"This... this person..."
Coach Gaotou murmured in his mouth. After a brief moment of surprise, his expression changed from smiling at the beginning to solemn. His slightly gloomy expression seemed to be able to drip water.
"The Shinomiya field in Lingnan..."
"His fighting style is very similar to Amu's, but this guy's physical condition is even better than Amu's."
Coach Gaotou slowly opened the folding fan in his hand and shook it gently. Although it was not very hot inside the gym, Coach Gaotou gradually increased the amplitude of the fan.
"If Shigong Tianye were put on the national stage, he would probably be one of the best."
In the stands, Coach Anxi, who had been watching the game in silence, suddenly sighed. His words attracted the attention of all the Xiangbei players around him.
"He is one of the best in the whole country? Is this guy so strong?!" Mitsui Shou was full of disbelief when he heard this, but his eyes subconsciously glanced towards Jinguji Budo.
"One of the best in the country... If that's the case, then Ryonan High School's team strength is also one of the best in the country?"
"Since we defeated Ryonan High School, are we the top team in the country?!"
Miyagi Ryouta touched his chin, pondered for a long time, and suddenly a bright smile appeared on his face.
“Hohoho.”
"The quality of the players is part of the team's strength, but it is not everything."
"Ryonan High School's overall strength is not yet among the best in the country."
"The problems they face are actually the same as ours."
"We have some of the best players in the country at Xiangbei High School. Although their styles are different, the roles they can play for the team are similar."
"Which team is stronger, us or Ryonan High School? It depends on which team can make up for its shortcomings first."
Coach Anxi pushed up his glasses and said to everyone with a smile.
"Yeah! I can probably understand what Coach Anxi said. Our Xiangbei High School, like Ryonan, has a weak bench lineup."
"I participated in the national competition when I was in junior high school. The format of the national competition was back-to-back games."
"Maybe you finish playing in the afternoon and have a match the next morning. If you compete hard the day before, your physical strength and energy will be greatly reduced the next day."
"At this point, it depends on the strength of the team's substitute players."
"Some national-level strong teams can even change their lineups about ten minutes into the first half."
Mitsui Shou understood what Coach Anzai meant, and explained to the confused people of Xiangbei. In Xiangbei, he and Jinguji Budou were the only two players who had experience in national competitions.
"Budo, if we compete with Ryonan, are you confident that you can stop Shinomiya Tano?"
Mitsui pointed at Shinomiya Tano who was starting to defend on the field, turned his head and asked Jinguji Budou beside him.
"You must be joking. Of course I can't stop it."
"This guy is much stronger than me. If he breaks through, all I can do is try to interfere with his layup except committing a foul."
“As for whether or not you can block the shot, it depends on the specific situation.”
"But don't worry, Mitsui. I can't defend him, and it's very difficult for him to defend me."
Wu Dao first shook his head solemnly, then a smile appeared on his face and he replied to Mitsui Shou.
Wu Dao has a clear understanding of his own abilities. His strengths are his footwork, jumping, and speed. Although he is not weak in terms of strength, it is not enough compared to Shigong Tianye. On the defensive end, Wu Dao can predict the opponent's offensive choices to the greatest extent with his experience, but it is impossible to say that he can make the right judgment every time.
If he were to face Shigong Tianye, he would probably focus more on blocking the opponent's layup or stealing the ball when the opponent was about to attack. It would be too much of a stretch to steal the ball when the opponent was in the middle of a breakthrough.
"If we can't defend him, even if you and I can score, there will still be a lot of variables."
"Besides, it's not very suitable to use a double team against Ryonan. That Sendoh is no small character!"
Mitsui Shou sighed, and for a moment there was no way to limit the state of Shigong Tianye. While the Xiangbei people were talking, Kainan on the court had completed a round of attack.
Uekusa's disadvantage in this regard was too great, and the players of Hainan also accurately grasped the weakness of Ryonan High School. Ryonan's Omasa Sifu again faced Uekusa's defense and made a mid-range shot, stabilizing the situation in an instant.
The ball changed hands, and Ryonan High School launched an attack. Everyone in Ryonan seemed to be shocked by Shinomiya's goal just now. The players who surrounded Shinomiya changed from two to three. Kazuma Takasago in the interior also gave up defending Ikegami and moved to a high position to guard against Shinomiya's attack with two teammates.
For a moment, Ikegami of Ryonan High School was left alone, and Uekusa was left alone.
The wide open spaces of his two teammates did not make Sendoh, who was in control of the ball, have any intention of passing the ball. One of the two was far away from the basket, and the other was in the defensive radiation area of Hainan center Daiki Maekawa.
It would be better for him to attack alone than to let the two of them attack! As a first-year student, Sendo also had a strong desire to attack!
Near the three-point line, facing the defense of Dazheng Sifu, Sendoh started, broke through, and put his left hand directly on Dazheng Sifu's waist. However, as the captain of Hainan High School, Dazheng Sifu's footsteps were also very sensitive. With a lateral move, he cleverly stuck in Sendoh's path.
However, Sendoh, who had started the breakthrough, suddenly shook his body, without any deceleration, and directly changed the direction of the breakthrough. Before Daisho Shifuku could adjust his body, he directly passed through the opponent. Then he made a quick stop jump shot about two meters inside the three-point line.
"Ding~" It would be difficult even for Sendo to do it without deceleration. The change in rhythm of the breakthrough affected Sendo's shooting rhythm, and the basketball hit the edge of the frame and flew out of the basket.
Under the basket, Yuzumi and Maekawa Daiki were already squeezed together. In terms of strength, Yuzumi had the advantage, but Maekawa Daiki was firmly stuck in the rebounding position under the basket. Yuzumi's judgment of the landing point of the basketball was not as good as that of Hainan, a third-year player with rich experience.
"Hah!" Even though he was at a disadvantage in position, Jun Yuzumi did not give up on grabbing the rebound. He jumped with all his might when the basketball was falling. However, his position was really bad. Maekawa Daiki, who also jumped, was faster than Yuzumi.
Just when the basketball was about to be caught by Maekawa Daiki, a dark shadow suddenly passed by Yuzumi's side and rose into the air at an incredible speed. Maekawa Daiki, who was looking happy and wanted to grab the rebound, suddenly found that a hand stretched out from his side, grabbed the basketball and slammed it into the basket.
The next second, a huge force poured on Yuzumi Jun. After landing, Yuzumi Jun's steps were unstable, and he leaned forward, crashing into Maekawa Daiki hard, causing Maekawa Daiki to stagger.
“ohhhhh!
!”
"Slam dunk! What an amazing slam dunk! That guy jumped higher than that wild-looking guy!"
"Ryonan's No. 8 is so scary! He even dunked over his own teammates!"
The stadium was surrounded by the cheers of the audience.
After gaining his footing, Jun Uozumi turned around and saw Shinomiya Tano hanging the basket with one arm. He was surprised at first, and then delighted. However, this joy did not last for two seconds and turned into anger.
"Hey! Tian Ye, couldn't you remind me when you got to the basket? I would have given you a spot!"
Although Shimoyomi Yamada is a teammate, being dunked over by a teammate is not a very pleasant feeling.
"Sorry, Yuzumi, it's too late." Shimonoya fell back to the ground, smiled at Yuzumi, and then started to defend without even looking at Maekawa Daiki.
Yuzumi felt helpless facing Shimonomiya, shook his head, followed Shimonomiya, and started to defend with other players.
The cheers of the audience spread into the stadium. Some of the audience recognized Shinomiya Tano from Ryonan. For a moment, most of the audience in the stadium were cheering Shinomiya Tano's name.
Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was watching the game, was also surprised by the cheers. At this moment, the image of Shimonoseki's slam dunk was firmly imprinted in his mind.
"I can do a slam dunk like this!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi secretly made up his mind in his heart. It was not because he felt that Shinomiya Tano's slam dunk was so shocking, but he was just a little envious of the cheers that Shinomiya Tano was getting at this time. He felt that the other party was able to get so many cheers from the audience because of the slam dunk.
Shinomiya Tano's two consecutive goals greatly inspired the Ryonan team and ignited the enthusiasm of the audience. Originally, the number of fans supporting Ryonan was far less than that of Hainan, but with the blessing of Shinomiya Tano's excellent performance, a small number of fans who were originally neutral began to have a clear bias.
Amid the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, Ryonan's substitute players were also driven by the atmosphere and began to cheer for their teammates on the field.
The game did not stop. Hainan High School counterattacked quickly. After several passes, the basketball once again came into the hands of Omasa Sifu. Sendoh stepped forward to defend Uekusa, but Omasa Sifu seized the opportunity and passed the ball to the inside.
At the moment when Maekawa Daiki got the basketball, Shinomiya tried to let go of Maki Shinichi to assist Yuzumi. However, Shinomiya still underestimated Maekawa Daiki, a big center with a height close to Yuzumi, and his vision was also quite good. Shinomiya's movements were completely controlled by him, and the basketball was given to Maki Shinichi who was in an open position on the outside.
After receiving the ball, Shinichi Maki did not hesitate and took a long shot from one step inside the three-point line.
Although Shinichi Maki's shooting is not as terrible as Mitsui's, as a qualified guard, open mid-range shots are the most basic of the basics. The basketball fell into the net without any surprise.
Although Hainan responded immediately after Ryonan High School scored, their goal was too solid and plain, and not outstanding.
During the transition between offense and defense, Ryonan High School made a fast break. Shinomiya Tano received the ball in the frontcourt. Facing the three Hainan players who quickly returned to defense, he still showed no fear. He almost ignored the Hainan defenders and easily rushed into the inside. Then, with his terrifying bounce and a pull-up shot, he scored the ball against three defensive players.
Among these three defensive players is Maki Shinichi.
Shinomiya Tianye scored another magnificent goal, and the cheers from the audience supporting Ryonan High School became louder, directly drowning out Hainan. The change in the atmosphere of the audience in the stands affected the Hainan players on the field. Everyone felt like a huge stone was pressing on their chest, and even when they ran, their steps became a little heavier.
Although this is a psychological problem of the Hainan players themselves, it has a subtle impact on their playing state. A depressing atmosphere lingers over the heads of all Hainan players.
After several rounds of attack and defense, although Sigong Tianye's outstanding personal ability failed to widen the score gap, the playing state of Hainan's players has changed a lot from before. Before, when Hainan was attacking, the teammates would communicate with each other, but now, the players are silent and have not spoken for a long time.
Finally, Hainan made a mistake.
During Hainan's offensive round, Daiki Maekawa passed the ball back to Shifuku Ohmasa on the outside, but Shifuku Ohmasa's concentration seemed to be a little low, and he did not catch the ball steadily, giving Sendoh time to make up for the defense and successfully blocked Ohmasa's shot.
Then Ryonan High School made a fast break and scored.
After one goal, the delicate balance between the two teams was broken, and Hainan's number of mistakes suddenly increased. Except for Maki Shinichi, other players made mistakes to varying degrees. The most serious one was that he even hit his foot while dribbling.
Coach Gaotou noticed something unusual about his players, and prudently called a timeout 17 minutes into the game when the score was 37:44 and the team was trailing by 7 points.
Everyone in Hainan who walked back to the rest area was sweating profusely. Their jerseys were already soaked with sweat. Everyone was panting. When Omasa Sifu returned to the rest area, he even sat down directly on the bench and drank water in small sips.
"The players' physical exhaustion is more serious than I expected."
"Although Ryonan is obviously attacking around Shinomiya Tano, due to the presence of Sendoh Akira, Ryonan's attack has become more varied. It is not a simple ace tactic."
"Our players were unable to stop Shinomiya Tano from attacking the basket. Even though they were able to score on the offensive end, their momentum was completely suppressed."
"We have to find a way to break this situation!"
As he spoke, Coach Takato's eyes turned to Takasago Kazuma, then he turned his head and looked at the audience of Ryonan High School for a long time, then he turned back and said to Takasago: "Takasago, when defending, you go to the middle distance to assist Amu in defense. Together with Akun, the three of you will work together to curb Shinomiya Tano's offensive."
The "A-Kun" mentioned by Coach Takato is the No. 6 player of Hainan who has been helping Maki Shinichi to defend Shinomiya Tano. He is also a third-year player. When Coach Takato gave instructions, he did not forget to mark the position where Kazuma Takasago should stand on the tactical board. Afterwards, Coach Takato made a simple deployment on the offensive end and encouraged the players of Hainan.
At the other end of the court, Coach Tiangang was in a good mood, smiling and patting his players on the back to encourage them. He did not make any tactical changes, but just kept saying "well done" and "good job". His players performed well on the court and he was very satisfied.
Moreover, there was no hidden danger of fouls in the team. The players generally committed one or two fouls. The most popular player Yuzumi only committed two fouls because he had less ball possession.
Hainan's Shinichi Maki failed to play as effectively as he should have under the defense of Shinomiya Tano, which made Coach Tanoka very optimistic about the second half of the game.
The timeout passed quickly, and after the timeout, Ryonan High School had the ball.
After Uekusa passed the ball to Sendoh from the sideline, he sank to the bottom of the three-point line. As the game progressed, Uekusa's presence became less and less. With his height, cutting into the paint was a death sentence. His outside shooting was inaccurate. Although his dribbling was solid, with Sendoh's presence, there was no room for him to play.
The biggest role of planting grass is to run around in open space on the court and give teammates an option to pass the ball at critical moments.
Sendoh took the ball and approached the three-point line. He glanced at Shinomiya Tano not far away and found that there were three people surrounding the latter. The No. 6 from Hainan, Shinichi Maki, and Kazuma Takasago were vaguely surrounding Shinomiya Tano, as if they were about to encircle him.
Sendoh noticed that the center forward in the interior of Hainan was defending two players at the same time, covering both Uozumi Jun and Ikegami, and Uesugi Tomoyuki in the corner was completely left open. Hainan's defense was almost entirely focused on Shinomiya Tano.
Hainan has been the champion of the county competition for more than ten consecutive years and is a frequent participant in the national competition. In some years, its results in the national competition were also quite outstanding. However, it is such a team that poured more than half of its strength on the court into defending Sigong Tianye. This shows how terrifying Sigong Tianye is.
"Xian Dao!"
“Give me the ball!”
Just when Sendoh saw the situation clearly and was ready to take action himself, Shimoya Nono, who was not far away, came out from the three-point line and ran towards Sendoh while calling out.
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