Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Chapter 164 Sakuragi: I'll defend against that fat gorilla!

Masashi Kawata positioned himself in the low post, his left hand gripping Takenori Akagi's waist, while his right hand was raised high, making a gesture to Kazunari Fukatsu at the top of the key to request the ball.

As Fukatsu Kazunari lobbed the ball in, the moment it landed in Kawata's hands, the other four Sannoh players simultaneously pulled away.

One-on-one, leaving room for Kawata and Akagi.

In the stands, Coach Kazuo Tangze of Fukasawa Sports University leaned forward, his eyes behind his glasses fixed intently on the low post.

"Kawata is going to fight Akagi one-on-one. It's time to test Akagi's strength." Tang Ze said with a solemn expression.

On the court, Masashi Kawata began dribbling and backing down Akagi towards the basket.

Akagi Takenori lowered his center of gravity to an extremely low position, bracing himself with his two black arms in front of him, and managed to withstand the first wave of impact.

Kawada tried to contest the ball a few times, but he felt the solidity of the defense behind him. Instead of continuing to force the ball, he changed his rhythm. The second dribble was lighter than the first, and as the ball bounced back to his left hand from the floor, Kawada's shoulder swayed to the left, and his entire center of gravity seemed to shift to the left.

Akagi's center of gravity was shifted by the sway, and his left foot unconsciously slid half a step to the left, preparing to block Kawata's left turn route.

But Kawata's left shoulder feint was fake; the real attack was from his right side.

Kawata slammed his right foot off the ground, pivoting on his left, and twisted his entire body from left to right in an instant. He took a large step forward with his right foot, bypassing Akagi on the left.

Akagi's center of gravity was still tilting to the left, and he could only watch helplessly as Kawata swept past him from his right side.

Such smooth footwork under the basket!

After Kawata Masashi turned past Akagi, he jumped directly facing the basket, raised the ball above his head with his right hand, and with a light flick of his fingers, the basketball grazed the backboard and flew into the net.

A unified cheer erupted from the stands of Sannoh.

In the stands, Kazuo Tangze slowly leaned back in his chair, then turned to Shota Sugiyama: "With Akagi's abilities, he could be a starter after entering university. His strength, jumping ability, and defensive awareness are all top-notch."

Tang Ze paused for a moment, "But what about Kawata Masashi—"

Sugiyama picked up the conversation: "He's a top-three college center."

Tang Ze did not refute.

Akagi Takenori is not bad, but Kawata Masashi's footwork under the basket, all-around skills, and game experience have exceeded the scope of a high school student.

On the court, it's Shohoku's offensive possession.

Akagi Takenori secured his position in the low post and gestured to Sakuragi at the top of the key for the ball.

He wants to fight back.

Sakuragi lobbed the ball directly into the net from the top of the arc.

Akagi receives the ball and begins to back down Kawata towards the basket.

But when he rammed backward, Kawata didn't budge. Akagi followed with a second, even stronger, impact, but Kawata's defensive position remained unchanged.

Seeing that he couldn't get past the defense, Akagi gave up on backing down the ball. He switched to facing the basket, holding the ball in front of his chest with both hands, and taking a step forward with his right foot as a probing step.

Kawata's defensive focus shifted slightly with Akagi's steps, but his eyes remained locked on Akagi's waist, unmoved by feints.

Akagi stepped forward with his left foot, lowering his body to prepare for a breakthrough on the left. Kawata slid his left foot back half a step, turning his body to the side, perfectly blocking the breakthrough route on the left.

Akagi's turn did not shake off Kawata; his steps were firmly stuck to Kawata, and the attack time was ticking away second by second.

In the end, Akagi had no choice but to pass the ball out.

Sakuragi Hanamichi received the ball at the free-throw line, pushed off with his right foot, dribbled directly towards the basket, jumped at the basket, and, facing Nobe's block, brushed the ball against the backboard with his right hand.

Goal!

The rest of the game became a back-and-forth battle.

In Sannoh's offensive possession, Kazunari Fukatsu lobbed the ball to Masashi Kawata. Kawata received the ball, backed down Akagi, feinted a shoulder, turned, and executed a smooth footwork maneuver, skirting around Akagi's side before finishing with a right-handed hook shot.

In Shohoku's offensive possession, Sakuragi Hanamichi dribbled past his opponent, drawing a double team before passing to Mitsui Hisashi on the perimeter. Mitsui then received the ball and made a three-pointer.

The score difference between the two teams fluctuated between six and eight points.

Shohoku relied on Sakuragi Hanamichi's all-around offensive leadership. His breakthroughs and passes, his back-to-the-basket moves that drew double teams, and his fast breaks all created opportunities for his teammates with every touch of the ball.

Mitsui's three-pointer, Rukawa's breakthrough, and Akagi's second-chance points—Shohoku's multi-pronged attack kept Sannoh's defense constantly on its toes.

But Sannoh's response was simple and precise: they passed the ball to Masashi Kawata in the paint, letting him devour Takenori Akagi.

Kawata's offensive repertoire is more diverse than anyone anticipated. He can use his footwork to shake off Akagi in the low post and complete a hook shot, he can pull up to the free-throw line for a mid-range jumper, and he can receive the ball and immediately face the basket to use his speed to break past Akagi.

In the stands, in Ryonan's section, Jun Uozumi stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"As expected! Even Akagi can't defend against Kawata by himself."

Next to him, Sendoh Akira watched as Akagi was repeatedly faked out by Kawata on defense and repeatedly shut down by Kawata on offense. Before the National Tournament began, everyone thought that Akagi Takenori was the strongest center in Kanagawa.

But Masashi Kawata used this match to tell everyone that there is still a considerable distance between Kanagawa and the rest of the country.

When Kawata Masashi once again spun and hooked the ball into the basket in the low post, marking his fifth successful one-on-one against Akagi, Domoto finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That's how they kept the score close, using Akagi in the paint as a breakthrough point.

Sakuragi Hanamichi, that red-haired kid, is indeed unstoppable; no one from Sannoh could single-handedly defend against him.

But basketball is a five-player game. Shohoku's offense can rely on Sakuragi, but when Shohoku's defensive positioning is spread out, allowing Kawata to overpower Akagi, Sakuragi is unable to help defend or provide backup.

Kawata's advantage in the paint was enough to allow Sannoh to keep the score close in the first half and prevent Shohoku from pulling away.

Meanwhile, the attrition tactics employed by Ichinokura Satoshi and Sawakita were also proving effective. Mitsui Hisashi's running frequency noticeably decreased in the final minutes of the first half, and he was half a beat slower each time he went around a screen than before.

Rukawa's speed on the drive gradually slowed down under Sawakita's close defense; that last alley-oop dunk was one of his few plays in the first half.

Some successfully entered the market.

The first half wore them down, and when the full-court press was activated in the second half, Shohoku's outside shooters ran out of energy, and the game was over.

On the court, after Kawata Masashi put the ball into Shohoku's basket for the fifth time, he turned and ran back to his own half of the court. His breathing was only slightly heavier, but his steps remained steady.

Akagi Takenori stood still, his chest heaving violently.

He was hit by five balls over his head in a singles match.

One low-post hook shot, one mid-range jump shot, two layups after spin moves, and one face-up drive.

Every attack was different, and every time he misjudged Kawata's attack direction. It wasn't that he didn't try his best; he had given his all to defend, but against Kawata Masashi's all-around skills, his efforts were like punching cotton.

Kawata's footwork, technique, and game reading ability are all superior to his.

Akagi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the surging emotions in his chest.

He had to admit that on this biggest stage in the country, he was completely outplayed by the opposing center.

Uozumi said that Kawata was stronger than him, and now the facts are right in front of us.

Just as Akagi was panting with his head down, a hand reached out from the side and slapped him hard on the back.

"Gorilla."

Sakuragi Hanamichi's voice came from behind. "Switch defense. Let me try that fat gorilla."

>