Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 320 The Defeat of Buri

A week later, the Kanagawa National Gymnasium was bustling with activity, creating an atmosphere that was both tense and exciting.

This day also marked the official start of the Kanagawa Winter Selection Tournament.

Just like last year, a total of 63 teams participated in the opening ceremony, and the players stood on the field in high spirits.

Some of them were newcomers to the selection competition, but most were experienced veterans.

Since Shohoku automatically qualified for the Winter Tournament, they no longer need to participate in the Winter Selection Tournament.

The absence of Shohoku made other strong teams feel both fortunate and regretful. They were fortunate to have lost their strongest opponent, but regretful that they could not compete with Shohoku.

As the second and third place winners in last year's selection competition, Xiangyang and Hainan Affiliated Middle School stood in the core area and became the focus of the entire event.

Ryonan and Takeshi were placed next to Shoyo and Kainan, respectively.

Leading the group in Ryonan was Sendoh, followed by Uozumi, Matsumoto Minoru, Ikegami, and so on...

Matsumoto Minoru became a third-ranked member as soon as he joined Ryonan, and once he establishes himself, his status may rise even further.

At the opening ceremony, the coaches and players of the four strong teams all appeared exceptionally serious.

They all share a common goal: to qualify for the Winter Games.

Therefore, fierce fighting was inevitable.

Of these four strong teams, Xiangyang had the easiest time, because they had no opponents in their group.

This is almost equivalent to a guaranteed spot in the Shohoku Winter Championship!
The other three strong teams expressed envy, jealousy, and resentment, wishing they could take their place.

"If Shohoku drew the best possible lot, then Ryonan drew a slightly better one!"

Coach Taoka crossed his arms, feeling exceptionally happy. He looked directly at his old rival, Coach Takato, who was standing next to him, and proudly straightened his head and puffed out his chest.

As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy.

Coach Gao was in a bad mood because Hainan High School had drawn a very unfavorable lot.

First, they must settle their score with Wuli, and then they will face the rested and ready Lingnan.

Coach Taoka recalled a rumor and suddenly asked, "Coach Takato, I heard you went to Akita recently?"

Coach Gao unfolded a paper fan to cover his still-swollen face and asked, "I went on a trip to Akita, so what?"

"I heard you got beaten up!"

Upon hearing Coach Taoka's words, Coach Takato's mood worsened, and he felt a dull ache in his cheek.

He was badly beaten by Kawada and hasn't fully recovered yet.

He's already been beaten up twice this year.

Coach Takato felt a pang of regret when he thought about the 'Akita trip'.

At the time, he thought there was internal strife at Sannoh Industrial and that there was an opportunity to profit from the situation, but it turned out he was overthinking it.

If I had investigated before making a decision, this wouldn't have happened. It's all fate.

"No, I just slipped and fell!"

Coach Gao Tou naturally wouldn't admit it.

Coach Taoka gave a half-smile and said, "It seems I misunderstood. However, your group situation is not good."

"Don't worry, with the strength of our Hainan Affiliated High School, we will definitely step over your Lingnan to rise to the top!"

“Then we’ll see!”

Their gazes met, as if two electric currents were surging through the air, sparking dazzling electrical sparks.

The two have been at odds since high school. As lifelong rivals, neither is willing to admit defeat to the other, and both want to climb to the top by stepping on the other.

Previously, Coach Takato was far ahead, but now the roles have reversed, and it's finally Coach Taoka's turn to launch a counterattack.

In previous years, he had been severely discouraged by Coach Gao, so naturally he wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity.

The opening ceremony ended quickly amidst the heated exchange between the two coaches.

Apart from the teams that received a bye, all the other teams rushed to different venues, where buses picked them up.

The winter selection competition has officially begun!
……

Time passed slowly, and three days quickly went by.

After fierce competition, the winter selection tournament determined the top eight teams: Shoyo, Hainan, Ryonan, Takezato, Tsukubu, Miuradai, Takezono, and Minowa.

This day was also the quarterfinals.

The match between Hainan Affiliated High School and Buri High School is a highlight.

Before the match began, a loud commotion suddenly erupted inside the stadium.

"That's Kiminobu Kogure!"

"Isn't Shohoku not having a match? Why is Kogure Kiminobu here?"

"He was accompanied by Akagi, Mitsui, and Naito Tetsuya!"

……

The audience began to whisper among themselves, all paying close attention to the four stars of Shohoku.

Many audience members stood up from their seats, their eyes all turning towards the entrance.

Their eyes were filled with respect and curiosity, as if they were looking up to some sacred being.

Kogure is now an absolute legend in high school basketball, and he has a huge appeal to them.

Standing in the stands, the four stars of Shohoku instantly became the focus of the entire stadium, and even the game on the court seemed less interesting.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire venue became exceptionally enthusiastic, and the momentum clearly increased significantly.

In the stands, Kogure received the same treatment as Fujima in the story, with several girls asking for his autograph.

Kogure smiled warmly, fulfilling the girls' requests.

Standing to the side, Mitsui couldn't help but show a speechless expression.

"Kogure, we didn't come here to see your autograph."

He also longed to be surrounded by enthusiastic female fans, but unfortunately, he was more popular with male fans.

"You mistress, this is just blatant jealousy!"

Kogure replied, then listlessly gripped the railing, looking down at the teams on the field.

At this time, Ryonan was facing off against Minowa.

Kogure searched around and, unsurprisingly, found the mustachioed shopkeeper.

Whenever there is an important match in Jilin, the shopkeeper with the mustache will definitely come to the scene.

Compared to last year, the mustachioed shop manager has become even thinner.

Since Kogure became the spokesperson for his shoe store, the mustachioed store manager's business has improved a lot, and he is no longer as leisurely as before. It can be said that he is experiencing both pain and joy.

Just like Ma Jie, the mustachioed shopkeeper now regrets signing Kogure the most.

He doesn't like money, he's not interested in money, and his happiest time was during those carefree days of the past.

At this moment, the mustachioed shopkeeper is cheering on his alma mater.

Unfortunately, Minowa's support was clearly less than that of Ryonan.

On the field, the situation can be described as one-sided.

Among them, Minoru Matsumoto, who was playing for Ryonan for the first time, was very active and unstoppable on the field.

Before the first half was over, Minoru Matsumoto had already scored 25 points.

If he continues to play in the second half, Matsumoto Minoru is very likely to score fifty or sixty points.

Seeing the energetic Minoru Matsumoto, Mitsui couldn't help but remark, "This is the kind of performance Minoru Matsumoto should be giving. It's also fortunate that he left Sannoh Industries in time; otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to make any further progress if he had continued like this."

Beside him, Akagi added with a sigh, "Matsumoto Minoru is a perfect match for Ryonan. With Matsumoto Minoru joining, Ryonan will be very strong this year!"

Besides Sendoh, Uozumi, Matsumoto Minoru, and Ikegami, Ryonan also has two promising talents: Ajin and Fukuda.

If all six of them were in their prime, it's unimaginable how powerful this Ryonan team would be. Furthermore, Ryonan's roster composition is quite well-balanced.

Whether it's Uozumi, Ikegami, or Ajin, they don't rely much on possession of the ball.

Sendoh and Matsumoto are both players who are willing to share, while Fukuda can serve as a sixth man.

In general, there won't be a situation where there aren't enough balls to go around.

After analyzing Ryonan's roster, Kogure couldn't help but say, "Compared to Shohoku, I think Ryonan has a better chance of winning the championship!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished.

"No way?"

"With Minoru Matsumoto joining Ryonan, the two sides are now evenly matched in terms of roster."

With Matsumoto Minoru shouldering the offensive burden, Sendoh and Uozumi can be freed up to focus more on organization and defense.

In a sense, Ryonan's lineup is a good counter to Shohoku.

"What you're saying seems to make a lot of sense!"

Mitsui thought about it carefully and agreed that Kogure's analysis was correct.

Defense wins championships; this isn't just a saying.

Xiangyang is strong, but they are a typical team that is strong in offense but weak in defense.

Of course, no matter how weak their defense is, it's still much better than gOat's. At least they stick close to their defenders and don't just defend with their eyes.

In the second half, after consulting with Minoru Matsumoto, Coach Taoka did not allow him to continue playing.

Given that Ryonan had a lead of nearly 30 points, Uozumi, Sendoh, and Ikegami did not play, saving their energy for tomorrow's game.

After substituting the key players who performed well in the first half, Coach Taoka made a bold move, bringing on Sugata, Fukuda, Ajin, Koshino, and Uekusa.

Surprisingly, all five players were first-year students.

Even with this young lineup, Ryonan still performed with ease and held their own in the game.

Despite the efforts of the Minowa team to catch up, they seemed to be struggling.

Ultimately, thanks to the huge advantage accumulated in the first half, Ryonan had the last laugh and successfully advanced to the semifinals.

This match not only showcased Ryonan's strength but also demonstrated the potential and room for development of their young players, indicating a promising future.

Next up was the highly anticipated match between Hainan High School and Buri High School.

Not long after, the two teams came onto the field.

Their appearance instantly ignited the atmosphere, and fans began cheering for their favorite teams.

The scale of the two sides was even greater than that of the match between Ryonan and Minowa.

These two teams are not far apart in strength, both have a history of success, and both have a large number of supporters.

Hainan High School has dominated Kanagawa for 14 consecutive years, and Wuli High School won the national championship last year.

Unfortunately, both teams have weakened considerably compared to last year.

Even so, they are still among the top teams in the country.

After the match started, Mitsuaki Nagato and Kazuhiro Ikeda stood in the center circle.

Originally, Ikeda Kazuhiro wanted to focus on his studies and was preparing to leave the group, giving the opportunity to his juniors.

However, under Coach Takato's persuasion, Ikeda Kazuhiro had no choice but to continue playing for Hainan High School.

Meiko Mitsugu stared intently at Ikeda Kazuhiro, his eyes filled with a strong desire to fight.

Like Akagi, Kazuhiro Ikeda is also one of the three great centers in Kanagawa.

Since being defeated by Akagi and Uozumi in the prefectural tournament, Meiko Hikaru has trained even harder than usual and believes he has made considerable progress.

Meiko is planning to rise to the top by defeating Ikeda and Hiro. He believes that if he defeats them, he can become one of the top three centers.

Beep~
Soon, the referee tossed the ball high into the air.

Almost simultaneously, Hiroaki Nagato and Kazuhiro Ikeda jumped up to fight for possession of the ball.

slap~
Both players dribbled the basketball at the same time, resulting in a stalemate in mid-air.

Neither of them would give in, and both wanted to suppress the other, resulting in a draw.

However, the basketball was still squeezed out.

Ebina was closest and reached out to catch the basketball.

Suddenly, as if a gust of wind had swept by, a strong figure snatched the basketball first, brushing past Ebinagi.

He was none other than Maki Shinichi, who was referred to as the 'middle-aged man'.

Poor Amu, because he failed to qualify for national-level competitions year after year, his popularity was far less than that of his contemporaries, and the title of "Emperor Amu" naturally came to an end.

In fact, this title was given to Kogure.

It's not Emperor Mu, but Emperor Mu!
Not only that, but the title of "Kanagawa's Two Heroes" is no longer used; they are simply listed as one of the "Four Great Defenders".

The four main defenders are Fujima, Maki, Mitsui, and Sendoh.

As for Kogure, he naturally surpasses the four top guards.

Simply put, Kogure is equivalent to the true GOAT Jordan, while the four guards are the four future shooting guards of the NBA.

The four defenders are very strong, but there is still a significant gap between them and Kogure.

After securing the basketball, Amu immediately displayed astonishing explosive power.

"So fast!"

Ebina turned to give chase, but was unable to close the distance.

The distance between the two sides not only did not shrink, but actually increased.

In an instant, Amu surged ahead, charging straight for the basket.

Bang~
Amu leaped up and scored with a rare dunk.

As the rim slammed open, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.

"This is rare! I actually got to see Maki dunk!"

Kogure couldn't help but clap his hands; this was the first time he had ever seen Maki dunk.

It has to be said that it is very similar to the dunk of the future gOat.

It's no wonder that many SD fans think gOat's template is Maki!

Of course, there are also big differences between the two; at least Amu still has some sense of shame.

The game on the field is still going on fiercely. Unlike before, in this game, Amu has begun to shift his focus to defense.

His defensive strategy was very clear: to target Buri's key player, Ebi Minga.

Under Maki's tight defense, Ebina was unable to utilize her organizational skills and was firmly controlled by Maki.

Although Mitsuaki Nagato and Kazuhiro Ikeda played a close game on the field, with neither side gaining a clear advantage, the situation was clearly unfavorable for Buri.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't limit Amu's performance.

Amu dominated the field, displaying an exceptionally high level of physical prowess and skill.

Led by Amu, Hainan High School gained a double-digit lead within the first ten minutes, putting immense pressure on the Buri players.

"Alright, we should head back now!"

In the stands, Kogure shook his head and led the way away without looking back.

Akagi, Mitsui, and Naito followed closely behind.

There's no need to watch this match. It's obvious that Wuli was targeted by Hainan Affiliated High School, and they couldn't contain Amu's performance, so defeat was inevitable.

As expected, thanks to Amu's outstanding performance, Hainan High School easily defeated Buri and successfully advanced to the semi-finals.

(End of this chapter)