Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 173 Advance to the Finals

On the Kanagawa bench, Coach Anzai slowly stood up.

His eyes swept across the Kanagawa players one by one, finally stopping on Murasakibara, Mitsui and Fujima.

"Kumure, Mitsui and Fujima, you should take a good rest from now on!"

"Yes, coach!"

There was a hint of fatigue in their voices.

All three played the entire first half, using a run-and-gun style of play that consumed a lot of their physical energy.

Of course, the Akita players are not much better.

Compared with the Akita team, the biggest advantage of the Kanagawa team is the depth of the lineup, which also gives them more tactical options in the game.

Through reasonable rotation, the main players can get proper rest, instead of just relying on the main players like Xiangbei.

Coach Anxi chose to change the lineup mainly to ensure that everyone can maintain their best condition and exert their maximum energy at critical moments.

In addition, even if they defeat the Akita team, there is still a crucial game waiting for them.

Coach Anxi must ensure the physical fitness of the main players as much as possible to avoid injuries or decline in condition due to excessive fatigue, so that they can maintain excellent performance in the next game.

On the other side, Coach Domoto frowned, his heart full of worry.

Coach Anxi's plan was laid out in the open. It was a real conspiracy, so naturally he could see it.

Unfortunately, although the Akita team's substitute lineup is strong, there is an essential gap between them and the Kanagawa team, especially since they lost their main rotation player - Ohkawada.

If you want to maintain the current situation, you can only continue to focus on the main force.

However, the main players seem to be in poor condition.

Like the Kanagawa players, the Akita players suffered considerable physical depletion.

Among them, Kentaro Sakurai is the most outstanding.

Kentaro Sakurai was breathing heavily, each breath seemed unusually heavy, and his face was unhealthily pale.

Fighting with injuries further increased his physical exhaustion.

In addition, he felt a dull pain in his chest.

Although his recovery ability was extraordinary, and he recovered most of his strength in just one month, he did not fully recover after all.

Kentaro Sakurai not only played the entire first half, but also served as the main attacker and fought for rebounds. He completed 20+10 in the first half alone.

This is also Coach Anxi’s plan!
"Sakurai, take a break first!"

Coach Domoto gave us a concerned look and finally made a decision.

Kentaro Sakurai naturally did not refuse, and even for the sake of his health, he did not dare to continue playing.

However, without Kentaro Sakurai guarding the penalty area, Coach Domoto was very worried.

He could only set his eyes on Kashima Fengshuang.

"Kashima, it's up to you from now on!"

As his favorite student, Coach Domoto has always had high expectations for Kashima Kaede.

Last year, whenever the team was in crisis, Kashima Kaede would always step forward and lead the team out of trouble. This is one of the reasons why he became the top high school student in the country.

Of course, the most important thing is the national honor.

"Coach, leave everything to me!"

Kashima Kaede Frost was eager to try, as he had not encountered such a severe challenge for a long time.

Coach Domoto glanced at Matsumoto Minoru who was looking at him expectantly, and said nothing.

Matsumoto Minoru was a little disappointed. He originally thought that the coach would add some responsibilities to him.

Not long after, the halftime break was over.

Amid the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, players from both teams returned to the court, ready to face the challenge of the second half.

This time, Coach Anzai sent out the Watanabe brothers, Taro Aso, Masaru Matsumoto and Shibune Kusanagi.

The Akita representative team is composed of Tomo Andachi, Yu Ito, Kaede Shimo Kashima, Minoru Matsumoto and Kazunari Fukatsu.

After discovering that his opponent was Kaede Frost of Kashima, Taro Aso showed an eager look and displayed a strong desire to attack.

Taro Aso is also a nationally renowned player, ranking among the top three power forwards in the country and is also known for his offense.

He is fast, has strong breakthrough ability, and accurate shooting. He is the leading scorer of the Xiangyang team.

At this time, the jump ball begins.

Masao Watanabe overpowered Andachi and hit the ball to his own player.

Kusanagi Shibaune dribbled the ball across half court and, with Fukatsu entangled him, passed the ball to Taro Aso as a transfer.

After receiving the pass from Kusanagi Shibaune, Taro Aso did not pass the ball away and started playing one-on-one.

Seeing Taro Aso's actions, his teammates were surprised and had to help create space and create a one-on-one opportunity for him.

Taro Aso broke through with the ball, but Kashima Kaede Frost always made timely substitutions, making his attack seem a little pale and powerless.

slap~
Suddenly, Kashima Kaede discovered a flaw and quickly reached out with her right hand, knocking the basketball out of Aso Taro's hand.

His steals were clean and sharp, showing excellent defensive skills and keen insight.

Minoru Matsumoto grabbed the basketball and rushed to the front court.

Yusaku Ozawa quickly caught up with him, and Minoru Matsumoto hurriedly passed the ball to Kaede Shimo Kashima who was in the open position.

After receiving the ball, Kaede Frost of Kashima did not rush in for a layup, but instead shot from outside the three-point line.

shuh~
The basketball went into the net, creating a splash of color on the net.

Offense and defense transition!

Soon, Taro Aso took the initiative to ask for the ball, hoping to win back the game.

Kusanagi Shibafune was a little hesitant and did not pass the ball immediately.

"Kusanagi, let me try again!"

Taro Aso did not give up, and his eyes revealed a firm fighting spirit.

At Aso Taro's plea, Kusanagi Shibune had no choice but to pass the ball. Unfortunately, there was still a gap in their strength.

Even though Taro Aso tried his best, he was still unable to make the shot due to the interference of Kashima Kaede, and only touched the rebound.

With Taro Aso as a "role model", Kanagawa players have a more intuitive feeling of Kashima Kaede's strength.

"It turns out that Mumu is so strong!"

With the help of Taro Aso, they finally had an intuitive feeling of Murasakibara's strength.

In the first half, Murasakibara and Kashima Kaede were not at a disadvantage in the matchup and were on par with each other.

The game continued, and Kashima Maple Frost seemed to have found the rhythm of the game and scored two points again.

After being successfully defended and scored by Kashima Kaede Frost consecutively, Taro Aso felt disappointed and did not make any more unnecessary challenges.

He is a mentally mature senior high school player, and naturally not as stubborn as Rukawa.

After Taro Aso returned to his position, Kanagawa once again adopted the one-star-four-shooter tactic.

Even though Andachi tried his best to defend himself, he was still powerless against Watanabe Masao.

Adachi is not even as good as Akagi, let alone Watanabe Masao, so it is normal for him to be beaten.

Masao Watanabe showed his dominance. While wreaking havoc in the interior, he also assisted his teammates to score from time to time.

On the sidelines, Coach Domoto was having a headache watching the situation.

Fortunately, Kashima Kaede Frost was in hot form and scored a lot of points with her comprehensive skills.

In the following period, Kashima Kaede Frost showed amazing strength and tenacious fighting spirit.

He constantly broke through his opponent's defense, and every shot was full of determination.

Under his leadership, the condition of Akita players has improved and they have given more support to Kashima Maple.

Among them, Matsumoto Minoru performed the best, with efficiency catching up with Kashima Kaede Frost.

For a while, the scores of both sides began to rise alternately, and the audience watched it with great excitement.

After five minutes, Coach Anzai sent Murasakibara into the game.

"Kumure, I'll leave Matsumoto Minoru to you!"

Before sending Murasakibara onto the field, Coach Anzai gave a serious instruction.

He can let Kashima Kaede score, but other Akita players should forget about it.

After all, a person's power is limited. Without the support of his teammates, he doesn't think Kashima Kaede can kill the game.

After Murasakibara came on the court, his effect could be described as immediate.

Although Matsumoto Minoru is very strong and his performance in national competitions is second only to Murasakibara, there is a clear gap between the two.

Under Murasakibara's defense, Matsumoto Minoru was in a very embarrassing situation. His shooting percentage dropped significantly and he made many mistakes.

As a result, the Akita team lost its second stable scoring point.

As for the other players of Akita, Andachi Tomohisa and Ito Yu were suppressed by the Watanabe brothers. Fukatsu did not have a strong desire to attack and only scored 3 points so far.

When there were ten minutes left in the game, Kashima Kaede's breathing became heavier.

Just like Rukawa Kaede, while he was scoring points like crazy, his physical strength was also rapidly depleting.

It’s not that Rukawa lacks physical strength, but his playing style is destined to consume a lot of physical energy.

At the signal of Coach Anzai, the Kanagawa team immediately increased their defensive support for Kaede Frost of Kashima.

Under the siege of the Kanagawa team, Kaede Frost of Kashima gradually showed signs of being unable to stand on her own.

At this time, Coach Domoto had to request a timeout.

"Fujima, Amu, get ready to play!"

Coach Anxi lifted the frame of his glasses on his nose, which reflected a strong light under the light.

When the timeout was over, the Kanagawa team sent out the Watanabe brothers, Amaru, Murasaki and Fujima.

On the other side, Coach Domoto substituted Kentaro Sakurai back into the court and prepared to use his signature skill - tight defense!
However, when Coach Domoto saw the opponent's lineup, his expression instantly darkened.

Coach Domoto's every move seemed to be expected by Coach Anzai, which completely disrupted his deployment and hit the vital points.

At this time, the three outside players of Xiangbei can all play point guard and have top-level passing and control abilities.

In order to avoid undermining the team's morale, Coach Domoto did not stop the players from giving up pressing defense.

At the same time, he also wanted to give it a try, just in case it worked.

It's a pity that God doesn't fulfill one's wish!

The Akita team's pressing defense seemed to have met its nemesis and was no longer as effective as usual.

In fact, pressing defense is not as strong as imagined.

The reason why the effect is so good is mainly because Sanno Industrial's players have strong tactical qualities, good defensive skills, fast speed and strong physical strength.

However, facing the Kanagawa team with a stronger lineup, faster speed and three point guards, the pressing defense failed to play its due role.

shuh~
With Murasakibara hitting another three-pointer, Kanagawa finally gained a double-digit score advantage.

At this time, there were two and a half minutes left until the end of the game.

After the score difference widened to double digits, the morale of the Akita players was obviously hit, and a hint of despair appeared in their eyes.

If it were any other team, they might still have a chance of turning defeat into victory.

Unfortunately, they were facing the Kanagawa team with coach Anzai.

In front of Coach Anzai, Coach Domoto was not even worthy of carrying Coach Anzai's shoes and was fooled around throughout the game.

Kashima Kaedeshimo did not give up. He cheered himself up and wanted to catch up at the last moment.

However, the Kanagawa team remains stable.

Soon, an electronic sound rang out, signaling the end of the game.

108:93
In the end, the Kanagawa team defeated the Akita team by 15 points.

The victory in this game means that the Kanagawa team has successfully advanced to the finals.

(End of this chapter)