Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Chapter 156 Taoka: We don't have enough depth in the paint!

In the following rounds, Sendoh Akira exploited Sawakita's weakness when he was overwhelmed.

On the defensive end, he directed his teammates to adjust their formation. Ryoji Ikegami was head-on against Sawakita, Hiroaki Koshino was ready to collapse and help defend at any time, and Jun Uozumi blocked the last line of defense under the basket. Ryonan's targeted defense was like a carefully woven net, with each line precisely blocking Sawakita's breakthrough route.

Zebei's offense remained sharp and unstoppable, still managing to score. His first step was still so fast that it was impossible to blink, and his crossover could still create space for Ikegami. However, every time he drove into the paint and jumped to shoot, a blue figure would always rush over from the side to interfere, and he was blocked by the team three times in total.

Sendoh's offensive prowess wasn't limited to one-on-one play. He would drive to the basket, draw double teams, and then pass the ball to Koshino who was cutting to the basket. He would back down Sawakita to the free-throw line and then turn around for a jump shot. Before the three-man double team could close in, he would pass the ball to Uekusa Tomoyuki, who was left open in the corner.

Under his orchestration, Ryonan's offense was well-organized, and the point difference was gradually narrowed.

With 13 minutes remaining in the second half, Ryonan narrowed the gap to single digits. Goro Domoto announced a substitution, replacing Eiji Sawakita.

Domoto stared at Sawakita, who was sitting in a chair panting, for a moment in silence, then handed him the water bottle, his voice not accusing.

Zebei took the water bottle and sat on the bench, keeping his head down and offering no explanation.

He watched the game unfold. Sendoh, facing two defenders, took a jump shot and made it. When triple-teamed, he decisively passed the ball to an open teammate, who calmly scored. Ryonan's offense flowed smoothly under his orchestration.

Zebei slowly removed the towel from his face, and his breathing gradually became steady.

With Sawakita off the field, the offensive burden of Sannoh fell to Kawata Masashi.

Kazunari Fukatsu precisely lobbed the ball into the paint from the top of the arc. Kawata received the ball, backed down against Jun Uozumi, took two probing steps, faked a turn to shake off Uozumi's defensive focus, pivoted on his right foot, stepped out with his left foot, and then hooked the ball in with his right hand.

With five minutes remaining in the match, Goro Domoto walked up to Sawakita, looked down into his eyes, and asked calmly and confidently, "Have you calmed down?"

Zebei pulled the towel off his neck and draped it over the back of the chair. When he stood up, his breathing had returned to normal. He nodded, his voice soft but steady: "Calm down. I know how to fight next. I won't try to force my way through alone anymore."

Domoto nodded and gestured to the scorer's table to change players.

Almost at the same time, Taoka Shigeichi on the other side also stood up and substituted Fukuda Kichicho, who had rested enough, into the game.

After returning to the court, Sawakita took over the offensive responsibility. Receiving the ball at the top of the key, facing Ikegami's defense, he lowered his center of gravity and executed a powerful lateral movement to create half a body length, cutting to the free-throw line. Uozumi moved to help defend. Sawakita didn't force his way in, but instead flicked the ball with his right wrist to the open Kawata Masashi. Kawata caught the ball, jumped, and made a successful layup.

In the next round, Sawakita received the ball on the wing and broke through again, this time with Koshino Hiroaki and Sendoh simultaneously collapsing to double-team him.

Before the double team could close in, Sawakita bounced the ball to Matsumoto Minoru in the corner. Matsumoto caught the ball and launched a three-pointer. The ball arced high through the air and went in.

After Sawakita started passing the ball, Sannoh's offense flowed smoothly, and the attack was no longer a single-point explosion, but a multi-point attack that became a team basketball.

On Ryonan's side, with Fukuda entering the game, the triangle offense once again came alive. Sendoh lobbed the ball from the top of the arc to Uozumi for a pass, and Fukuda cut from the baseline to receive a handoff pass from Uozumi and scored a layup.

The same tactic was used in reverse on the next possession. Fukuda cut to the basket, drawing the defense, and Uozumi passed the ball to Sendoh on the perimeter. Sendoh faced Matsumoto's defense and made a turnaround jump shot. Coupled with Sendoh's ability to break through defenses, the score difference between the two sides fluctuated back and forth.

When Jun Uozumi started to exert his strength and grabbed three consecutive rebounds from Masashi Kawata's head, narrowing the gap to only 6 points, Goro Domoto made a gesture towards Masashi Kawata on the court.

Kawata nodded. The ensuing rebounding battle took a subtle turn. Kawata no longer desperately jumped to contest the rebound with Uozumi; instead, he lowered his center of gravity and used his body to firmly block Uozumi's lower body. Uozumi was unable to jump due to Kawata's blocking, and Nobe Masahiro rushed in from the other side and snatched the rebound.

The same scenario played out repeatedly, and Ryonan's rebounding advantage began to slip away, allowing Sannoh to widen the gap again.

Time ticked away. Both teams were running out of energy. Sendoh's breathing was noticeably heavier than before, Fukuda's strides were no longer as light as when he first entered the game, and Uozumi's knees trembled slightly with every jump.

On Sannoh's side, Sawakita was still running, but his first step was no longer as fast as before, making it impossible to blink.

On the sidelines, Shigeichi Taoka took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling slowly with his breathing, then leaned back gently in his folding chair. He knew that calling a timeout was pointless.

In the final moments, it's not about tactics, it's about the margin for error in rebounding.

Lingnan's interior defense is only supported by Jun Uozumi. He can contain Masashi Kawata but not Masahiro Nobe. He can grab offensive rebounds but not defensive rebounds.

Sannoh's interior depth comes from the twin towers of Nobe and Kawata, with Kawata Mikio on the bench. Fukuda can't compete with Nobe's jumping ability and wingspan, and Sendoh, while orchestrating the offense from the perimeter, can't simultaneously rush into the paint for rebounds.

Ryonan's interior defense is ultimately too weak.

With one minute left, a determined Sendoh Akira unleashed his full potential. Facing Matsumoto's defense at the top of the key, he lowered his center of gravity, quickly changed direction to create half a body length, cut to the free-throw line, and pulled up for a jump shot over Kawata's help defense. His body leaned slightly backward in the air, and the ball went in.

In the next possession, he backed down Sawakita to the edge of the paint, turned and jumped, and made the shot despite being blocked by both Sawakita and Kawata.

But Sawakita stepped up for Sannoh. Not with reckless, overconfident attacks, but with calm passing and precise finishing. For every basket Sendoh scored, he'd assist a teammate; for every three-pointer Sendoh attempted, he'd drive and score himself. Combined with Sannoh's rebounding advantage, Ryonan was powerless to turn the tide.

The final whistle pierced the stadium. The clock struck zero, and Sannoh Industrial won the game by 5 points, advancing to the finals.

Jun Uozumi stood under the basket, his hands on his knees, sweat dripping from his thick eyebrows onto the wooden floor. He looked up at the scoreboard, his chest heaving.

Five points, just five points away. The difference really wasn't much, but he knew that he and his teammates had fought to the last drop of sweat.

Something hot was welling up in his eyes. He clenched his teeth and forced the bitter taste down his throat.

Reaching the semi-finals—Ryonan's best result ever. He took a deep breath, straightened up, and vigorously wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his large hand.

The players from both sides lined up at the center line and shook hands.

Sawakita Eiji walked up to Sendoh Akira, and the two stood face to face. Sawakita extended his hand, and Sendoh shook it.

Looking at Sendoh's tired face, Zebei spoke without the smugness of a victor, only the mutual respect between rivals: "You're stronger than before. You were amazing in middle school, but today's amazingness feels different. Today's match was very enjoyable; I haven't encountered such an evenly matched opponent in a long time."

Sendoh grasped his hand, the lazy smile returning to his lips, but a hint of weariness and defiance lurked deep in his eyes: "Tomorrow's final is against Shohoku, so you'd better be careful. There's a guy in Shohoku whose strength is no less than ours, and there's another one, who's even stronger and more monstrous."

Sawakita Eiji was taken aback when he heard this.

Sendoh didn't say anything more, just smiled slightly, let go of her hand, and turned to walk towards his teammates.

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