Yokohama International was now somewhat disorganized.
They had thought that once Eikichi Nebuya left the court, the nightmare would be over.
They never imagined that this was merely the beginning of another nightmare.
“This isn’t our level!” The opposing coach couldn’t understand it either.
Hayato Takahashi wanted to test his team’s lineup, and Yokohama International needed to do the same.
But the result…
The two sides did not look like teams on the same level at all.
In these dozen or so minutes of play, he couldn’t see any useful testing effect.
All he saw was the team he had carefully tuned being pinned to the floor and beaten bloody.
The first half still wasn’t over, but the difference between the two sides was already visible to the naked eye.
In contrast, Hayato Takahashi couldn’t have been more satisfied with Hibari’s performance over the past few minutes.
This year’s Chiba Middle School was not without a chance.
On the court, Hibari used a handsome free-throw motion and successfully missed the free throw.
If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, it would be hard to imagine that the most accurate part of Hibari’s shooting was actually his three-pointer.
In recent training games, he had averaged a 35% shooting rate from three.
His mid-range shooting and free-throw percentage were a miserable sight.
Yokohama International secured the rebound and quickly launched a fast break, but Chiba Middle School’s transition defense was quick, and both sides once again fell into a half-court battle.
The opponent used the same old method, looking for opportunities through screens.
This time, they still didn’t dare challenge the restricted area guarded by Hibari.
After using the screen to get past their man, they pulled up near the free-throw line.
Surely you can’t block me when I’m shooting from here, right?
Chiba Middle School’s players would say he was thinking too much.
In terms of defensive coverage, Hibari had the largest range on the team, even broader than Eikichi Nebuya’s.
Hibari flashed over as if he had turned on cheats.
His body rose into the air, his right arm swung with force, and he swatted the opponent’s shot away like a volleyball spike.
His fourth block!
Chiba Middle School added another two points on the counterattack.
Yokohama International’s players had been beaten until their heads buzzed.
Subconsciously, they looked up at the time on the big screen.
Damn it.
Only five minutes had passed!
Every player put on a mask of pain.
With a whistle, Yokohama International requested another timeout.
The last player who had forced them into a timeout was Eikichi Nebuya.
The players left the court covered in dust and looking defeated.
What awaited them was not encouragement, but the head coach’s hairdryer treatment.
“You all look absolutely wonderful out there.
In front of several hundred fans, you’re being beaten so badly by a first-year that you can’t even raise your heads.” “Every one of you, get serious.
I can guarantee that if we go into the national tournament in this state, we’re finished.” “…” The commotion on the other side was rather loud.
It was obvious their coach was truly angry.
As for Hibari, Hayato Takahashi praised him immediately.
“Nice work.
Your performance is even better than I imagined.” “But don’t underestimate them.
Next, they definitely won’t let you score easily.
They’ll double-team you just like they double-teamed Eikichi.” Hayato Takahashi took out a tactical board and drew up several plays.
There was no helping it.
Their genius had poor fundamentals.
“The ball will be controlled by you.
If you encounter a double-team, your teammates will appear here, here, and here…” He drew the tactics in great detail, mainly telling Hibari where his teammates would be.
This was to prevent Hibari from not knowing where to pass the ball.
For a basketball beginner, it was difficult to demand that Hibari connect the team like a master.
Rather than making him lead the team, it was better to have the whole team cooperate with Hibari.
The other teammates watched with envy.
These were tactics drawn specifically for Hibari.
It was the treatment of a team core, with the whole team revolving around him alone.
…
The timeout ended, and the game continued.
Following the tactical arrangement, Hibari set a high screen for Kai Ito.
After Kai Ito went around the screen, he took two probing steps as if to attack.
Once he drew the defense, he immediately passed the ball back to Hibari outside the three-point line.
Yokohama International’s players did not step up to pressure him.
They simply watched him.
Hibari used a clean brick from the free-throw area to tell everyone that his mid-range shooting truly did not work.
Could his three-point shot really be more accurate than his mid-range shot?
He was definitely a player who could only drive and had no jumper.
That type of player was not rare on the court.
But Hibari really was that much of a weirdo.
This much space?
He looked in front of him and saw no defender within a one-meter radius.
“These guys don’t respect me at all.” Young Master Hibari’s mid-range shot wasn’t good, but his three-pointer was usable.
He had a skill package for it.
Without another word, he pulled up from a full step beyond the three-point line.
Seeing this, Yokohama International’s players immediately boxed out under the basket and prepared to fight for the rebound.
In their view, the position where Hibari had just stood was far too deep.
It simply wasn’t a proper shooting condition.
That distance was the NBA three-point line.
Under FIBA rules, it was already an ultra-deep three.
A guy without even a mid-range shot running off to take this kind of three-pointer was simply laughable.
“Swish!” The ball went in, and Yokohama International’s players froze.
The basketball Hibari shot had a very high arc, but its drop was extremely precise.
This…
had something gone wrong?
Seeing the stunned expressions on the opponents’ faces, the players of Chiba Middle School finally felt relieved.
Thank goodness.
We’re normal!
In their eyes, Hibari was simply a freak.
He belonged to a very, very small minority of players whose three-point shooting was more accurate than their mid-range shooting.
The ball dropped cleanly through the net, giving Hibari his first jump-shot points of the game.
The first half ended.
The score was 44-31, with Chiba Middle School leading by 13 points at halftime.
During halftime, neither side returned to the locker room.
They adjusted right there on-site.
Hayato Takahashi had nothing in particular to arrange or adjust.
In his heart, he had already sentenced Yokohama International to death.
In the second half, Eikichi Nebuya and Hibari would take the court at the same time.
Only then would Yokohama International’s true nightmare begin.
In the end.
In front of several hundred fans on the road, Chiba Middle School defeated Yokohama International 86-64, winning by 22 points.
And this point difference came while Hibari and Eikichi Nebuya still lacked chemistry.
Both of them were the type of players who needed touches to bring out their true strength.
What Hayato Takahashi needed to do next was balance the ball control between the team’s two geniuses.
He needed to make them develop chemistry, then radiate that effect across the entire team.
“Thank you for the game!” “Thank you for the game!” After the game ended, both teams lined up at center court.
The opponent looked dispirited and badly shaken.
That was their problem.
They had looked down on Chiba Middle School simply because Hibari and the others were from a countryside team.
Now that they had suffered a brutal beating, they couldn’t blame anyone else if they couldn’t accept it.
“Here.” The moment the players came off the court, Yukino handed Hibari a towel and water, a faint smile on her face.
“Thanks.
I played pretty well, right?” “Mm.
23 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 blocks, and 4 steals.
Excellent in every respect.” “However, it would have been better if you had made more of the mid-range shots you should have made.” Hibari’s stat line today was absolutely spectacular.
Seven blocks and four steals displayed his unparalleled defensive potential.
Mm.
Potential.
Not everyone was blind.
Although his block and steal numbers looked very good, his actual defensive contribution was not as high as Eikichi Nebuya’s.
It was still the same issue.
His foundation was poor, his fundamentals were weak, and he still had to keep training.
…
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