Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Sendoh backed down Maki, and then passed the ball to Fukuda for a powerful dunk, securing a winning start.

The rhythm of the following matches was like a piece that Ryonan had practiced for a whole year, with every note perfectly timed.

Sendoh dribbled the ball past half-court, facing Maki Shinichi at the top of the key. He didn't drive, change direction, or try any fancy moves. Instead, he turned around, put his back against Maki Shinichi's chest, and started a back-to-the-basket move.

One shot, two shots, and he was inside the free throw line. Hainan's defense had to collapse. Muto rushed over from the weak side, and Takasago took a step forward under the basket.

Sendoh passes the ball out before the double team closes in. Koshino receives the ball at a 45-degree angle and takes an open jump shot. Goal.

The next round, the same script. Sendoh backed down Maki Shinichi, dribbling to the basket. Maki Shinichi gritted his teeth and held on. Last year, when he defended Sendoh in the prefectural tournament, this Ryonan number seven only relied on speed and skill to break through, and his playing style was very individualistic.

Now, every strike is like a slow, deliberate knife; it won't kill instantly, but it will slowly stab deeper and deeper.

As the double team collapsed, Sendoh tossed the ball to the right side of the basket. Fukuda Kichou cut from the baseline, caught the ball in mid-air, and scored.

In the next possession, Hainan shifted their defensive focus to Fukuda's cuts. Sendoh backed down the defense, drawing their attention, and then passed the ball to Ikegami on the perimeter.

Ikegami received the ball beyond the three-point line, and Ajin desperately tried to close the gap, but Ikegami didn't shoot. He faked a shot and made a bounce pass to Uozumi under the basket. Uozumi pushed past Takasago and slammed the ball down with both hands.

Ryonan's offensive was not fought by one person, but rather by multiple points of attack organized by Sendoh.

On the defensive end, Hainan encountered even greater trouble. Maki Shinichi dribbled past Sendoh. He managed to get past him, but what awaited him was Ryonan's 23-man zone defense.

Jun Uozumi's defense in the paint covered the entire area under the basket, with the two forwards positioned on either side of the free-throw line, effectively blocking any possible driving routes.

Maki Shinichi drove into the paint, facing Uozumi's outstretched arms, with Fukuda and Koshino closing in on his sides. He had no choice but to pass the ball.

The ball was passed to A-Shen on the outside. A-Shen received the ball and was about to jump when Ikegami was already right there. Ryonan's best defensive player had only one task today: to stick to A-Shen.

They don't give us any comfortable space to make a move.

A Shen's first three-point attempt of the game was interfered with by Ikegami's finger, and the ball bounced off the front of the rim.

The second shot was forced to have a higher arc, the ball arced too high and bounced off the edge of the backboard. Fish stayed under the basket and caught the rebound.

The numbers on the scoreboard began to change. Halfway through the first half, Hainan led Lingnan 18-31, a 13-point difference.

"Beep...!" Gao Tou Li's stop whistle sounded.

Aida Yayoi, standing in the press box, stared intently at Sendoh Akira with shining eyes.

The spiky-haired Ryonan No. 7 was walking towards the bench, his steps unhurried, a lazy smile playing on his lips as he high-fived his teammates.

"Excellent passing and playmaking abilities...extremely good at setting the pace for teammates..."

Aida Yayoi's pen flew across her notebook as she jotted down notes: "Perhaps Sendoh's best position is point guard?"

On the other side of the stands, Kenji Fujima, Hanagata, Hasegawa, and others were also watching the game.

"Ryonan's defensive style is very similar to the system that Shohoku specially prepared for Hainan this year."

Fujima looked at Coach Taoka in front of Ryonan's bench, "They all use zone defense to shut down Hainan's inside offense, and they all use their strongest defenders to guard Jin..."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "But the most crucial player is Sendoh. With Sendoh switching to point guard, Ryonan's entire offensive system has been activated. The scoring options are spread out, making it impossible for Hainan to defend against him specifically."

Hanagata adjusted his glasses: "Is it stronger than the system we prepared this year?"

Fujima was silent for a moment. "It's different. We rely on height and overall teamwork. They rely on Sendoh and Uozumi, two core members, one inside and one outside."

One is the dominant interior defender in a zone defense, and the other is the dominant outside offensive playmaker.

The Hainan substitute bench. Gao Touli's roar could be heard even by the spectators in the stands.

His face flushed a color almost identical to the Shohoku jersey. "Halfway through the first half, 13 points! Not 3 points, but 13 points! Are you guys planning to give up on the national tournament today? Give up on Hainan's sixteen-year record?!"

No one answered. Kiyota's Adam's apple bobbed. Maki Shinichi stood there, hands on his hips, head down, staring at the floor.

Mu Shenyi raised his head. His lips moved, and his voice was as deep as muffled thunder: "No."

Kiyota, standing beside him, clenched his fist: "No way!"

On the Ryonan bench, Shigeichi Taoka stood in front of his players.

"The other side is getting anxious. But... our primary task right now is not to maintain our lead. It's to continue widening the gap."

By halftime, the point difference should be at least 20 points. Did you understand?

It's not about holding onto a 13-point lead, it's about widening it to 20 points. We need to make sure they can't catch up and end the game early.

The Ryonan team members roared back in unison, "Understood!"

The game continues. Maki Shinichi receives the serve in the backcourt, crosses half-court, and faces Sendoh at the top of the arc.

Then he drove straight to the basket. His first step was faster than ever before, and Sendoh was pushed back half a body length. Maki Shinichi drove into the free-throw line, and Ryonan's 23-zone defense immediately collapsed.

Uozumi pressed in from the front, raising his hands high, while Koshino came in from the side to support him.

Facing a triple-team, Maki Shinichi passed the ball to Kiyota Nobunaga, who was cutting to the weak side. Kiyota received the ball, rushed towards the basket, jumped, and dribbled the ball towards the rim with his right hand.

His jumping height made the audience in the stands gasp.

However, a figure suddenly rose from the side of Kiyota. Fukuda Kichijou.

Kiyota's ball was less than a hand's width from the rim, but Fukuda's hand was faster. *Thump!* A resounding block.

The ball bounced out, and Yueye dove to catch it from beyond the three-point line.

Ryonan launched a fast break, with Koshino passing the ball to Sendoh, who had already rushed to the frontcourt. Facing Maki Shinichi's pursuit, Sendoh did not force his way in, but instead flicked the ball behind him, allowing Koshino, who was right behind him, to catch the ball and make a successful layup.

The point difference has widened to 15 points.

Taoka's eyes lit up for a moment on the sidelines: "That's it."

His gaze followed Fukuda's retreating figure as he ran back to his defensive position, and he muttered to himself.

"After this guy came back, I don't know what kind of medicine he took... He took the initiative to learn interior defense techniques from Uozumi."

Although his defensive skills and experience are still a bit rough, his jumping ability and speed can greatly reduce the defensive pressure on Uozumi.

Shinichi Maki dribbled at the top of the key, sweat trickling down his forehead and down his brow bone.

He glanced at Ryonan's defensive formation, then at Ajin, who was being tightly marked by Ikegami, then at Takasago, who was stuck and unable to move by Uozumi, and then at Sendoh in front of him.

A thought that made him very uncomfortable flashed through his mind.

The Ryonan before me looks like another Shohoku.

It's not the exact same Shohoku, but a Shohoku with a different style but a similar structure.

With Uozumi protecting the rim under the basket and a 23-zone zone defense, this system's defensive strength was even stronger than Shohoku's Akagi and Sakuragi. This is because Akagi and Sakuragi relied on individual defensive abilities to block shots, while Ryonan's defense was a five-man coordinated defensive machine in operation.

Ah Shen was stuck on the perimeter by Ikegami, who is good at defense, and his outside shooting was also unable to break through.

This match was practically like Hainan facing the defensive systems of both Shohoku and Shoyo simultaneously.

On the offensive end, Ryonan's firepower may not be as good as Shohoku's. They don't have Sakuragi's ability to break through defenses one-on-one, nor do they have Rukawa's ability to score from mid-range without any disadvantage. Uozumi's offensive ability under the basket is not as good as Akagi's, and they don't have a reliable three-point shooter like Mitsui.

However, with Sendoh orchestrating the offense as point guard, every scorer on Ryonan was placed in their most comfortable position. Fukuda's cuts to the basket, in particular, were completely unstoppable by Muto.

He is also very consistent with his mid-range open shots in both the off-road and Ikegami areas.

Hainan's defenses are like a piece of cloth being pulled from all sides simultaneously; no matter how it is adjusted, there will always be a breach.

When the whistle blew to end the first half, the scoreboard showed: Hainan 28:51 Lingnan.

23 points difference.