Akito Suzuki sat into the paint.
With his build standing in the restricted area, he was especially eye-catching.
Toho University Affiliated’s point guard lobbed the ball into the restricted area according to the tactic.
In the next second, Eikichi Nebuya bulged his muscles and went up to meet him.
His physical model was not as good as Akito Suzuki’s, but his core strength was genuinely top tier nationwide.
However, Akito Suzuki did not attack one-on-one as people had imagined.
Instead, he used his height advantage to survey the whole court.
It was also at this moment that Toho University Affiliated’s perimeter players began cutting from both corners at the same time.
With a flick of his wrist, Akito Suzuki sent the ball to the team’s small forward, who hit a mid-range jumper.
“Beautiful.
Akito Suzuki’s technique is very complete.
He can not only score himself, but also connect the team.” “That’s right.
He has the body, the technique, and the vision.
He’s one of the best centers in Chiba Prefecture.
I heard that famous high school basketball programs have already contacted him.” Some reporters at the sideline whispered among themselves.
Toho University Affiliated’s attack was indeed beautiful.
“Don’t rush.
Take it slow, be steady, and don’t make mistakes!” Hayato Takahashi shouted from the sideline.
The game had only gone through one possession, and he was already unable to sit still.
Nothing like this had happened in the previous warm-up games.
This was the difference between official games and warm-up games.
The whole tournament was a cruel best-of-one elimination format.
Lose one game, and you had to pack your things and go home.
If you were unlucky enough to run into an opponent that suddenly exploded, while your own condition was off, even a stronger team could overturn at any moment.
Afterward, Chiba Middle School also fed the ball into the restricted area.
Eikichi Nebuya ignored the difference in build, caught the ball, and immediately began attacking one-on-one.
Toho University Affiliated had clearly come prepared.
They had long been waiting for Herculean Strength.
Seeing Eikichi Nebuya turn and soar as if about to dunk, the opponent’s power forward accelerated back into the restricted area and joined forces with Akito Suzuki, forcibly destroying Eikichi Nebuya’s dunk.
“Get back on defense!
Faster!” Hayato Takahashi continued shouting.
They were playing a little passively at the start.
Toho University Affiliated had arranged defensive tactics specifically targeting Eikichi Nebuya.
During the previous warm-up games, Eikichi Nebuya had also encountered double-teams.
He could still maintain a 50% shooting rate when playing one-on-two, showing extremely strong individual ability.
However, Toho University Affiliated’s Akito Suzuki had both height and weight, giving him a better limiting effect against Eikichi Nebuya.
Then, with another helper placed beside him, wouldn’t Eikichi Nebuya, whose pass button had been pried off, be in trouble?
After completing a successful defensive possession, Toho University Affiliated did not rush into a counterattack.
They still leisurely reorganized their offense.
This time, Akito Suzuki continued actively demanding the ball inside.
His teammates on both sides looked for opportunities to cut.
It was almost exactly the same tactic, fully utilizing Akito Suzuki’s ability to play as a hub.
“Akito Suzuki catches the ball in the low post.
Teammates on both sides cut from the three-point line!” “A very clear and straightforward tactic!” “The opportunity is there.
Chiba Middle School’s right side is open!” “Akito Suzuki passes!
Great chance!” The local commentator applauded Toho University Affiliated’s offense.
Toho University Affiliated’s head coach was also very satisfied with his offensive tactics.
Today, he would use exquisite tactics to tear apart Hayato Takahashi’s iron-blooded defense!
The opposing small forward caught the ball on the right side, took one dribble, and jumped.
With a slight flick of his wrist, he released the shot.
The rhythm of the shot was excellent, and he felt it would almost certainly go in.
As a result, the basketball flew halfway through the air and suddenly disappeared.
Toho University Affiliated’s coach turned around to grab water and prepare to celebrate.
After waiting a long time without hearing the fans cheer, he instead heard a burst of gasps.
He whipped his head around and discovered that the ball had somehow appeared in the hands of Chiba Middle School’s number 5.
“????” Before Toho University Affiliated could react, Hibari accelerated on the spot and sprinted.
Combat power at the level of the Uncrowned Kings was still quite capable.
Even though Hibari was clearly facing a two-on-one in the frontcourt, Hayato Takahashi shouted from the sideline, “Good chance!” The Toho coach next door was dumbfounded.
Since when was a two-on-one a good chance?
But he quickly understood why Hayato Takahashi had said that.
The player wearing number 5, Hibari, showed absolutely no intention of slowing down as he attacked their basket with the ball.
Just as Hibari was about to crash into the opposing guard…
In that second, time seemed to slow down.
The opponent only felt his vision blur, as though a streak of black lightning had swept past.
Immediately afterward, Hibari’s figure disappeared from in front of him.
“He’s through!” “A change-of-direction drive without slowing down.
My god!” The commentator held his head with both hands.
This method of driving was far too explosive.
A change of direction without deceleration the entire way.
It placed harsh demands on body coordination, balance, explosiveness, ball control, and many other areas.
There wasn’t much technique to it.
It was all damn talent!
“A one-on-one chance under the basket!” “He goes straight up, using his body to force the final defender aside and finish the layup!” “The ball is in!” “Subarashii!” The commentator was fair.
Whoever played well received applause.
Hibari landed, and just as he turned around, he saw two opponents in front of him staring with their mouths open.
He had not originally planned to do anything, but suddenly felt that he had to say something.
“Objectively speaking, your defense is as soft as a lump of clay.” Holy crap.
This kid was way too arrogant.
One of the opponents reacted, stormed over angrily, and pressed his forehead against Hibari’s.
In Japan, a junior humiliating a senior was extremely disrespectful.
“First-year, what did you just say?!” “I said your defense is even softer than Yukino’s little body.” “If you didn’t hear me, I’ll say it again until you do.” The moment those words came out, everyone on the team’s bench looked at Yukino Yukinoshita in shock.
That sentence seemed to contain quite a lot of information!
The little girl had thin skin.
Being stared at like that made her face flush red on the spot.
But she knew that Hibari was talking about the cat at home, not her.
“Bastard!” Yukino cursed him in her heart, but did not speak up to refute him.
After all, when they were children, they really had hugged and even kissed…
quite a few times.
Both teams’ players noticed the commotion and rushed over all at once, pushing and shoving while cursing at each other.
However, their trash talk level was indeed not very impressive and had little killing power.
The smell of gunpowder at the venue rose all at once.
The referee hurriedly blew the whistle and separated the two groups.
Similar incidents rarely happened with other teams, but not with Chiba Middle School.
Hayato Takahashi’s iron-blooded basketball gave the entire team a bandit-like edge.
“If you don’t want your year to end right here, I will not hesitate to eject you from the game.” The referee warned this group of restless brats, especially the people from Chiba Middle School.
Their games were always this explosive.
In the end, the referee gave both sides equal punishment: one foul each, with no free throws.
2-2!
Hibari started the game by angrily farming 2 points and 1 block.
Since he wanted to fight for the prefectural tournament MVP, he would definitely have to display all of his weapons starting from the very first game.
To put it plainly, he not only had to win, but also had to produce a stat line even prettier than Eikichi Nebuya’s.
…
Please add this book to your library!