With Jinguji Budo's tip-in, Xiangbei High School added two more points to their scoreboard. Although Hainan's morale was low, they quickly adjusted their mentality and started to attack.
However, this time, there was a slight change in the defense of Shohoku High School. The three people standing in the inside line became two. Chiba Daiishi, who was supposed to guard Takasago Kazuma, was driven to the outside line by Jinguji Budou.
They, Xiangbei, switched defense!
"Qianye, your task is to prevent Kainan's No. 4 from shooting too easily. But you don't have to replace Miyagi's defense, just fill in the position."
Standing near the free throw line, Chiba Daiishi recalled what Jinguji Budou had just said to him, and glanced at Omasa Shifuku who was leaning against Miyagi and preparing to receive the ball.
A Kun was in an open position in the corner. After noticing the opponent, Chiba Daishi moved slightly to the side, guarding against a possible pass from Omasa Shifuku after receiving the ball.
"The defense of Xiangbei has changed. There are fewer people in the inside!" Maki Shinichi, who was holding the ball, noticed the changes in Xiangbei's defense the moment he entered the frontcourt. When he looked at Omasa Shifuku, he noticed Chiba Daishi who was not far behind Miyagi, and his heart sank.
"You still have time to look at others? I was also underestimated!" Just when Maki Shinichi was thinking about how to launch this round of offense, Mitsui Hisashi's voice suddenly sounded in his ears. Mitsui Hisashi, who had been leaning over to defend in front of him, took a big step forward, came in front of Maki Shinichi, and slapped the basketball with one hand.
"!
"Maki Shinichi was startled, but his hands did not slow down at all. He quickly grabbed the basketball with his right hand and passed it behind his back. On the side where Maki Shinichi was standing, Omasa Shifuku was leaning against Miyagi, ready to receive the ball.
Maki Shinichi's pass quickly fell into Omasa Shifuku's hands. He received the ball with his back to the basket and dribbled quickly, turning around in an attempt to break through. However, although Miyagi's physical fitness was not as good as the opponent, it was impossible for him to break through Miyagi's defense with this level of breakthrough.
Miyagi Ryouta swayed and quickly blocked in front of Omasa Shifuku, and tried to grab the ball. However, just as Miyagi made his move, Omasa Shifuku's body directly hit Miyagi Ryouta's body. The huge force made Miyagi unstable, and he staggered and stepped back to make way.
Omasa Shifuku, whose speed was slightly slowed down, sped up again, and just as he was about to pass the ball, he saw Chiba Daiishi coming up to provide backup defense.
"Hmph!" Da Zheng Sifu snorted and passed the ball directly to A Kun in the corner. The latter got the ball and clearly had an open three-point opportunity, but he did not shoot immediately. Instead, he took two steps forward with the ball before shooting.
But during the time that A Kun received the ball and moved forward, Takeshi Jinguji, who was guarding Kazuma Takasago, approached him a lot. When A Kun shot, Takeshi Jinguji was only about two meters away from the opponent.
"Hey!" When Takeshi Jinguji saw A Kun raising his hand to shoot, he sank his body heavily, and then bounced up. In an instant, Takeshi Jinguji reached the highest point. Under the illumination of the stadium lights, Takeshi Jinguji's shadow wrapped A Kun completely.
"So... so high!" Kun muttered as he stared at Jinguji Budou who was jumping up. During the time he was in a daze, Jinguji Budou had already grabbed the basketball with his palm and snatched the ball from the air.
A shot from a distance of two meters was such an outrageous thing that A Kun had never seen since he started playing basketball. But it was not just A Kun, even Coach Anxi and Coach Gaotou on the sidelines had their mouths slightly open and their faces dull. They had lived for decades and had never seen such an outrageous thing!
“ohhhhhhh!
!
”
"He actually took the ball down from the air! What kind of move is this?!"
"Foul! Ball interference! This guy is interfering with the ball!"
There were both cheers and doubts from the audience in the stands, but as long as the referee did not blow the whistle, Xiangbei's counterattack would not be delayed.
Jinguji Takeshi, who blocked the shot on Kun, immediately saw Mitsui Hisashi and Miyagi Ryouta running towards the front court, and quickly threw the ball to Miyagi. Takeshi's pass was so fast that the basketball turned into a red stream of light, crossed most of the court, and went straight into Miyagi Ryouta's hands.
"Good pass!" Miyagi's hands were slightly numb when he received the ball, but he didn't care about these things at all. He was extremely excited at the moment.
After this goal, the gap between the two teams widened further, and it seemed as if Miyagi Ryouta could already see the national competition beckoning towards him!
Miyagi, who received the ball, accelerated his pace, while on Hainan's side, Omasa Shifuku and Maki Shinichi returned to defense, one chasing Mitsui Shou and the other chasing Miyagi. Maki Shinichi followed closely behind Mitsui Shou, not wanting to give Mitsui Shou any chance to receive the ball.
"Stop him, stop him!" Coach Gaotou yelled off the court. Dazheng Shifu, who was chasing Miyagi, was two points faster and soon caught up with Miyagi. However, when Dazheng Shifu caught up with Miyagi, Miyagi, who was advancing with the ball, suddenly slowed down and switched the basketball from his right hand to his left hand, changing direction quickly.
With a sudden stop and start, he instantly surpassed Da Zheng Sifu.
"Don't underestimate me! Hainan!"
Miyagi Ryouta instantly passed Omasa Shifuku and rushed towards the basket, roaring and jumping up for a layup.
"It's early for you, kid!"
The basketball flew from Miyagi Ryouta's hands, but as the ball jumped onto the backboard, a figure suddenly flew out from behind Miyagi and slapped the ball hard on the backboard.
"Maki Shinichi?! When?" Miyagi Ryouta turned his head when he heard the voice, and was shocked when he saw Maki Shinichi's figure, and whispered in his heart.
The other party was clearly following Mitsui Shou a few seconds ago, but now, he has come behind him? !
Maki Shinyi blocked the ball with a slam dunk, but because of his inertia, he rushed out of the baseline directly. The basketball fell and was caught by Miyagi Ryouta again.
Maki Shinichi, who had rushed out of the baseline, reacted quickly. After landing, he turned around and rushed towards Miyagi. Due to this delay, Miyagi Ryouta had lost the best opportunity to attack.
"Miyagi!" At this moment, Mitsui Shou stood outside the three-point line at the bottom and shouted to Miyagi Ryouta. The latter heard the familiar voice and passed the ball directly in the direction of the voice without even looking at it.
Miyagi's pass without looking at the person was also quite accurate, and the basketball fell directly into Mitsui's hands. Mitsui, who received the ball, made a slight adjustment and shot directly. The basketball had just left Mitsui's fingertips when Mitsui's right hand clenched into a fist.
A mature shooter like him knows whether the ball will go in the moment he shoots.
"Shua!" With a crisp sound of the net hitting the ground, enthusiastic cheers rang out from the stands. De Nan and others who came to watch Mitsui's game waved the "Flame Man" flag and shouted Mitsui's name.
With Mitsui's three-pointer going into the net, the scoreboard of Xiangbei High School started to tickle again.
"Well done, Mitsui-senpai!" Miyagi Ryouta cheered, looking excited, no longer the disappointed look he had when he was blocked by Maki Shinichi before.
"Miyagi, you better be careful when making layups." Mitsui Hisashi pretended to lecture him with a smile on his face. He glanced at Maki Shinichi under the basket, turned his head and started to defend directly.
"We can definitely make it to the national competition this year!" Mitsui turned his head to look at the scoreboard on his way back to defense, clenched his fists, and became excited.
"Come on! Play defense well!" Mitsui Shou returned to the half court and yelled at the players. Then he took a position two steps inside the three-point line, waiting for Hainan's attack.
Off the court, Coach Takato was already feeling uneasy. As the game progressed, his plans had been completely shattered by Shohoku. Not only could they not defend against Jinguji Budou's attack, but now even Mitsui Hisashi and others had been led astray by Jinguji Budou.
Moreover, Xiangbei's simple switch of defense made Hainan's offense no longer as smooth as before.
If Hainan continues to play like this, there is no way they will be able to defeat Shohoku. The most important thing is that Gaotou did not have any chances for timeouts in the first half.
The game on the field was in full swing. As Coach Gaotou expected, the defensive switch of Xiangbei High School not only strengthened the control of the inside line, but also made the offense of the entire Hainan less easy.
Takeshi Jinguji is very tall and is not inferior to the inside players. What's more terrifying is that Takeshi Jinguji is also very fast and has outstanding jumping ability, which allows Takeshi Jinguji to have a defensive radiation range far beyond others.
Their Hainan High School did not have a pure three-point shooter, and A Kun's attack range was also in the middle range. When A Kun entered his own shooting range, he was actually within the defensive radiation range of Jinguji Budo.
In the next few minutes, the effectiveness of Hainan High School's several attacks was very average. Although there were goals, they were scored with difficulty. Jinguji Budou, who occupied the inside, could defend anyone who tried to attack the inside. Even if it was Maki Shinichi, who broke through Mitsui Shou and attacked the inside, it would be very difficult for him to score in front of Jinguji Budou.
On the other hand, as Mitsui's form improved, Shohoku's offense became smoother and smoother. Kainan switched defenses, with Maki Shinichi guarding Budou and Omasa Shifuku guarding Mitsui.
Faced with this kind of defense, Xiangbei also made adjustments. Budo consciously reduced his shooting rights and let Mitsui handle more balls. Mitsui's offense was also very simple. He only needed to let Chiba Daishi come forward to do a pick-and-roll to give Mitsui an opportunity to shoot.
Mitsui Shou, who had mastered the trick of the 3-pointer and had experience in the United States, did not need a wide open space to shoot the three-pointer. He only needed a small gap to complete the shot. In the following time, Xiangbei High School also shifted the focus of its offense. Jinguji Budou entered the inside as a blue-collar player, and Xiangbei's shooting points were concentrated on Mitsui Shou.
Mitsui's three-point shooting rate in this game was around 50%. Although this shooting rate seems to be only half, it is already quite scary in terms of the game. Hainan's offensive efficiency cannot support them to maintain the score difference under the offensive of Xiangbei.
As the game progressed, the gap between the two teams began to widen.
At halftime, with Mitsui Shou missing the buzzer beater, the score between the two teams reached 58:42, and the difference between the two teams widened to 16 points.
"ε=(′ο｀*))) What a pity, we missed the buzzer beater. We would have scored over 60 points in the first half."
As the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Mitsui and his teammates returned to the rest area. Mitsui sat on the bench, sighing and looking regretful.
"That's about it. You should have scored more than 20 points in the first half. You played well in this game."
Jinguji Budo was sitting next to Mitsui Shou, with a towel on his shoulders, drinking water and talking. Doesn't he know Mitsui Shou? He was saying "it's a pity" but he was so proud in his heart.
"Thank you, the Xiangbei ace, for giving me the opportunity!"
Mitsui Shou replied sourly.
All of Shohoku High School's previous games were centered around Jinguji Budou, and Budou's abilities were indeed extremely exaggerated, with high scores in every game, and his playing time was generally only more than 20 minutes, so his efficiency was absolutely top-notch.
Old fans who have been watching Xiangbei's games have long called Wudao "Xiangbei's first-year ace." In terms of fame, he is much more famous than the captain.
The reason why Mitsui Shou scored so many points today was because Budo had fewer shooting opportunities.
You know, before Jinguji Budou came to Xiangbei High School, Mitsui Shou was undoubtedly the trump card, the absolute leader on the court, and the answer to Xiangbei's offense. But after Jinguji Budou came, he changed from a star to a 3D, although the concept of 3D had not yet emerged in this era.
"Haha, you're welcome. I'm still very happy to have you as my assistant." Wudao smiled when he heard that. The team beat Hainan and scored nearly 60 points in the first half. Wudao was in a very good mood. In Wudao's view, the match with Hainan was just a preview of the match against Ryonan and the future match against Sannoh.
If they have to try their best and even squeeze out their potential even when facing Hainan, Shohoku will never be able to beat Ryonan again. Even if they make it to the national competition, they will not be able to defeat Sannoh and win the championship.
Fortunately, the performances of the players today were remarkable. Not to mention the defense, such offensive power is enough to give them a hard time even against Ryonan or Sannoh.
"Tsk~ I'm the captain, you should be my assistant." Mitsui Shoudu muttered, then stood up and shouted to all the players: "This is only the end of the first half of the game, we haven't won the final victory yet."
"Don't let your guard down. Get some rest. In the second half, we must make sure the score difference is more than 30 points!"
Mitsui Shou set a small goal for the players to boost their morale. Looking at the players around him who responded enthusiastically, Mitsui Shou nodded with satisfaction and sat back on the stool.
Unlike the lively atmosphere at Xiangbei High School, there was silence at Hainan.
The players who returned to the rest area wiped their sweat and drank water silently, breathing heavily, and were in low spirits. Even Maki Shinichi hung his head, looking stunned.
After he switched defense with Omasa Shifuku, Mitsui Hisashi actually started to exert his strength. Maki Shinichi naively thought that by curbing Jinguji Budou he would be able to curb the offensive of Shohoku, but unexpectedly, Jinguji Budou directly handed over the authorization and Mitsui Hisashi opened it.
Hainan was not only beaten on the defensive end, but was also somewhat restricted on the offensive end.
"This game... ..I made a mistake in judgment. Shohoku High School is actually more terrifying than Ryonan."
"If we had fought Ryonan to the death before, we would have had a chance to win, but against Shohoku..."
Coach Gaotou did not make any tactical adjustments during the timeout. He covered his head and felt regretful.
Players like Maki Shinichi may think that their offense was slightly curbed by Xiangbei, so Xiangbei widened the score gap. However, Coach Gaotou sees clearly that even if Hainan's offense is running well, they are no match for Xiangbei.
Because Hainan's offensive efficiency is far inferior to that of Xiangbei!
Before Xiangbei High School, no team had ever been able to score nearly 60 points on Hainan in 20 minutes. Some high school teams, even if they completely let go of their defense, might not be able to score 58 points in 20 minutes. In fact, many teams only scored 60 or 70 points in total after a game.
Coach Takato had never seen a team with such offensive power as Xiangbei.
"There is no doubt that Shohoku is the sharpest sword in Kanagawa Prefecture!"
A good coach knows how to judge the situation. Coach Gaotou has given up the idea of winning. What he is thinking about now is how to make his players still have the confidence to play basketball and compete after the game.
In the eyes of a famous coach like Gaotou, this game is actually over.
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