Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 308 Stretcher Star
After the top four are determined, the remaining matches will be decided by drawing lots.

This is also a newly established rule for the Autumn National Sports Competition.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the four coaches gathered in the center of the stadium to begin the draw.

The Kanagawa players remained calm.

Among the four teams that made it to the finals, they are the real bosses.

Therefore, players from other representative teams all want to avoid the Kanagawa representative team.

If you were to ask Akita and Fukuoka players which team they most wanted to be drawn against, the answer would undoubtedly be the Aichi Prefecture representative team.

Unfortunately, Aichi Prefecture is widely considered to be the worst of the four teams.

As the host team, Akita team was granted the right to draw lots first.

This is also a benefit for the host country!
Coach Domoto looked serious and then pulled a red ping-pong ball from the red box.

There are four ping-pong balls in the red box: two red and two white.

If two teams draw ping-pong balls of the same color, they will become opponents in the next round.

Coach Domoto stepped aside and stared intently at Coach Fukuoka, who was following closely behind.

Coach Fukuoka expressionlessly placed his hand into the red box and pulled out a white ping-pong ball.

This means the two teams will not face each other in the next round.

As the two coaches drew different ping-pong balls, the tension reached its peak.

This puts pressure on Coach Aichi.

"Fukuoka, I absolutely have to draw Fukuoka!"

The Aichi coach muttered to himself, "Of the four teams, Aichi Prefecture is widely considered to be at the bottom, followed closely by Fukuoka Prefecture."

Aichi Prefecture may not be a match for Fukuoka Prefecture, but the gap in strength between the two is not overwhelming, which means that Aichi Prefecture has a chance to win.

If Aichi Prefecture is accidentally drawn as Kanagawa or Akita, it will have virtually no chance of advancing to the finals.

Upon thinking of this, Coach Aichi became visibly nervous; his heart raced, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead.

Call ~
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil.

Even so, he slowly reached his right hand into the box, his hand trembling slightly.

Soon, he touched two smooth spheres.

Coach Aichi paused noticeably, as if caught in a mental struggle.

Faced with a difficult choice, he gritted his teeth and finally made his decision.

He gripped a ping-pong ball tightly, as if he had grasped the future in an instant, as if he had seized the key to his destiny.

When the ping-pong ball was pulled out, Coach Aichi looked extremely disappointed.

Because it's a red ping-pong ball!
Spicy balls!

"I should have grabbed the other ping-pong ball!"

The Aichi coach was extremely frustrated, having drawn a red ping-pong ball, which meant that Aichi Prefecture's next opponent would be Akita Prefecture.

Given Akita Prefecture's strength, Aichi Prefecture is unlikely to fare well, which almost certainly means that Aichi Prefecture will be eliminated in the next round.

"Sigh, maybe this is fate!"

Witnessing this scene, many Aichi players' morale plummeted, and they collapsed without even fighting.

"Damn it, we have to try no matter what!"

Moroboshi Dai clenched his fists, and unlike his teammates, he seemed unaffected, instead displaying a strong desire to win.

As the team's ace, he has his own principles and pride!
Coach Domoto breathed a slight sigh of relief, which meant they had drawn a favorable draw and were almost guaranteed a spot in the finals.

Moreover, given the disparity in strength between the two sides, the Akita team can conserve a lot of energy and prepare for the finals in comfort.

Unlike Coach Domoto's relaxed demeanor, Coach Fukuoka, who had been expressionless, frowned deeply because the thing he least wanted to happen had occurred.

"Looks like I don't need to draw lots!"

Coach Anzai, still sporting a cheerful smile, then walked off the stage.

The Kanagawa team didn't care about the draw results at all; for them, it didn't matter which opponent they faced.

This is the confidence that comes with strength!

After the draw ceremony, the match schedule for the two games was displayed on the big screen.

As the match schedule was announced, the atmosphere in the stadium became noticeably more enthusiastic, with cheers and sighs of disappointment filling the air.

Soon, all four teams scattered like birds and beasts, and began preparing for tomorrow's game.

……

The following morning, Akita Dome.

The stadium was still packed, with shouts echoing throughout as people cheered for their respective teams.

First up was the match between Akita and Aichi, which was scheduled for the morning.

The match between Kanagawa and Fukuoka was scheduled for the afternoon.

Judging from the momentum, the Akita team's support rate is significantly higher than that of the Aichi team, presenting an overwhelming advantage.

In this atmosphere, the Aichi players felt invisible pressure and were clearly affected, even becoming hesitant before the match even started.

Soon, the teams from Akita and Aichi prefectures were making their final tactical arrangements.

On the Aichi bench, Coach Aichi stood directly in front of Dai Moroboshi.

Then he uttered that controversial statement.

"To defeat Akita, you must defeat Sawakita. Moroboshi, only you can do it!"

"Coach, just watch my performance!"

Moroboshi Dai looked at Sawakita, revealing a strong fighting spirit.

To prove himself, after recovering from his injury, Dai Moroboshi underwent high-intensity training every day, constantly pushing his limits.

He believes he has made considerable progress through this period of hard training.

Whether by coincidence or by sensing something, Sawakita turned around and met Moroboshi Dai's gaze.

For a moment, their gazes seemed to ignite a fierce spark.

"interesting!"

Zebei's lips curled up slightly, and his gaze toward Moroboshi Dai became more serious.

In the stands, both the Kanagawa and Fukuoka prefecture teams focused their attention on the upcoming match.

Mitsui sat listlessly in his seat and asked Kogure and Akagi, "Who do you think is stronger between those two?"

Akagi didn't speak, but subconsciously looked at Kogure.

Because Kogure had fought both of them more than once, he had a relatively deep understanding of them.

"Zebei!"

Kogure answered without hesitation.

Although Moroboshi Dai is quite strong, he is still much weaker than Sawakita.

"Looks like our stretcher star is going to lose again!"

Mitsui sighed softly. He would have preferred to see a closely contested match, which would have been more exciting.

Like the Stretcher God of War, the Stretcher Star also comes from Kogure's words.

Dai Moroboshi is known as the Star of Aichi. His first appearance in Slam Dunk was on a stretcher, which is why many Slam Dunk fans jokingly call him the Star of the Stretcher.

"Hopefully he won't have to be carried away on a stretcher this time!"

Beside him, Akagi's gaze was filled with sympathy for Moroboshi Dai.

You could say he was very unlucky; he almost never escaped being carried away on a stretcher during major competitions.

But you could also say he was very lucky; despite the constant injuries, they were all minor and insignificant. The wait wasn't long before the starting whistle finally blew.

The audience's eyes were fixed on the field, eagerly anticipating the exciting match that was about to unfold.

The duel between Sawakita and Moroboshi Dai was also the focus of this match.

This duel undoubtedly attracted everyone's attention.

Not long ago, Basketball Weekly publicly selected the four best shooting guards, and Mitsui, Dai Moroboshi, Minoru Matsumoto and Sawakita were successfully selected.

As for Kogure, he wasn't even in the selection process.

The reason is simple: he doesn't have a specific position, and Basketball Weekly doesn't know where to put him either.

To put it another way, if Kogure were also included in the selection, it would be extremely unfair to the other players.

During the jump ball, Kawada outmaneuvered Aichi's center and won possession of the ball first.

In the initial stages of the competition, both teams were cautious and tentative, mainly testing each other out.

The situation on the field was relatively balanced, as if a closely contested match was about to unfold.

However, their good fortune didn't last long. Once the probing phase ended, the Akita team finally showed their true colors.

The Akita team consisted entirely of players from Sannoh Industrial, which resulted in excellent teamwork.

They are like a sophisticated machine, with each player clearly understanding their role on the field, and they occasionally pull off dazzling plays that leave opponents guessing.

Most importantly, the Akita team also has a roster advantage.

In contrast, the Aichi team relies heavily on the individual abilities of their star player, Dai Moroboshi.

Unfortunately, he ran into Eiji Sawakita!
During the probing phase, Sawakita hadn't figured out Moroboshi Dai's strengths and weaknesses. The two sides traded passes, drives, and shots with extreme caution.

As time went on, the probing phase finally ended, and the real competition officially began.

Sawakita and Moroboshi Dai began a fierce battle of wits on the field.

The fans were instantly thrilled, cheering on their respective favorites.

The outcome was quickly decided.

With superior physical attributes and basketball skills, Zebei clearly had the upper hand.

Zebei has a variety of offensive methods and a consistently high shooting percentage.

Every point Zebei scored made his supporters even more excited.

Although Moroboshi Dai was also excellent, he was ultimately slightly inferior.

Dai Moroboshi tried to turn the tide, but his shooting percentage was affected by Sawakita's defense, barely reaching 40%.

This is only because Moroboshi Dai has made considerable progress, and he can also pass the ball; otherwise, he might have been completely contained by Sawakita, just like Rukawa Kaede before he awakened his full potential.

Even so, the difference in skill between the two sides is still obvious!
After the battle was decided, Moroboshi Dai began to realize that individual ability alone was not enough to achieve victory.

So he began to change his playing style.

In this offensive play, Moroboshi Dai did not rush to break through, but instead first carried out a series of pick-and-roll plays with his teammates.

Using his teammates' screens, Moroboshi Dai skillfully shook off Sawakita's defense and scored, then quickly cut to the basket.

Facing an empty space under the basket, he easily scored a layup.

Dai Moroboshi began to integrate himself into the team, constantly creating trouble for the opponents through cooperation with his teammates.

His change made the team's offense more efficient and unpredictable.

Moroboshi Dai's changes also forced Coach Domoto to reassess their defensive strategy.

Coach Domoto quickly devised a targeted strategy.

The Akita team has no shortage of players with excellent defense. Whether it's Sawakita, Fukatsu, or Okawata, their defense is outstanding.

As for defensive specialist Satoshi Ichinokura, he is a good defender and has a strong fighting spirit, but he is only good at targeting individual players.

This is also the main reason why Kogure does not have a high opinion of Ichinokura Satoshi.

Comparatively speaking, Ikegami and Hasegawa's target range is much wider than Ichinokura Satoshi's.

Soon, the situation on the field changed again.

Under the close scrutiny of the Akita team, Moroboshi Dai found himself in an unprecedented predicament.

He was ultimately just a shooting guard, and his timing for passing wasn't as good as one might imagine.

Moroboshi Dai's efficiency plummeted, his attacks became less fluid, and he made a series of mistakes.

With Dai Moroboshi's poor performance, his teammates were clearly affected, and the team's offensive rhythm began to become chaotic.

On the sidelines, Coach Domoto appeared confident, giving the players correct instructions from time to time and encouraging them to continue to apply pressure.

Under pressure from the Akita team, the Aichi team struggled to find a breakthrough on offense and was unable to mount an effective counterattack.

The Akita team seized the opportunity and quickly extended their lead.

By the end of the first half, Aichi Prefecture was already trailing by nearly twenty points.

The gap might seem like there's still a chance to catch up, but the Aichi players know very well that if the Akita team implements a tight press defense, their situation will definitely get worse.

As expected, Akita immediately implemented a tight pressing defense after the start of the second half.

They stuck close to their opponents, giving them no chance to breathe, and launched a frantic chase and double-team against the Aichi players.

Despite the Aichi team's precautions, they were powerless against the overwhelming strength of the opponent.

On the field, the Aichi players appeared somewhat flustered, frequently making passing errors and disrupting their offensive rhythm.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Akita team quickly widened the score gap.

In just two or three minutes, the Akita team's lead reached 30 points.

If this continues, the Aichi team will completely lose hope.

This made Dai Moroboshi even more anxious, and he ran around the field like a headless fly.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Moroboshi tried, it was all in vain.

His every attempt was quickly blocked by the Akita players, and his passing routes were cut off.

In order to break the tight defense, Moroboshi Dai used his explosive power to increase his footwork frequency and the range of his changes of direction.

Then, tragedy struck!
In one offensive play, Moroboshi Dai made several sharp changes of direction to break through the defense.

Not only that, he also changed direction without slowing down, just like a future Rose.

Even Sawakita was unable to keep up with his pace for a while, and Moroboshi Daisuke successfully broke through.

This time, Moroboshi both succeeded and failed.

Just as he was about to break through the encirclement of Sawakita and Fukatsu, before Moroboshi could even show a joyful smile, a sharp pain came from his right foot.

bang~
Moroboshi fell to the ground, clutching his ankle in pain.

The Aichi team players immediately surrounded him, asking about his injury with concern.

In addition, two players from Aihe and his substitutes immediately carried a stretcher onto the field.

What is reputation?

This is word of mouth!
When it comes to reputation, Kogure immediately thinks of Prince Duan!

During the process of 'Xu Zhu recognizing his relatives', everyone present's first reaction was that Xu Zhu was the son of Prince Duan, and even Prince Duan himself had doubts.

If the abbot hesitated even a moment, Xuzhu would become the son of Prince Duan, and Ye Erniang's words were useless.

This is word of mouth!
Ultimately, Moroboshi was unable to continue the match and could not escape the fate of being carried away on a stretcher by his teammates.

His departure undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the Aichi team, and the team's morale plummeted.

It was at this moment that Coach Domoto substituted the starting players off the field.

When the match ended, the Akita team easily won the final victory.

(End of this chapter)