Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Chapter 152 Mountain King Presses Hard Throughout the Field!

After Matsumoto was substituted and Ichinokura Satoshi came on, Sendoh's range of movement was immediately reduced.

Ichinokura isn't the type of player who relies on wingspan and jumping ability for defense; he relies on "tethering."

He was like a piece of chewing gum soaked in glue, stuck to Sendoh's body, from the backcourt to the frontcourt, from the top of the arc to the corner, from off-the-ball runs to positioning to receive the ball, always sticking to Sendoh's half-arm.

Before Sendoh received the ball, he blocked Sendoh's path and interfered with his movement. After Sendoh received the ball, he put his elbow on Sendoh's waist to prevent him from turning around. After Sendoh passed the ball, he followed closely to prevent Sendoh from making a run to receive the pass.

Several times, Sendoh made off-ball runs to bypass Uozumi's cover, and Ichinokura would rather take a longer route to climb over the wall of men to catch up rather than switch defenses. He ran a distance that was no less than Sendoh's, but his breathing rhythm remained perfectly steady.

Seeing that Ichinokura Satoshi was sticking to him and not switching on defense, Sendoh seized the opportunity to set a screen and create an open shot, making a few baskets to tie the score.

After Sannoh substituted Matsumoto Minoru with Ichinokura Satoshi, the score difference was actually caught up and overtaken by Ryonan. Mitsui in the stands said with undisguised confusion: "Why did Sannoh make a substitution at this time? Matsumoto at least has offensive ability, but Ichinokura Satoshi came on and just played pure defense, and he couldn't even stop Sendoh. Isn't this cutting off his own arm?"

The point difference has been closed, and they've even weakened their offense. What are they trying to do?

Sitting next to Shohoku, Maki Shinichi remained silent for a while before speaking: "Look closely, although Sannoh is not dominant on offense after the substitution, Sendoh's stamina is also being rapidly depleted."

Every off-the-ball movement and every close-quarters battle that Ichinokura Satoshi made after going up there was draining Sendoh's stamina.

"They are wearing down the immortal path, preparing for the full-court press tactic in the second half."

Moreover—Sawakita Eiji, Sannoh's true ace, barely exerted himself throughout the first half.

At the same moment, Shigeichi Taoka, standing in front of the substitutes' bench, also realized something.

He suddenly turned to look at Aida Hikoichi next to him: "Hikoichi, how many points does Sawakita Eiji have on the other side?"

Yan glanced at his stats: "9 points. Coach, he didn't take many shots in the first half, but his shooting percentage was very high."

Taoka's face immediately darkened.

He turned his gaze back to the court, where Ichinokura Satoshi was running from the backcourt to the frontcourt, right behind Sendoh.

Nine points is a respectable number for any player, but Eiji Sawakita is the top high school player in Japan and the ace of Sannoh.

There's only one explanation for his mere 9 points in the first half: he's deliberately conserving his energy, saving it for the second half.

Sannoh's most formidable weapon, the full-court press, is precisely the most physically demanding tactic. They wore down Sendoh's stamina in the first half, then unleashed a burst of energy in the second half, using the full-court press to seal the victory.

The whistle blew to end the first half, with Ryonan leading Sannoh Industrial by 6 points.

The numbers on the scoreboard caused an uproar in the deep blue support zone for Ryonan fans in the stands.

The Ryonan students in the stands erupted in cheers. All they could see was their team leading the seemingly invincible Sannoh Industrial High School at halftime.

But Taoka Shigeichi on the sidelines had no smile on his face as he stood in front of the bench watching the players walk off the field.

The locker room door closed behind him, and Taoka Shigeichi stood in front of Sendoh. Sendoh was sitting in a chair, tilting his head back to drink water, beads of sweat dripping down his neck and down his Adam's apple. A towel was draped over his shoulder, soaked with sweat.

Taoka looked at Sendoh and remained silent for several seconds before speaking: "Sendoh, how are you? Can you still hold on?"

Sendoh put down the water bottle, wiped the sweat from his chin with a towel, took a breath, and looked up: "I can still hold on. Ichinokura was indeed quite fast in the first half, but my stamina is still within a manageable range."

Taoka nodded, his face tense.

He glanced around at the players sitting in the locker room: "Ue, you're in the second half. Kobe, rest for now."

Then his gaze returned to Sendoh, and his tone became solemn as if entrusting him with a heavy responsibility: "Although we are leading by 6 points in the first half, the second half will be the real battle."

Sannoh will most likely use a full-court press, so we'll stick to our pre-match plan for the second half.

"Sendoh, the first line of defense against the full-court press rests on your shoulders. Whether you can get the ball across half-court depends on this."

On the other side, in the Sannoh locker room, Goro Domoto stood in front of his teammates, stating a fact that he was reluctant to admit but had to accept: "Originally, I wanted you to defeat Ryonan head-on with your raw strength."

But I didn't expect Ryonan to be this strong. Their interior defense, Sendoh's court control, Fukuda's offense, and Uozumi's playmaking are all very strong.

He paused, took a deep breath, and said, "Now, we have no choice but to use the full-court press. In the second half, we'll start the game with a full-court press to take them down and advance to the finals."

He turned to Matsumoto Minoru: "Matsumoto, at the start of the second half, you'll be in charge of defending Sendoh. After he receives the ball, you and Sawakita will go together and drive him towards the sideline and the bottom corner. Don't let him advance comfortably through the middle."

His height and strength are mismatched against Fukatsu and Sawakita, allowing him to force his way through. Therefore, your task is crucial: you must withstand his first breakthrough, even if you can't. Understand?

Matsumoto Minoru took a deep breath, his voice filled with a resolute determination, as if giving himself a death order: "Understood."

Halftime has ended. The players from both sides re-entered the pitch through the tunnel, and the cheers from both groups in the stands erupted simultaneously.

The white ocean of Sannoh and the deep blue flag waves of Ryonan collided under the dome.

Ryonan has possession of the ball, and Ryoji Ikegami stands on the sidelines, ready to serve from the baseline.

He raised the ball overhead to find a receiving point, and then he saw the defensive formation at the start of the second half.

Sawakita Eiji pounced on him like a white lightning bolt, wildly waving his arms to interfere with the serve's trajectory.

On the other side, Matsumoto Minoru began pressing Sendoh Akira from the moment he stepped out of bounds, relentlessly harassing him and preventing Sendoh from receiving the ball.

Sendoh made two consecutive feints to try to shake him off, but Matsumoto practically clung to Sendoh with his entire body.

On the other side, Tomoyuki Uekusa was also tightly entangled by Kazunari Fukatsu, and all his routes to receive the ball were blocked.

The five members of the Mountain King pressed forward simultaneously, each locking onto their assigned target. The massive net was fully deployed the moment the whistle blew, turning the entire backcourt into an impenetrable cage.

Upon seeing this formation, the cheering squad of the Sannoh team in the stands erupted in cheers that nearly lifted the dome off the stage.

"Victory is certain! Victory is certain! Victory is certain!"

The students and fans of Sannoh stood up, their chants resounding in unison, making the backboard tremble slightly.

In the stands, Maki Shinichi and Ajin widened their eyes, and Sakuragi sat up straight.

Here it comes! Sannoh's signature move, a full-court press.

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