Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 285 Halftime Quadruple Double

Teru Matsumoto's physical talent is not outstanding, which is the main reason why he was not a starter.

However, he has a height of 185 cm and a precise mid-range shot.

After the game restarted, Matsumoto Teru demonstrated his scoring ability.

As soon as he received Itakura's pass, Matsumoto Teru jumped and shot without hesitation, even under Yasuda's defense.

Yasuda tried to distract Matsumoto Teru, but he was too short and seemed to have no effect on him at all.

shuh~
The basketball traced a beautiful arc, piercing the rim accurately with a crisp scraping sound.

"Well done, Matsumoto!"

The Daiei players praised Matsumoto Teru's performance.

"Yasuda, try to stay close to them when you're defending!"

Kogure decided to dedicate more of his energy to helping Yasuda fill in the gaps in his knowledge.

"Yes, Captain!"

Seeing that the captain didn't blame him, Yasuda breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, Kogure received the basketball again.

The moment he received the ball, Itakura and Kudo Shusaku rushed towards him, preparing to double-team Kogure together with Tsuchiya Jun.

This was Coach Daiei's targeted instructions to Kogure during the timeout.

Unfortunately, he severely underestimated Kogure's playmaking and passing abilities.

Thanks to Max's reaction speed, Kogure passed the ball out before the three could surround him.

"not good!"

Itakura was taken aback and stopped in his tracks, immediately lunging at Okamoto Nobuhiko at top speed.

At the top of the arc, outside the three-point line, Nobuhiko Okamoto receives the ball with both hands.

Both the accuracy and power of the pass were impeccable, and Nobuhiko Okamoto didn't even need to make any adjustments before immediately throwing the basketball.

At that moment, Itakura was still two meters away from Okamoto Nobuhiko and could only watch helplessly as the ball pierced the basket.

After more than a year of experience, Nobuhiko Okamoto is much stronger than last year and has reached the level of a strong team's sixth man.

Perhaps soon he will be able to reach the level of a starting player on a strong team.

Not only Okamoto Nobuhiko, but also Yamamoto Kuma, who is also Mitsui's follower, is no less capable than Okamoto Nobuhiko. The two can be said to have different focuses.

As for Mitsui's last follower, Tanaka Jiro, he has completely fallen behind.

Offense and defense reversed!

Daiei players served quickly, and as soon as Itakura crossed the half-court line, he immediately passed the ball to Matsumoto Teru.

Yasuda immediately tried to close in on him, but the height difference was too great and it didn't have much of an effect on him.

Just like in the previous round, Matsumoto Teru raised his hand and shot.

Suddenly, a dark figure leaped up from behind Yasuda and swung at the basketball over Yasuda.

slap~
Kogure touched the bottom of the basketball, stopping its trajectory as it flew towards the basket and falling towards Matsumoto Teru.

Matsumoto Teru was taken aback and grabbed the basketball before Yasuda could react.

However, before he could even get a firm grip, Kogure reacted quickly, his left hand passing directly under Yasuda's armpit and precisely slapping the basketball.

slap~
Kogure successfully made the steal, and Yasuda reacted quickly, catching the basketball securely in his arms.

In an instant, Kogure quickly started moving, rushing straight towards the front like an arrow released from a bow.

"not good!"

Jun Tsuchiya felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that something was wrong.

He had to exert all his strength to catch up with Kogure at top speed.

At that moment, Yasuda noticed that Kogure had rushed forward and quickly passed the ball to him.

While running, Kogure adjusted his direction slightly and successfully caught the basketball.

Although Yasuda's passing is decent, it's still far inferior to his.

So, just as Kogure caught the ball, Jun Tsuchiya finally caught up.

He tried to block Kogure's advance with his body, hoping his teammates would quickly return to defend.

Unfortunately, Kogure quickly adjusted his footwork, using the Euro step to easily shake off Tsuchiya Jun's center of gravity, and drove straight to the basket, steadily sending the ball into the hoop.

This series of actions, from blocking to stealing to scoring, ignited the passion of the audience.

His performance not only earned valuable points for the team, but also put tremendous pressure on the opponents.

Jun Tsuchiya stood with his hands on his hips, feeling exhausted even though the match had only been going on for ten minutes.

The pressure Kogure put on him was simply too great.

This can be seen from the data from both sides.

In ten minutes, Jun Tsuchiya failed to score a single point, managing only one assist, two rebounds, and three turnovers – a truly dismal performance.

Jun Tsuchiya has been completely overwhelmed by Kogure, suffering an even worse fate than Kaede Rukawa in the Xiangshan battle.

Rukawa can overcome Sawakita's limitations by changing his playing style, but Tsuchiya cannot.

This was purely due to the vast difference in strength; no matter how he changed his fighting style, he could hardly gain the upper hand against Kogure.

However, Kogure is not omnipotent after all.

Jun Tsuchiya had clearly learned his lesson and immediately took Kogure away to prevent him from getting too close to Teru Matsumoto.

As a result, Kogure was unable to provide any further defensive support.

shuh~
Matsumoto Teru scored another goal despite Yasuda's defense.

beep~
At this point, Coach Anzai requested a substitution, replacing Yasuda with Ohno Suzuki.

Suzuki Ohno was also a substitute player, which naturally met Kogure's requirements.

Yasuda was ultimately too short; even in the story's timeline, he was only 165 cm tall, and now he's even shorter.

If Yasuda continues to be on the field, the opponent will definitely continue to target Matsumoto Teru.

After Ohno Suzuki entered the game, the positions on the field changed.

Center: Ohno Suzuki

Ohmae: Mugure

Komae: Tsunoda Satoru
Shooting Guard: Yamamoto Kuma
Point Guard: Nobuhiko Okamoto

After rigorous training, Ohno Suzuki's weight has dropped to 90 kilograms, his physique has changed from obese to strong, and his speed and explosiveness have improved significantly.

Shohoku launched an attack, and Okamoto Nobuhiko passed the ball to Kogure.

At Kogure's signal, Suzuki Ohno eagerly ran over to set a screen for Kogure.

With the help of Suzuki Ohno's solid screen, Kogure easily shook off Tsuchiya Jun.

Shusaku Kudo had no choice but to switch defenses, and Kogure, unable to break through, dribbled the ball sideways in place.

Jun Tsuchiya stealthily approached Kogure, preparing to seize the opportunity to steal the ball.

The next moment, Jun Tsuchiya pounced over and swung his hand at the basketball.

However, at that moment, Kogure instantly gathered the ball, leaped up, and used his waist to spin, making a big loop pass.

After setting a screen for Kogure, Ohno Suzuki had already driven into the paint.

The basketball landed precisely in Suzuki Ohno's hands. His task was simple: to put the ball into the basket.

shuh~
Ohno Suzuki made a barely passable dunk; his jumping ability is still too poor.

It was less of a forced dunk and more of a basket placement.

Soon, Daiei Academy made a comeback!
Looking at Yamamoto Kuma standing in front of him, Matsumoto Teru had a very bad feeling.

Because the two are about the same height, and Yamamoto Kuma is also a size bigger than him.

If he were to shoot directly at Yamamoto Kuma, his efficiency would definitely be greatly reduced.

Clearly, the methods used to deal with Yasuda will not work on Yamamoto.

In this situation, Itakura would certainly not be foolish enough to pass the ball to Matsumoto Teru.

This time, Itakura used Kudo Shusaku's screen to drive to the basket.

Suzuki Ohno immediately switched defense, but due to his relatively average physical abilities, he was easily beaten by Itakura using a smaller player against a larger one.

Itakura seized the opportunity to break into the paint area, intending to score a layup.

Suddenly, Kogure rushed forward. Itakura, like a startled bird, quickly passed the ball to Jun Tsuchiya, who was in an open position.

The moment he received the ball, Jun Tsuchiya raised his hand and shot.

Just then, Kogure swiftly returned to his side.

Using his astonishing speed, Kogure struck first despite being behind, extending his right hand perfectly straight.

A smile appeared on Kogure's face as he felt the touch of the middle finger.

Jun Tsuchiya felt a chill run down his spine and immediately shouted for a rebound after landing.

Unfortunately, Ohno Suzuki held his position and easily secured the rebound.

"Return to defense!"

To avoid being caught on a fast break by Shohoku, Daiei Academy quickly retreated to defense.

Nobuhiko Okamoto slowed down the pace, dribbled the ball past half-court, and then passed it to Kogure.

Jun Tsuchiya dared not be careless at all; his throat was constantly moving due to his extreme nervousness.

Instead of attacking immediately, Kogure shouted to Coach Daiei, who was not far away, "Why aren't you sending anyone to defend me?"

Perhaps it was the effect of his title as the "King of Pretenders" that made Jun Tsuchiya so angry that he immediately increased his defensive efforts.

Unfortunately, in the face of absolute power, everything is just a paper tiger.

Kogure easily broke past Tsuchiya Jun with a simple crossover step and hit a jump shot after a sudden stop.

shuh~
The basketball swished through the net, creating a splash.

The point difference between the two sides was about to approach 20 points.

Kogure pointed to his feet and shouted to Jun Tsuchiya, "I'll make a shot from this spot again next time!"

Jun Tsuchiya was completely bewildered. What kind of operation was this?
Is that true? Who would proactively tell someone where they'll shoot next?

Clearly, he hadn't heard the story of Bird.

As they were getting back on defense, Kogure seemed to remember something and shouted at Coach Daiei again, "I think you'd better send someone to guard me!"

"asshole!"

Jun Tsuchiya was filled with righteous indignation, yet he was helpless.

For a moment, he lost his composure.

Jun Tsuchiya is ultimately not Sendoh; his style is similar to Sendoh's, but his mindset is uncertain.

In Slam Dunk, the fisherman's mentality is undoubtedly excellent.

This can be seen from the way the immortals act.

When it was Daiei Academy's turn to attack, Itakura once again used a screen to break through and pass the ball, assisting Kudo Shusaku to make a mid-range shot.

Offense and defense reversed!

Kogure crossed half-court and stood at the shooting spot from the previous possession.

Soon, Nobuhiko Okamoto passed the ball back to him.

Jun Tsuchiya looked at Kogure suspiciously, unsure whether to believe him.

However, he was also mentally prepared to close the case.

Instantly, Kogure jumped up.

Jun Tsuchiya jumped up hastily, reaching out to slap the basketball.

However, he missed his target.

Because Kogure was leaning back, a distance had been created between them.

Just as Jun Tsuchiya began to fall, the basket came into Kogure's view.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kogure threw the basketball in his hand.

shuh~
Kogure scores two more points!

After landing, Kogure glanced at Jun Tsuchiya and said, "I have one good point: I always keep my word!"

"Damn it, he tricked me again!"

Jun Tsuchiya angrily grabbed his hair, feeling his fist harden again.

However, he was not impulsive at all, mainly because Kogure's fighting prowess was too deeply ingrained in people's minds.

In the stands, coaches and players from Sannoh, Hakata, Shoyo, and Aiwa Academy were all watching the game.

At this moment, their expressions were solemn, their eyes fixed on Kogure on the field.

Kogure's rapid growth far exceeded their expectations, putting them under unprecedented pressure.

Coach Domoto glanced at Sawakita without thinking.

I originally thought that Sawakita was comparable to Kogure, and even believed that Sawakita was younger and had greater potential.

Coach Domoto no longer thinks that way, because he can see that Kogure has completely surpassed Sawakita.

"Shohoku is really too strong this year!"

Coach Domoto felt uneasy when he thought about Mitsui, Akagi, and Naito Tetsuya, who won the Kanagawa Rookie of the Year award.

Besides coaches with clear self-awareness like Coach Domoto, there are also coaches who lack self-awareness, such as the coaches at Aiwa Academy.

At that moment, Ai and Coach instinctively looked at Dai Moroboshi.

"Moroboshi, you're the only player in the entire country who can defeat Kogure!"

Ai and Coach looked at Moroboshi Dai with a serious expression.

"I?"

Beside him, Moroboshi Dai pointed at himself in shock, wondering when he had acquired such an ability and how he had never known.

To avoid dampening the team's morale, Moroboshi Dai didn't deny it outright, though he was incredibly frustrated.

What makes him worthy of being compared to Kogure? Wasn't he beaten up by Kogure enough last year?

"Hopefully, my opponent in tomorrow's match won't be Kogure."

Moroboshi's head throbbed at the thought of tomorrow's match.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, both Shohoku and Aiwa Academy will advance to the semifinals.

According to the competition rules, they will face off in the next match.

Last year, Dai Moroboshi faced off against Kogure twice, and both times ended in crushing defeat.

Now that Kogure is clearly stronger, he really doesn't want to face Kogure again.

While Moroboshi Dai was feeling extremely distressed, the match continued.

Thanks to Kogure's exceptional individual skills, Shohoku maintained control of the game's pace throughout.

Shohoku's offensive was relentless, tearing apart Daiei Academy's defense time and time again, maintaining a consistently high scoring efficiency.

Daiei Academy attempted to counterattack, but Kogure was always able to provide timely support, repeatedly thwarting their attacks.

During this period, Shohoku also launched a 12-4 run, which dealt a heavy blow to the morale of Daiei Academy.

Under immense pressure, the Daeyong players panicked and made frequent mistakes.

As time went on, the first half of the game gradually came to an end.

By the time the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Shohoku had already built a 27-point lead.

The Daeyoung players visibly breathed a sigh of relief as they left the field.

On the other side, as soon as Kogure left the field, the Tsurumi brothers, being very perceptive, immediately handed him water and towels.

"Captain, your first-half stats are absolutely amazing!"

At that moment, Ayako looked at Kogure with admiration and eagerly handed him the notebook.

Kogure took the notebook, which contained data on both teams' players.

Among them, Kogure's data is quite exaggerated.

16分10助攻10篮板7盖帽3抢断。

Kogure achieved a triple-double in just half a game and also recorded 7 blocks.

To be precise, this is almost a quadruple!

If the second half continues, he has a good chance of achieving a quadruple-double.

(End of this chapter)