Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 297 The Despair of Sannoh Industrial!
Thanks to Minoru Matsumoto's outstanding performance, Shohoku's lead was reduced to four points.

This is a relatively safe score. Unless you get a 3+1 or 2+2 like Mitsui, it will be difficult to tie the score in one round.

Furthermore, possession of the ball remained with Shohoku.

In this round, Kogure drew the defense and then passed the ball to Ichiro Sato.

Unfortunately, Ichiro Sato failed to capitalize on the opportunity, and his open shot slipped out of the basket.

Seeing this, Ichiro Sato felt extremely guilty, as he had missed a golden opportunity to extend the team's lead.

At this point, there were three minutes left in the game.

At this moment, the atmosphere on the field can be described as solemn.

Soon, Fukatsu used a screen to shake off Nobuhiko Okamoto, then leaped high and made a crucial mid-range shot.

shuh~
The basketball pierced the net perfectly, making a crisp sound as it rubbed against it.

The numbers on the electronic scoreboard changed accordingly, and the difference in points was narrowed to two.

Call ~
After scoring this crucial point, Fukatsu let out a sigh of relief, his face showing a look of immense relief.

His teammates surrounded him, patting his shoulders and rubbing his shaved head.

As is widely known, Sannoh Industrial deliberately shaved the players' heads to save costs.

Many Sannoh players have publicly protested this.

Unfortunately, the protest was ineffective!
Fukatsu's point undoubtedly gave Sannoh a shot in the arm, allowing them to regain their rhythm and confidence in the game.

This puts the pressure on Shohoku.

The Shohoku players felt unprecedented pressure, and some players even showed signs of nervousness in their eyes.

"Everyone, cheer up! We can't let all our previous efforts go to waste, especially since we're in the lead, not Sannoh. Next point, we'll get back at them!"

Seeing that his teammates' mentality had changed, Kogure immediately stepped in to boost morale.

"Yes, Captain!"

Encouraged by Kogure, the teammates cheered up.

The core of the entire Shohoku team is only one person, and that is Kiminobu Kogure!
As for Coach Anzai, he mostly played the role of a mascot.

"Oh ho ho ho, Kogure-kun is as composed as ever!"

On the Shohoku bench, Coach Anzai let out his signature laugh and abandoned the idea of ​​calling a timeout.

Soon, Nobuhiko Okamoto dribbled the ball past midfield.

When Kogure landed in a low position, Nobuhiko Okamoto immediately passed the ball to him.

His teammates spread out, giving Kogure a better environment for one-on-one play.

"Come on horseback!"

Kawada shouted loudly, his voice echoing across the arena, trying to motivate himself and dispel the intense anxiety in his heart.

From the moment the competition began, he felt unprecedented pressure.

Whether on offense or defense, he was at a complete disadvantage and was almost reduced to a blue-collar worker.

However, even in such adversity, Kawada was unwilling to give up.

Even if Kogure gets great stats, it won't matter if Sannoh Kogyo wins the match.

bang~
Kogure leaned against Kawada, producing a dull thud as their muscles collided.

His right shoulder twitched and his right foot moved. Kawada thought Kogure wanted to turn to the right, so he subconsciously moved his feet as well.

However, at that moment, Kogure did the opposite, turning to the left and breaking through, passing Kawada in one step.

Whether it's post-up moves or inside footwork, Kogure's skills are already superb, so how could Kawata, who lacks experience in the paint, possibly limit him?

As Kogure broke through Kawada, Sawakita charged forward without hesitation.

He would rather let Ichiro Sato score than let Kogure score.

Kawada, who had been outmaneuvered by Kogure, moved stealthily, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

Facing the onrushing Sawakita, Kogure broke through without slowing down, using a Euro step to shift Sawakita's center of gravity and instantly completed the breakthrough, heading straight for the basket.

"It's now!"

Just as Kogure was about to close the gap on the ball, Kawada spotted an opportunity and pounced at top speed, swiftly slicing the basketball with his right hand.

In that critical moment, it was as if Kogure had eyes in the back of his head, and he moved to the side to avoid Kawata's steal.

bang~
Okawada fell to the ground, his chubby face hitting the floor with a dull thud.

The next moment, Kogure leaped high into the air, gliding towards the basket and delivering a powerful tomahawk dunk, slamming the ball into the hoop.

Bang~
With a loud roar, the basketball hoop shook violently.

Hua Hua Hua~
The next moment, thunderous cheers and applause erupted in the arena.

With Kogure scoring a strong point, the morale of the Shohoku players instantly soared.

"It hurts, it hurts too much!"

At this point, Kawada painfully covered his nose and stood up, but he still couldn't stop the blood from dripping onto his jersey.

Because he lunged so hard, his nose collided violently with the floor, and the consequences were predictable.

As for whether he suffered a concussion, that's hard to say.

beep~
The referee immediately stopped the game, and at his signal, Kawada had to leave the field.

Unless he can stop the bleeding, don't expect him to continue playing.

Coach Domoto scanned the players sitting on the bench with a serious expression, looking for the most suitable replacement.

He lingered on Ichinokura Satoshi for a moment, then shook his head in denial. Although he admired Ichinokura Satoshi, his body was still too frail.

Lacking height, strength, and explosiveness, he was destined to become only a functional defensive player.

Ultimately, Coach Domoto's attention fell on Masahiro Nobe, who replaced Kawada on the field.

In this way, the rebounding of Sannoh Industrial can also be guaranteed.

The game on the field is still going on fiercely, and both teams know that every minute from now on will be decisive.

The audience watched the game intently, not wanting to miss a single moment.

Some spectators even felt an urge to urinate but forced themselves to hold it in, planning to go to the restroom after the match.

Inside the arena, the shouts and cheers of the spectators rose and fell, as they cheered for their respective teams.

On the field, both teams were well aware of the importance of each possession.

Therefore, every change of possession was accompanied by fierce competition.

In order to win this crucial victory, both sides intensified their confrontation, making their actions more decisive and fierce.

Even if it's a foul, you must stop the opponent's attack.

Suddenly, the referee noticeably increased the frequency of his whistle.

To prevent a recurrence of serious brawls, the chairman of the national competition organizing committee instructed the referees before the match to adopt a zero-tolerance attitude and nip any potential dangers in the bud.

In the previous tournament, a vicious brawl broke out between the two teams.

This must not happen again, no matter what.

With the referee's strong intervention, both teams were forced to back down.

They don't want to be sent off!
As both teams battled fiercely, the numbers on the electronic scoreboard kept changing, and each score sent the fans into a frenzy.

96:94
With Matsumoto Minoru scoring another basket, Sannoh Industrial narrowed the gap to 2 points once again.

At this point, there was one minute left in the game.

At that moment, the air in the entire arena seemed to freeze, and the audience held their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

Soon, Shohoku launched another attack.

To have another chance to attack, Shohoku must complete this attack quickly.
The Sannoh players understood this principle as well, and they rallied their spirits and exerted all their energy to defend against the ball.

Soon, with the help of a screen, Mitsui successfully created two steps of distance between himself and Sawakita, and rushed towards the three-point line at the baseline.

Once Mitsui was in position, Kogure passed the ball to him at the opportune moment.

However, Sawakita's explosive power still exceeded Mitsui's expectations.

However, Mitsui still leaped up and threw the basketball without hesitation. Sawakita rushed over, took a running start, and jumped, stretching his arm straight out as far as he could.

Instantly, feeling the touch of the middle finger, Zebei couldn't help but smile slightly.

He ran into him!

Even a tiny touch is enough to change the trajectory of the basketball.

As soon as Zebei landed on the ground, he shouted, "Backboard!"

Ito Yu and Nobe Masahiro rushed to the basket, preparing to box out for the basket.

shuh~
To his surprise, the basketball went in cleanly through the net.

Upon seeing this, Zebei's mouth gaped open involuntarily, and he froze instantly!

"Thank you so much, you're such a kind person!"

Mitsui laughed heartily and presented Sawakita with a "good guy" card.

Fortunately, Zebei managed to catch it, otherwise this shot would probably have missed.

After realizing what had happened, Kogure patted Sawakita on the shoulder and shouted, "I'm coming clean, he's our Shohoku's mole!"

The other Sannoh players unconsciously stared at Sawakita with strange looks.

"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"

Sawakita forcefully slapped away Kogure's right hand, and in a panic, vehemently denied it.

Kogure and Mitsui exchanged a glance, both revealing sly smiles, before turning back to defend.

"I regret it so much! I was so stupid, so very stupid!"

Zebei clutched his head in his hands and squatted on the ground in anguish.

This own-goal three-pointer allowed Shohoku to regain a 5-point lead.

At this point, there were 48 seconds left in the game.

Although the balance of the game began to tilt in Shohoku's favor, the Sannoh players would never give up easily.

To turn the tide, they must go all out.

"Defense!"

Before Sannoh Industrial launched their attack, inspired by Kogure, the Shohoku players rallied and focused their energy on defense.

If Shohoku can defend against this shot, they are very likely to be the ultimate winners.

The next moment, the Shohoku players relentlessly entangled their opponents, not giving Sannoh Kogyo an easy chance to score.

On the Shohoku bench, Coach Anzai gently put down his teacup and watched the game on the court.

With the relentless defense of the Shohoku players, Sannoh Industrial couldn't find an easy scoring opportunity.

Time ticked by, and with only 15 seconds left on Sannoh's attack timer, Zebei finally gained a two-body-length advantage thanks to his teammates' cover.

Without hesitation, Fukatsu immediately passed the ball.

At this crucial moment, Kogure suddenly lunged out and successfully knocked the basketball away.

Just before hitting the floor, he quickly stretched out his hands and braced himself against the ground, successfully avoiding a face-first landing.

At that moment, the basketball flew towards the basket.

In an instant, several players around him rushed toward the basketball.

For a moment, chaos erupted under the basket.

Suddenly, the basketball was bounced away.

Fukatsu instinctively crouched down, trying to catch the basketball.

However, at that moment, Nobuhiko Okamoto also reached out.

The two players touched the basketball almost simultaneously, and after a fierce struggle, the basketball hit Okamoto Nobuhiko's foot and bounced out of bounds.

Possession of the ball remained with Sannoh Industrial, but they only had 7 seconds left on their offensive possession.

Soon after, Sannoh Industrial played a throw-in.

Minoru Matsumoto used a two-handed basketball to easily fake out Ichiro Sato with a shooting fake, then ducked and drove to the basket.

Kogure immediately stepped in to defend, charging aggressively towards Matsumoto Minoru.

Minoru Matsumoto remained calm and did not hold onto the ball. He immediately passed it to Masahiro Nobe, who was in an open position.

Just as Matsumoto Minoru passed the ball, Kogure stomped hard on the floor, using the rebound to stop himself, and then quickly turned around.

During this process, Kogure extended his right hand naturally.

slap~
The basketball seemed to be delivered to his doorstep, hitting Kogure's right hand squarely.

"Oops!"

At that moment, all the Sannoh players were struck dumb.

They were not only down by five points, but they also lost the crucial ball.

"Get it back!"

In order to regain possession of the ball, Matsumoto Minoru and Sawakita rushed towards Kogure without hesitation.

Kogure didn't pass the ball; instead, he began stalling for time while being surrounded by two opponents.

Even though Sawakita and Matsumoto Minoru tried their best, they still couldn't get the basketball.

It was at this moment that Fukatsu also rushed up.

Just as Kogure was about to pass the ball, Fukatsu decisively hugged him.

If Kogure continues to stall for time, Sannoh Industries will completely lose its last chance.

beep~
The referee blows the whistle at the appropriate time!

There are only 12 seconds left in the game!
As Kogure stepped to the free-throw line, Sannoh Industrial's supporters erupted in loud boos.

"The boos will only make me stronger!"

Kogure smiled slightly; he was never afraid of the boos from opposing fans.

"Kogure, you won't make the shot!"

Sawakita launched a trash-talking offensive, hoping to distract Kogure from his free throws.

"Are you kidding me?!"

As soon as Kogure finished speaking, he raised his hand and threw in the first ball.

Kogure looked at Sawakita and continued, "You little brat, do you know who I am? I'm the player with the highest free throw percentage, you know that?"

shuh~
Kogure calmly converted his second penalty, extending the lead to 7 points.

The pressure on the Sannoh players was immense.

With only 12 seconds left, the score difference was a full 7 points.

Unless someone from Shohoku can deliver a "LeBron Time" moment, only defeat awaits Sannoh Kogyo.

Sawakita clearly didn't want to give up, and so did Matsumoto Minoru.

During this period, Minoru Matsumoto possessed a strong will and was far less weak than he was during the story's plot.

shuh~
In just four seconds, Matsumoto Minoru, despite Sato Ichiro's defense, successfully made a three-pointer.

"Press and defend!"

Minoru Matsumoto shouted and took the lead in the defense.

Inspired by him, the Sannoh players put in a tremendous effort to implement a tight defensive strategy.

Their actions did indeed cause trouble for Shohoku, but as Kogure successfully caught the basketball, their spirits plummeted.

At that moment, all the Sannoh players rushed towards Kogure.

Before the Sannoh players could close in, Kogure delivered another long pass.

Beyond the three-point line, under the despairing gazes of the Sannoh coach and players, Mitsui released the basketball.

(End of this chapter)