The match between Xiangbei High School and Kainan was in the middle stage. With Akagi Takenori injured and leaving the court, Coach Takato saw hope for Kainan to win. Mori Shigehiro's dunk over Xiangbei's substitute center Nango Koichiro also made Coach Takato more determined.
However, Mori Shigehiro had just scored a dunk when Shohoku High School launched a counterattack.
Jinguji Budo pressed the offensive time and completed a difficult fadeaway jump shot against Maki Shinichi's defense, which made Coach Takato's heart sink again. He thought that Akagi's absence would completely free Mori Shigehiro and help the team win the game.
However, what Coach Takato did not expect was that Akagi Takenori's departure also made Jinguji Budo feel a little sense of crisis.
What Coach Takato could notice, Jinguji Budo also noticed.
Although Koichiro Nango is also a talented inside player, that is only compared to ordinary inside players.
Facing a player like Mori Shigehiro, the little talent that Nango Koichiro had was obviously not enough.
Although Sakuragi Hanamichi had some advantages in the matchup with Kazuma Takasago, his advantages were not obvious, especially on the defensive end. It was difficult for Sakuragi to distract himself to help Minamigo defend against Shigehiro Mori.
The huge gap in the interior makes the balance of victory tilt towards Hainan High School. If Hainan can make good use of the advantage in the interior, it is not impossible to defeat Xiangbei.
It is precisely because Hainan now has the advantage in the interior that Wudao gave up the idea of letting Sakuragi Hanamichi continue to attack.
From now on, he will take over the offensive mission personally to ensure that Xiangbei High School can win this game!
That lean back just now was just the beginning.
After alternating between offense and defense, the ball once again returned to Hainan's hands. With 1 minute and 12 seconds left in the first half, the score between the two teams was temporarily fixed at 41:31, with a difference of 10 points.
Coach Takato's expectation for the first half of the game is to reduce the score difference to less than 10 points, and if possible, it would be best to reduce the score difference to less than 5 points. As long as this can be achieved, Mori Shigehiro, who has recovered some physical strength after the halftime break, will be able to show his skills in the second half, and it will definitely not be a problem to make up for the 5-point difference.
"Amu, there's still plenty of time, don't worry!"
"Play steadily, control every ball, and focus on attacking Xiangbei's inside line!"
Coach Gaotou could no longer sit quietly on the sidelines and watch the game. He stood up and walked to the edge of the court, shouting to Maki Shinichi who was organizing the attack on the court.
In fact, there was no need for Coach Gaotou to remind him. With Maki Shinichi's game experience, how could he not know that he had to proceed steadily at this time.
Although he is not very old, he is what is called a middle-aged man, Maki Shinichi, and calmness is engraved in his bones.
He slowly dribbled the ball into the frontcourt, quietly waiting for his inside players to get into position in the Xiangbei High School half.
After consuming about 11 seconds of offensive time, Mu Shen started calling for a pick-and-roll.
Xiaoguan in the corner quickly moved up to screen and Miyagi Ryouta followed up behind Xiaoguan.
Takeshi Jinguji noticed the person who was performing the pick-and-roll, and distanced himself from Shinichi Maki in advance. While Shinichi Maki was using the pick-and-roll to attack, Takeshi Jinguji was already standing in Shinichi Maki's path.
Facing Jinguji Budo's defense, Maki Shinichi did not choose to be stubborn, and quickly passed the ball back to Xiaoguan. The latter took the ball, did not even dribble, and directly lobbed it towards the inside.
Miyagi Ryouta's hands and feet are very fast, and if the opponent tries to break through alone, he has a great chance to steal the ball. But if Xiaoguan passes the ball directly, the height difference between him and the opponent makes it difficult for Miyagi Ryouta to intercept, and he can only watch the basketball fly over his head and fall into the hands of Mori Shigehiro in the interior.
Nango Koichiro, who was defending Mori Shigehiro, had actually seen through Kainan High School's intention of passing the ball. At the same time, he tried to go around in front of Mori Shigehiro and intercept him in advance to prevent Mori Shigehiro from receiving the ball.
But the annoying thing was that whenever he tried to get in front of Mori Shigehiro, Mori Shigehiro would use his strong and thick body to block his body. The huge power gap also made it impossible for Nanxiang to rely on his own strength to break through Mori Shigehiro's blocking position.
Nanxiang is totally unable to defend from the front!
“Bang!”
The basketball was in the hands of Mori Shigehiro, who received the ball with his back to the basket. Unable to stop the opponent from receiving the ball, Nango Koichiro immediately adjusted his defensive posture, with both hands firmly pressed on Mori Shigehiro's back, ready to deal with the opponent's strong back-to-back attack, and also mentally prepared to deal with the opponent's turn.
"Nanxiang, don't break the rules!"
When Wudao saw Hainan's pass, he immediately shouted. Just as he was about to go to the inside to defend, Maki Shinichi suddenly made a move and quickly cut to the left side of the court, going in completely different directions from Mori Shigehiro who received the ball on the right side of the paint area.
Maki Shinichi's actions forced Wudao to give up the idea of going to the inside to fill the position. He could only chase Maki Shinichi, not wanting him to receive the ball near the basket.
Jinguji Budo certainly knew the threat posed by Mori Shigehiro, but at the same time, he also knew the threat posed by Maki Shinichi.
If Shinichi Maki receives the ball in a comfortable position, Xiangbei will still lose points. If Shinichi Maki is allowed to break into the inside, Sakuragi or Nango might even be called for a foul.
After Maki Shinichi left, Kamiso Ichiro began to run back and forth between the bottom corner and the horn, manipulating Mitsui's defense and preventing Mitsui from having the opportunity to support the inside, while also looking for gaps in Mitsui's defense.
Kazuma Takasago also pulled away from the inside and went to the mid-range on the left, the shooting position he is best at.
One on one inside.
By taking advantage of the running positions of the other Hainan players, Mori Shigehiro once again got a chance to play one-on-one in the interior.
"Your strength..."
“So small!”
Mori Shigehiro's honest voice came out of his mouth and a bright smile appeared on his face.
The next second, Mori Shigehiro hit the ball from behind, and his back directly touched Nango Koichiro. Even though Nango Koichiro had made sufficient preparations, the arms supporting Mori Shigehiro's back instantly touched his chest.
It was a back-to-back attack with no defensive gaps between the two players.
Then, Mori Shigehiro turned around with the ball, closely sticking to Nango Koichiro's chest, and entered the inside with one turn. After one step, he suddenly jumped up and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.
“ohhhh!
!”
"Hainan's No. 15 scored consecutively! Another dunk!"
"The substitute from Xiangbei is no match at all!"
Seeing Mori Shigehiro performing another dunk in the Shohoku paint, the audience in the stands suddenly burst into cheers.
Although most of the audience are fans of Shohoku High School and Ryonan, the local audience will definitely not be stingy with their applause when facing a talented "Kanagawa rookie" like Mori Shigehiro.
Compared with Mori Shigehiro, Nango Koichiro, who had performed well in the previous match against Shoyo, was immediately outdone.
"This guy Nanxiang has really hit a wall this time!"
"Replacing Akagi-senpai in the game is not necessarily a good thing!"
On the sidelines, Kiyota Nobunaga, who was on the bench, couldn't help but sigh when he saw this. He had originally envied Nango for having the opportunity to play against Kainan, but when he saw Nango Koichiro being completely defeated by Mori Shigehiro, the envy in his heart disappeared.
"The gap in the paint is too big... If this continues, the opponent will catch up with us!"
Hearing this, Ichiro Kumi pursed his lips and said softly. As a freshman, he felt the huge pressure from Mori Shigehiro. Similarly, he also began to worry about the prospects of Xiangbei High School in this game.
But at this time, Rukawa Kaede did not go to watch the much-anticipated "Center Battle", but instead turned his attention to Jinguji Budo.
"It's common sense that outside offense is not as stable as inside offense."
"If Xiangbei can't gain an advantage in the interior offense, it will have no way to curb the performance of Hainan's interior."
"Then the winner of this game will definitely be Hainan High School."
"Hehe... Gaotou, do you think like this now?!"
"Jinguji Budo... Is he really a player that can be judged by common sense?!"
At this moment, Rukawa was definitely not the only one who focused his attention on Jinguji Budou. Coach Tanaoka was also looking at Jinguji Budou on the court with excitement.
Although Takeshi Jinguji is not a player of Ryonan, he can't wait to see Coach Takato get humiliated again.
The score difference was narrowed to 8 points by Hainan, with 55 seconds left in the game.
Jinguji Budo hurriedly glanced at the time, and shouted directly to Miyagi in the backcourt:
"Miyagi, pass the ball!"
For the first time, this game was also the first time that Jinguji Budou took the initiative to ask Miyagi Ryouta for the ball, and it was not in the frontcourt, but in the backcourt.
Faced with the ace's request, Miyagi did not hesitate at all and sent it out directly.
Jinguji Budo, who got the ball in the backcourt, quickly dribbled across the center line and rushed towards the frontcourt.
“Here it comes!
”
"Akuan, be prepared and don't let your guard down!"
Maki Shinichi watched Jinguji Budou approaching the front court quickly, and hurriedly shouted to the back. In just a few seconds, Jinguji Budou had already approached the three-point line, and after approaching the three-point line, Jinguji Budou's speed suddenly slowed down, dribbling far away, and adjusting the rhythm.
But in the opinion of Shinichi Maki, Jinguji Budou was waiting for his teammates to enter the frontcourt.
Because Jinguji Budou's advancement speed was very fast, when he approached the three-point line, Sakuragi Hanamichi and Nango Koichiro had just crossed the center line, and Mitsui Hisashi had not yet taken position.
At this time, Xiangbei High School has not yet established a firm foothold.
Suddenly, after dribbling the ball twice to adjust his rhythm, Jinguji Budo paused, and without warning, he passed the ball. The next second, he took a three-point shot. His shooting position was nearly one meter away from the three-point line.
At the same time, Xiangbei High School's offensive time had just passed 6 seconds.
"What?!"
"Vote?! Vote now?"
"There's still so much time left to attack, and you're going to make a move right away?!"
The timing of Jinguji Budo's attack surprised everyone, not to mention the players from Hainan, even the players from Shohoku were stunned at this moment.
They are the advantageous side in Xiangbei, and there is less than a minute left before the halftime break. The attack time is 30 seconds, so they can definitely control the time and make a steady attack. If this hasty shot misses, won't it give the opponent a chance to counterattack
Moreover, in the eyes of most people, Jinguji Budo's move this time was absolutely unwise, as even his teammates hadn't come up yet!
"Hey!"
However, a smile appeared on the face of Takeshi Jinguji, who shot this long three-pointer. At the same time, the basket made a crisp sound that froze Shinichi Maki in place. He turned back in disbelief and looked towards the basket, just in time to see the moment when the basketball fell from the net.
“11 points!”
"And 49 seconds!"
Jinguji Budo glanced at the scoreboard, muttered, and returned to defend.
The rest of Xiangbei had just run to the front court when they hurried back. Everyone looked at Jinguji Budou intentionally or unintentionally. Miyagi Ryouta wanted to say to Budou, "Be steady," but at this moment, he couldn't say it no matter what.
A goal was scored, isn't it stable? !
Jinguji Budo's three-pointer plunged the venue into a brief silence, and the next second, the cheers of the supporters seemed to break through the roof of the stadium and poured into the court.
Coach Tiangang was also very excited. When the basketball went into the net, he clenched his fists, nodded his head, and looked very excited. Although he quickly suppressed his emotions, his appearance was still seen by Shinomiya Tianye and Sendoh.
"The coach is really..."
"We don't get along with Hainan..."
Hikoichi Aida, who was sitting behind Coach Tanaka, also complained secretly, then took out a small notebook and made a note. He felt that perhaps the fact that "Coach Tanaka hates Coach Takato and hates Hainan" was important information.
Takeshi Jinguji's long three-pointer cast a shadow on the hearts of the Hainan players. The 11-point difference made Shinichi Maki and others feel more pressured.
"Don't panic!"
"It's just his luck!"
"Steady and steady, score another goal!"
Coach Takato was shouting and encouraging his players on the sidelines. Although he said this, he also knew that a player like Jinguji Budou wouldn't have many lucky shots.
Seeing the other party's calm look, he knew that such a ball was probably as easy as eating and drinking for Jinguji Budo... .
However, Coach Takato's encouragement was still extremely useful to the Hainan players. The players on the field were cheered up and, led by Shinichi Maki, began to advance towards Shohoku.
At this time, Xiangbei's defense still did not tighten up. At this time, they should have pressed the entire court and looked for opportunities.
However, until this point, Xiangbei's defense was still "stable".
As Hainan entered the frontcourt, they repeated the same trick and after several passes that consumed some time, they took advantage of the height difference between Kozuki and Miyagi Ryouta to successfully pass the ball to Mori Shigehiro in the interior.
Under Mori Shigehiro's back-to-the-basket shot with the ball, Nanxiang was completely defeated and watched Mori Shigehiro make a small hook shot in front of him.
“Ding~”
Mori Shigehiro made a mistake and his shot went out of the basket. Nango Koichiro wanted to grab the rebound, but when he jumped up, he was covered by a huge shadow.
After missing the shot, Mori Shigehiro grabbed the ball and dunked it. His powerful explosive power allowed him to dunk over Nanxiang.
Shame, in basketball, there is nothing more shameful than being dunked on. If there is anything, it is that others dunk on you and you retire... .
However, Nan Xiang obviously would not retire just like that. The ferocity on his face was enough to show his fighting spirit.
There were 27 seconds left and the score difference was 9 points. Hainan made full use of the offensive time in this round.
The ball returned to the hands of Xiangbei High School. As Jinguji Budou received the ball in the backcourt and slowly walked towards the frontcourt, everyone knew that this was the last attack of Xiangbei High School in the first half!
After Jinguji Takeshi crossed the center line with the ball, he did not rush to approach the three-pointer. Instead, he controlled the ball in the midfield and waited quietly for time to pass.
10 seconds.
Seeing that time was running out, Maki Shinichi finally took the initiative to attack. He wanted to force Jinguji Budou to make a mistake at this last moment, or at least disrupt Jinguji Budou's offensive rhythm.
However, facing the pressure from Shinichi Maki, Takeshi Jinguji simply raised his auxiliary hand and easily held off Shinichi Maki. At the same time, he quickly dribbled the ball forward and in the blink of an eye, he was close to the three-point line.
"Don't let him break through!"
Coach Gaotou on the sidelines was a little nervous, but in response to his shouting, Jinguji Budou stopped his advance and retreated beyond the three-point line with the ball.
"Tsk..."
With the time approaching the last second, Jinguji Takeshi directly pulled up for the ball and shot another three-pointer in front of Shinichi Maki.
“Swish!”
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