There were 23 seconds left in the first half.
Shohoku High School and Ryonan High School tied 55:55.
"We really can't relax for even a moment."
"These guys from Lingnan... damn it!"
Mitsui Hisashi ran quickly towards the backcourt, glancing at Shinomiya Tano who had already started to return to the court with his peripheral vision, feeling heavy-hearted.
"Press the time and attack!"
Off the court, the substitute players of Xiangbei High School shouted loudly and gave advice to the players on the court. Mitsui and his team obviously knew this. In order to protect the ball well, Rukawa and Mitsui came to the backcourt. After Mitsui served the ball, Rukawa dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.
Although Ichiro Katsume did not receive the ball after returning to the court, he did not go to the Ryonan half immediately. Instead, he stayed by Rukawa's side, and the three of them slowly advanced towards the front court.
"Don't rush to press forward!"
"Defend in position, move the defense line to the three-point line, don't let Xiangbei shoot three-pointers!"
"Take it slow! Xiangbei is under more pressure than you!"
As the players of Xiangbei High School brought the ball into the front court, the players of Ryonan were eager to move forward and put pressure on Xiangbei. But at this time, Coach Tanaoka had already stood on the sidelines, and Gao Sheng shouted towards the court.
Coach Takeo's words also stopped the Ryonan players who were ready to move. Under the watchful eye of Coach Takeo, the Ryonan players stabilized themselves, standing in the half court, with the defense line extending from the inside to the three-point line.
After Mitsui Hisashi and others entered the frontcourt, Shinomiya Tano and Sendoh successively targeted Mitsui Hisashi and Rukawa Kaede.
After entering the frontcourt, Rukawa did not choose to pass the ball. After quickly glancing at the time, he lowered his waist, switched hands and dribbled the ball in front of his body, while slowly approaching the three-point line.
Sendoh watched Rukawa slowly approaching, and without moving forward, he stood half a step inside the three-point line, waiting for Rukawa to get closer.
"Shohoku High School is a team that relies on mid-range and three-point shooting, and its inside threat is average."
"After Jinguji Budou left the court, the only two people capable of holding the ball and attacking were Mitsui Hisashi and Rukawa Kaede."
"Now it seems that the main attacker should be the boy in front of us."
"This kid's playing style is very similar to my past. If it were me, this ball would have been a breakthrough!"
Sendoh stared at Rukawa Kaede, spread his arms, lowered his center of gravity, and prepared himself for the breakthrough.
10 seconds..8 seconds...
When there were only 6 seconds left, Sendoh's eyes shrank slightly, and he finally stopped waiting. He took the initiative to take a step forward and leaned his body against Rukawa. Just when he thought Rukawa would start a breakthrough, Rukawa, who had been holding the ball for a long time, suddenly stood up and passed the ball to the inside.
"Um?!"
"Pass the ball?!"
"How is that possible!"
Rukawa's choice was beyond everyone's expectations. Rukawa's strong attack had just been engraved in everyone's mind, but at this crucial moment, Rukawa chose to pass the ball? !
"Huh?!" Not to mention the Ryonan players and spectators were surprised, even Akagi Takenori, who had just received the basketball in the inside, was stunned for a moment.
Sendoh looked back and saw Akagi got the basketball. A look of surprise flashed across his face. Just as he was about to turn around to look at Rukawa, he found a red figure quickly passing by his side.
"Xian Dao! That kid is coming in!"
Yuzumi in the inside saw Rukawa cutting without the ball, and he shouted loudly, and at the same time, he pressed Akagi Takenori with his body. At this time, Akagi had already reacted, and after a bomb, he turned around and raised the ball high, deceiving Yuzumi's center of gravity, and then took a step forward, leaning his body hard on Yuzumi, actually preparing to force Yuzumi.
Yuzumi, whose center of gravity was tricked into being high, could not withstand Akagi's strong attack and took a step back, leaving space.
With the gap, Akagi Takenori jumped up and wanted to make a layup. At this moment, Hanagata Toru suddenly came to the side of Akagi Takenori and slapped the basketball out of his hand.
"What?!"
Akagi was shocked when his shot was blocked and quickly turned his head to look.
However, Xiangbei was lucky. The basketball blocked by Hanagata was caught by Rukawa who came rushing over.
With the basketball in hand, Rukawa quickly dropped the ball and moved forward, approaching the basket in the blink of an eye. At the same time, Rukawa raised his eyes and looked towards the basket.
Sendoh was chasing behind him, and Uozumi and Hanagata were not far away. At this time, the three of them looked at Rukawa at the same time and quickly surrounded him.
At the moment when the encirclement was about to be completed, Rukawa Kaede suddenly hit the ball to the ground and passed it.
"Um?!"
I thought Rukawa would take the shot himself in this position, but unexpectedly, Rukawa still chose to pass the ball, and the target of the pass happened to be Akagi Takenori who was in an open position at this time.
Without any hesitation, Akagi Takenori jumped up after dipping the ball, dunked the ball with both hands, and put the ball into the net.
Stop the clock the moment the basketball goes into the net.
There was one second left, and the score between the two teams was 55:57, with Xiangbei High School leading by two points.
In the last second, Ryonan made an attempt. After serving the ball to Shinomiya Tano, Shinomiya Tano directly threw the ball to the front court. However, after the whistle sounded, the basketball hit the backboard and failed to bounce into the basket.
The score in the first half was frozen.
Before leaving the court, the players of Ryonan all turned their eyes to Rukawa Kaede.
This first-year kid made a deep impression on them at the end of the first half.
"Well done! Rukawa Kaede."
"I didn't expect you to pass those two balls. That's really not like you! But you played really well."
"You've fooled your teammates, not to mention your opponents."
"You played very well, keep up the good work in the second half!"
Rukawa returned to the rest area and received unanimous praise from the Xiangbei players. Both Akagi and Mitsui praised Rukawa generously. Coach Anzai also laughed and was very satisfied with Rukawa's performance.
However, at this moment, the expressions of Sakuragi Hanamichi, Kiyota Nobunaga and Nango Koichiro became a little subtle.
"Tsk! It's just shitty luck!" Sakuragi curled his lips, with a hint of jealousy in his disdain.
"Damn it! If I were to go on the field, I would definitely not be worse than him!" Kiyota Nobunaga was jealous but also a little envious.
"Damn it, why didn't the coach send me to play and let that red-haired guy play! That guy only got a few rebounds and blocked a few shots! What a waste of playing time."
As for Koichiro Nango, he was pure jealousy. Not only was he jealous of Rukawa Kaede's amazing performance, but he was also jealous of the active Sakuragi Hanamichi.
"Akagi-senpai, how is your foot injury?! Do you want to take a rest in the second half?!"
After his gaze stayed on Rukawa for a while, Nango Kouichirō ran to Akagi's side attentively and asked about his well-being.
Akagi thought that this junior really cared about him, so he smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, I don't have any offensive pressure. Besides, Yuzumi Jun doesn't have many ball-holding attacks on the Ryonan side, so my load is not that great."
"It's no problem to fight for another twenty minutes!"
Akagi Takenori had a smile on his face, but when he heard this, Nanxiang's face fell. He didn't come to ask Akagi hoping to hear this!
"Well, the students performed very well in the first half."
"Keep up this momentum!"
"We are not ahead by much, so we must not take it lightly."
Coach Anxi stood up, gave a word of encouragement, and led the players through the player tunnel towards the waiting rest area.
The halftime break is nearly twenty minutes, during which the players can have a good rest and recover their strength.
...
"asshole!"
"What are you all doing?! When Jinguji Budou was there, the situation was on our side. How come he was eliminated and was defeated by that first-year student from Shohoku?!"
"Is that first-year more difficult to deal with than Jinguji Budo?!"
"ah?"
"Xian Dao, you! Speak!"
In the lounge of Ryonan High School, Coach Takeo was furious.
At the end of the first half, he was a little disappointed by the defensive performance of the Ryonan players. At this time, his anger was directed directly at Sendoh, who was responsible for defending Rukawa Kaede. He stared at Sendoh with his eyes slightly wide open.
"Well~ Actually, the first-year's level is pretty good."
"Although he is not as sharp as Jinguji Budo, his strength is far beyond that of an ordinary first-year."
"Besides, he has good luck, picking up..."
Sendoh was standing in front of Yanyi at this time. He stretched out his hand and took out a slice of lemon from the food box in Yanyi's hand. He looked indifferent and said with a hint of humor. However, before he finished speaking, Coach Tiangang interrupted him with a roar.
"Xian! Dao!"
The roar of Coach Tiangang frightened Sendoh so much that he bit a lemon and covered his ears with a bitter look. Seeing the master and apprentice, Shigong Tianye shook his head helplessly and sat on the bench to smooth things over:
"Um, coach, don't be angry first."
"Ryukawa Kaede's shots did have some luck involved."
"But, Xiandao, others can say this, but you can't."
"It was you who helped Rukawa Kaede to successfully seize that luck."
"You were distracted while defending, weren't you?"
Shinomiya Tano knew Sendoh very well and knew that with Sendoh's ability, if he concentrated fully, it would be impossible for Rukawa to pick up the rebound. In the final analysis, it was Sendoh who was distracted.
After hearing what Shigong Tianye said, Xiandao became more serious, nodded, and admitted generously:
"I thought he was the same as me in first grade, but I was wrong."
"He's very mature, not like a first-year player."
At this point, Sendoh smiled again: "He is a very good first-year student, barely good enough to be my opponent."
Xiandao's smile was calm and confident.
Seeing Sendoh like this, Coach Tanaka's anger completely disappeared, but he still maintained a serious look on his face and snorted coldly:
"Then I'll leave him to you!"
After Coach Tiangang finished speaking, he said to everyone:
"The first half is a foregone conclusion, so I won't say any more nonsense."
"Everyone needs to rest well and prepare for the second half of the game."
"Tan Ye, in the second half of the game, if Jinguji Budou doesn't appear, you should rest for a while."
"Soldier against soldier, general against general, Coach Anzai wants Mitsui Shou to consume your physical strength and let Jinguji Budo execute you head-on, but I won't let that happen!"
"Ikegami! You are the defensive expert of our Ryonan High School. In the second half, the first-year students of Shohoku, Rukawa Kaede, will be in your hands!"
"As for Sendoh...you go guard Mitsui Shou."
"If Jinguji Budo comes back, we'll make plans!"
Upon hearing this, Sendoh waved his hand indifferently. Upon hearing Coach Tanaoka's arrangement, Shinomiya Tano frowned slightly, but did not say much. He just came to Sendoh's side and instructed:
"That Mitsui Shou is not simple. His shot is very fast. Try to stay close to him and pay attention to Xiangbei's pick-and-roll."
"If there's a little bit of space, the opponent will shoot. Compared to his breakthrough, his shooting is more threatening."
Shinomiya Tano and Sendoh were discussing their experiences in defending Mitsui Shou. Coach Tanaoka glanced at the two of them, ignored them, and continued to talk to Uozumi and Hanagata:
"If Tian Ye doesn't play in the early stages of the second half, you two inside players will have to take corresponding responsibilities for me."
"The offense doesn't just rely on Sendoh and Fujima, especially you, Hanagata. Your shooting is definitely a huge threat to Shohoku."
"That Sakuragi Hanamichi has great jumping ability. Try to pull him out to shoot at him. Even if it doesn't go in, without his help, Uozumi will definitely not lose to Akagi in rebounding!"
"Do you understand?"
After hearing what Coach Tagora said, Hanagata and Uozumi both nodded heavily and agreed.
After making the adjustments, Coach Tiangang said a few more words of encouragement, and then stopped disturbing the players, allowing them to have a good rest.
Unlike Coach Kazuoka's frequent intervention, the Shohoku locker room was much quieter at this time.
The players sat in different corners of the rest area, waiting for the game to begin.
Coach Anxi did not give any tactical instructions to the players. He just praised them a few words and signaled Wudao to go on the court after 5 minutes of the second half.
At the same time, Miyagi Ryouta was not sent into the field again. The lineup in the first half of the second half was the same as the lineup at the end of the first half. As for Jinguji Budou, he will replace Katsume Ichiro in the second half.
Although Coach Anzai did not arrange any tactics, Budou understood what he meant. He planned to let Rukawa and Mitsui Shou assist Zuo Budou in the attack at the same time.
Miyagi Ryouta did not get a chance to play. He was sitting by the window in a depressed mood, looking at the scenery outside. No one knew what he was thinking about. He looked depressed. Even though Ayako called him, he ignored her.
"Brother... I... want to give up."
"If you were here, would you support me?!"
When people are depressed, they tend to have wild thoughts, and Miyagi Ryouta is no exception. Xiangbei has proven well that the team can still play well even without him, and Miyagi can see this clearly. Miyagi even thinks that Xiangbei has become stronger without him.
At this moment, he couldn't help but think of his brother, the gentle, loving brother who would never come back. Thinking of this, Miyagi Ryouta's eyes became moist again.
After all, he is just a high school student.
"Hey! Miyagi! What are you thinking about?"
At this moment, a big hand patted Miyagi's shoulder. Jinguji Takeshi came behind him at some point and looked out the window following Miyagi's line of sight.
"Nothing." Miyagi Ryouta turned his head to look at Wudao, then tilted his head to look out the window.
Jinguji Budo! That damn talent is displayed to the fullest in this guy!
"Liangtian, are you going to give up?"
Hearing Wudao's words, Miyagi Ryouta Tong Kong shrank slightly, his face tightened, and then he bent his body like a deflated ball and asked dully: "Are you going to laugh at me? Genius."
There was even a strong resentment in Miyagi Ryouta's tone, but this resentment was not directed at martial arts, but at himself.
"How is that possible?"
"I was talking to Shinomiya Tano on the field before—"
"It is a very exciting thing for a player without talent to compete with geniuses through his own efforts."
"But you seem to have made me get slapped in the face."
Hearing this, Gong Cheng smiled bitterly and shook his head. Wu Dao turned his head to look at his appearance and continued:
"The world of basketball is cruel. I knew it from the beginning."
“After visiting the United States, I understand this even more clearly.”
"It's actually really hard for people to tell exactly how much potential they have."
“In fact, most people don’t work hard enough to fully develop their talents.”
“For most people, the end is the moment they give up trying.”
“I won’t say that as long as you work hard, you will get results.”
"But Miyagi, if you don't work hard, you won't get any results. Basketball is such a realistic sport."
...
"Have you really reached the end?!"
“I think it’s still far from being achieved!”
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