The tournament is now in its midpoint, and the block final will be held to advance to the final league. Shohoku’s opponent is last year’s second place Shoyo High School, a strong opponent that is not an exaggeration to say that it is a superior team in terms of number of members, performance, and everything else. The key to this match will be Sakuragi’s ability to counter the strong inside game, and Mitsui’s ability to attack from the outside. Both of them are inexperienced and have two years of blanks, so it will be interesting to see how much these factors will affect them in this match.
Shoyo’s Wall
Shohoku struggled from the beginning against the inside of Shoyo’s center Hanagata, who has both size and flexibility. Akagi, who was matched up with Hanagata, was forced to keep up the pace both offensively and defensively. The problem children’s team could not hide their nervousness, as this was an important game for them to advance to the final league.
Shohoku’s situation was not easy, and they were not able to make any waves, but the aces were there to help them out. Nagaregawa scored his first goal by double-clutching his steals and running in by himself.
This shot set Shohoku on fire!
Shoyo’s Miscalculation
Despite being a first-year player, Ryukawa is Shohoku’s ace, leading the team both verbally and physically. As if in response, each of the players began to show their abilities.
In particular, Miyagi, the PG, struggled with a large height difference, creating a so-called mismatch. Miyagi, who is a PG, is struggling against the team’s height disadvantage, but he is able to lead the Shohoku team with his play in both offense and defense. He is able to display his abilities without regret because of Fujima’s presence on the Shoyo bench.
Hanagata’s calm play again pushed Shohoku ahead, but Sakuragi, who is developing into a powerful rebounder, caught up with them at once. Sakuragi’s rebounding talent blossomed in this game and became well known throughout the prefecture.
Shohoku’s bottom line far exceeded Shoyo’s expectations. Finally, captain Fujima, player and coach, makes his move.
Shoyo with Fujima
Fujima is the official G of Shoyo, but usually leads the team as a coach. As soon as he enters the game, the atmosphere of the Shoyo players changes completely. His play got the crowd excited, and the Shoyo mood accelerated. Shohoku again found themselves trailing.
After taking a timeout, Shohoku decided to play inside. The Shohoku team decided to play inside, and with the help of Ryukawa and Sakuragi’s jumping ability, they tried to gain control of the air. Shohoku’s bench tried to draw fouls from the Shohyo bench.
Behind them, the battle for guard representing Kanagawa broke out! Fujima and Kainan’s Maki are said to be battling it out for the number one guard spot, but Miyagi is also in the fray. The remaining 10 minutes of the first half begins.
Mitsui, the key to this game, was struggling against Shoyo’s Hasegawa’s defense. He had been determined before the match to hold Mitsui within five points, and he knew that he was one of the players who had lost to Mitsui in junior high school, and that Mitsui had lost his way since then. As their wills clashed, a shadow began to form over Mitsui’s stamina.
Blanks and fouls
Mitsui was getting very tired of being defended tightly by Hasegawa. He was also completely blocked from making three’s. It was difficult to pull him off. It was getting harder and harder for Mitsui to pull him off the court.
Sakuragi was bold enough to try to get in on the rebounding action, but a mistake resulted in four fouls. The loss of his rebounding ability, which was one of the best in the prefecture, was a big blow to Shohoku, who could not afford to have him leave the game. Sakuragi also understands this, so he is reluctant to play. The game has developed completely according to Shohoku’s intentions.
However, the stubborn Mitsui, while reaching the limit of his own physical strength, makes a series of astonishing plays with his strong mental strength. Remembering Anzai’s words of the past, Hisashi Mitsui, a man who never gives up, begins to fight back. Seeing Mitsui, who is still active beyond his limits, what does Sakuragi, who is also in a tight spot, think ……
Isn’t it out of character?
Mitsui regrets his past mistakes, but that is why he is now prepared to work for the team himself. Mitsui runs hard and makes a lot of threes. Unable to walk, Mitsui left the court with 20 points. The scoreline was now closing, and the tide was turning in Shohoku’s favor.
However, Sakuragi was still playing like a turtle in its shell. He is not able to participate in either defense or offense. Shoyo understands Sakuragi’s condition, and decides to try to break down Shohoku’s defense through Sakuragi. Sakuragi is angry, but can do nothing.
Ace Nagaregawa, who couldn’t see it, forced the game and got the equalizer. Then, he blasts Sakuragi. Sakuragi wakes up after being pointed out by Ryukawa, and regains his true self (only frustrated by what Ryukawa said).
Sakuragi’s rebounding and Nagaregawa’s play completely caught the flow of the game, and Shohoku was able to tie the game. Sakuragi, in his best state of concentration, cut off Shoyo’s pass and immediately went on a fast attack, and Kogure picked up the spill and passed the ball to Hanagata, who went one-on-one with him. Sakuragi, completely energized, faced Hanagata unselfishly and dunked over him!
He had tried his hand at the slam dunk many times before, and now, at last, he had a chance to dunk on Hanagata. Sakuragi, who had tried many times before, finally made a last-minute dunk against Hanagata, but to his dismay, he was charged with an offensive foul and ejected from the game. Unable to comprehend the situation, Sakuragi was urged to the bench, but the loudest cheer of the day clapped him on the back. There is no doubt that this was a memorable game in which Sakuragi, an unknown amateur, made a name for himself in the Kanagawa basketball world. Nagarekawa’s insincere words of praise are also good. He was also the one who noticed Sakuragi’s qualities from the beginning and watched him closely, and their relationship in future stories cannot be read through without tears. ……
The Shohoku team, with Sakuragi’s great performance, won the game, and they were able to hold off Shoyo’s onslaught to win the game. The Shohoku basketball team, which caused a huge upheaval, advanced to the final league, and their next opponent was determined to be the absolute champion, Kainan University High School. Who will survive in the Kanagawa Warring States Era?
