai arranged for the Shohoku team to watch a video of Aiwa Academy's matches.
The five members of Shohoku High School feel somewhat similar to Daiki Moroboshi and Shinichi Maki, or rather, the overall impression of Aiwa Academy is somewhat similar to Hainan Team.
However, they could also clearly feel that Aihe Academy was no match for the Hainan team!
That's right, the Hainan team is stronger than Aihe Academy!
However, the five members of Shohoku did not say this aloud. Instead, they carefully studied their opponents and made ample preparations.
When the two teams faced off, Aiwa Academy did not underestimate Shohoku despite having reached the national semi-finals the previous year.
The Shohoku team is even less likely to underestimate Aiwa Academy.
So as soon as the game started, both teams went all out, putting themselves at their peak, and the match was incredibly exciting!
It must be said that Dai Moroboshi's strength is indeed very strong.
At the very beginning, Moroboshi Dai put on a show, eliciting gasps from the audience.
However, Shohoku team is all about playing their elite players!
With the emergence of the five top players from Shohoku, the Shohoku team quickly gained the upper hand.
Furthermore, this time, the Shohoku team completely and thoroughly maintained their advantage until the very last moment, giving Aiwa Academy no chance to overtake them in the middle of the game.
Aiwa Academy was considered the seeded team with the best chance of defeating Sannoh, but unexpectedly, they fell to Shohoku, which dealt a heavy blow to many who had high hopes for Aiwa Academy.
The Shohoku team became famous overnight and made a name for themselves in the national tournament!
The title "Five Tigers of Shohoku" began to be passed down by word of mouth among the audience!
Shohoku has made it into the semifinals of the national tournament!
Other teams that made it into the top four of the national competition include Meihou Industrial, Ryonan Team, and Sannoh Industrial.
The final battle of the national tournament has officially begun!
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