While Jinguji Budo and Mitsui Hisashi were talking off the field, Coach Anzai bypassed the crowd of onlookers in the stadium, silently walked to the rest area, waved to the players who greeted him, and then left. He sat down on the chair next to Mitsui Hisashi, and after laughing a few times, he set his sights on the court.
"Are you competing against junior high school students..."
"Mitsui, is this the training schedule for today?"
Coach Anzai asked in a gentle tone after he sat down, but when Mitsui Hisashi heard this, he subconsciously stood up from his seat and said immediately: "I'm sorry, coach. I'm going to stop the game right away and start today's training!" "
Facing the nervous Mitsui Hisashi, coach Anzai smiled and waved to Mitsui Hisashi with a relaxed tone: "I didn't mean that, you don't have to react so big."
"sit down."
"Although Sakuragi and the others are high school students, strictly speaking, they haven't been in high school for long."
"Competing with junior high school students has nothing to do with it."
Coach Anxi poured himself a cup of tea, held it in the palm of his hand, blew away the tea leaves on the tea surface, and took a sip.
Mitsui Shou breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this, and then sat back in his seat with peace of mind.
On the court, five players from Teikou Middle School and five players from Xiangbei took their positions in the center circle. The referee of the previous game was also caught by Teiko's Supervisor Sanada and promised to help referee another game.
In the middle line, Atsushi Murasakihara and Koichiro Nango stood face to face. Although Nango had a slight advantage in height, there was not much difference in physical condition between Atsushi Murasakihara and Atsushi Murasakibara. But apart from his side, the gaps in other positions are somewhat obvious.
The 158cm Akashi Seijuro is more than half a head shorter than the 178cm Kiyota Nobunaga. It is very obvious when they stand together. But this is not the biggest gap. The 155cm Kuroko stands in front of the 185cm Katsumi Ichiro. There is a big gap, just like a child standing in front of an adult.
Aomine and Midorima, who had excellent height conditions in junior high school, were also far behind Sakuragi Hanamichi and Oda Ryumasa.
When Sakuragi Hanamichi walked in front of Aomine Daiki, he even stretched out his hand to indicate the height difference between the two, with a meaningless smile on his face.
"Hey hey hey, isn't this gap too big?"
"Is it necessary to play such a game?"
"Junior high school students still overestimate their abilities! With such a big difference in height, do we still need to compete in this competition?"
The audience on the sidelines looked at the huge height difference in the stadium, and they were all talking about it for a while. Only after the players from Teikou Middle School stepped onto the court to face the players from Shohoku did they truly feel the terrifying pressure caused by the height difference.
"So tall... As expected of a high school basketball player, worthy of Shohoku High School."
"It's completely different from the sense of oppression brought by junior high school students. It's really interesting!"
Aomine Daiki raised his head and looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi standing beside him without any fear.
When he thought about being able to compete with such high school students, he felt that the blood in his body was boiling.
"Beep!"
As soon as the whistle blew, the referee threw the ball high into the air. Nango Koichiro and Murasakihara Atsushi jumped up one after another and reached out to point at the basketball.
Nango Koichiro, who is in his first year of high school, is already 192cm tall, and his timing when jumping the ball is much better than Atsushi Murasakihara. Basketball had just begun to decline, and Nanxiang jumped up.
However, Nango, who was excellent at timing, did not hit the basketball. Murasakihara, who was shorter than him, came from behind and hit the bottom of the basketball first, moving the ball towards his backcourt.
"oh!
"
The unexpected result of the jump ball made the spectators on the sidelines scream in surprise. Nango Koichiro, who fell back to the ground, also had a look of astonishment. He didn't expect that the opponent's explosive power was so strong.
"I actually lost the jump ball... I should have known better, so I should have been more serious..." Nanxiang sighed inwardly, retreating towards the backcourt of Xiangbei and looking at the basketball.
"Huh?" However, Nanxiang didn't even take two steps back. He let out a light sigh, stopped, then used his strength and quickly rushed towards the front court.
It turned out that the basketball that was pushed to the backcourt by Murasakihara Atsushi was not caught by Teikou's students at all. Akashi Seijuro wanted to catch the ball, but was squeezed away by Kiyota Nobunaga. The basketball was firmly grasped by Kiyota Nobunaga.
"Quick attack!"
There was no need for Kiyota Nobunaga to remind him. The moment he got the basketball, Sakuragi Hanamichi and Katsumi Ichiro were already rushing towards the frontcourt from two directions.
Kiyota, who was holding the ball, just feinted and dropped the ball quickly. Although Akashi completely saw through Kiyota Nobunaga's movements, facing the strong attack of Kiyota, Akashi, who was 20cm taller, was unable to resist, and was instantly penetrated by Nobunaga Kiyota. Pass.
The playing style of Xiangbei High School students is different from that of junior high school students.
When Kiyota Nobunaga breaks through, he doesn't shy away from physical contact at all. On the contrary, he even actively seeks physical confrontation when he breaks through. This kind of breakthrough method is simply not something Akashi can resist, even if he sees through Kiyota's movements. Nor can I resist it.
Soon, Kiyota Nobunaga dribbled the ball into the frontcourt. At this time, Sakuragi Hanamichi had also quickly penetrated into the inside. Aomine Daiki, who was defending him, tried his best and could only barely follow Sakuragi. The two people in front and behind are several positions apart.
"This red-haired one runs so fast!"
"Can't keep up!"
Aomine Daiki tried his best to stick to Sakuragi's back. For the first time, this was the first time such thoughts came to his mind. However, at this moment, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was running in front of him and cutting inside, suddenly slowed down and looked up into the air.
Aomine Daiki, who was aware of it, also raised his head, looked at the basketball flying towards the inside, and narrowed his eyes: "Could it be..."
Before Qingfeng Dahui could think more, a soaring red figure was reflected in his boy's hole.
"Boy, this is the strength of high school students!"
Sakuragi Hanamichi shouted loudly, stretched out his hand, grabbed the ball in the air, and poured the ball into the basket with his backhand. The huge force during the dunk made the entire basketball stand creak.
Sakuragi, who fell back to the ground, turned his head and glanced at Aomine Daiki, raising his chin slightly: "You... can you see the gap between us?!"
After the words fell, Sakuragi Hanamichi began to return.
"Finally, you idiot didn't waste this exquisite pass from my genius!" Kiyota Nobunaga and Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was returning to defense, fist-bumped in celebration, with happy faces but sarcastic words on their lips.
"Wild monkey, what did you say?!"
"How could this genius not be able to catch a pass of this level?!"
Sakuragi couldn't maintain his seriousness for five seconds, and lost his composure amidst Kiyota Nobunaga's ridicule, losing his domineering look just now.
"Awesome...awesome!"
"This player from Xiangbei is really strong!"
Only Aomine Daiki, a freshman in junior high school, has never seen an alley-oop slam dunk of this level in an official game. Unlike Atsushi Murasakihara who holds the ball without dunking, Sakuragi Hanamichi's dunks are so visually impactful.
Players of Aomine Daiki's age always have an inexplicable expectation and yearning for Sakuragi Hanamichi's slam dunk. He also wants to one day be able to soar in the air like a player like Sakuragi Hanamichi.
"Hey, Aomine, it's our turn to attack!"
Kuroko Tetsuya woke up the dazed Aomine Daiki and pointed at the people in Shohoku who had already taken their positions in the frontcourt. After realizing it, the dullness on Aomine Daiki's face was wiped away. He clenched his fists and looked at Sakuragi and others on the opposite side of the court with stern eyes, with excitement on his face.
"This is what basketball looks like to me!"
"Shohoku High School! Shohoku High School!
"
Seeing that Aomine ignored him, Kuroko scratched his hair in confusion, patted Aomine Daiki's back, and jogged to keep up with Akashi, who had already received the baseline serve. After stopping briefly, Aomine quickly ran towards the frontcourt, quickly surpassing Akashi who was holding the ball and Kuroko who was covering the ball holder.
Seeing that Aomine seemed to be recovering, Akashi quickened his pace.
"Man to man!"
"Don't lose to those junior high school students!"
When Kiyota Nobunaga saw Teikou and the others approaching the frontcourt, he clapped his hands and shouted to the players that the Shohoku defense line, which was still contracted, was now opened in an instant.
Katsumi Ichiro and others quickly moved up when Teiko and others were approaching the three-point mark, keeping up with the players they needed to defend. Nobunaga Kiyota faced Akashi directly at the top of the arc. He calmly blocked Akashi's face with one hand, blocking Akashi's sight.
"He's taller than me, so he can't hit hard."
"Whether you are attacking yourself or passing the ball, you need to open up enough gaps!"
Facing Kiyota Nobunaga, who was taller than him and had longer hands than himself, Akashi immediately made a judgment in his mind. After dribbling with his back continuously, he suddenly made a mistake in his steps, suspended the ball, feinted and changed direction and rushed forward.
"!" Akashi's series of movements from dribbling to breakthrough were very smooth. Kiyota Nobunaga's expression froze when he saw this, but his reaction was very fast and he directly followed up with a glide. While he was following up, Akashi suddenly stopped and pulled back, and in the blink of an eye, he continued to change directions.
The excellent change of rhythm opened a position between him and Kiyota. This position gap made Akashi feel that he had an opportunity. He immediately combined the ball and took a step directly inside the three-point line to shoot a long shot.
However, just as the basketball left Akashi's hand, Kiyota Nobunaga's face appeared in front of Akashi. The basketball was directly blocked by Kiyota Nobunaga and hit the floor behind Akashi.
"What?!" Akaashi couldn't help but shout when his shot was blocked. It was obvious that he had already distanced himself from the opponent, which should be enough for him to shoot!
Before Akashi could react, Kiyota Nobunaga had already passed through him, picked up the ball, and rushed towards the frontcourt.
Involved by Sakuragi Hanamichi and Katsumi Ichiro, neither Midorima nor Aomine tried to stop Kiyota Nobunaga who was going straight to the basket. However, Akashi Seijuro lost the opportunity to chase Kiyota Nobunaga due to his brief daze. .
Seeing that Nobunaga Kiyota had entered the basket, Aomine and Midorima also slowed down and walked slowly towards the basket, preparing for the opponent to pick up the ball and serve after a layup.
“Bang!
"
However, at this moment, there was a loud noise from the basket.
To the surprise of all junior high school students, Kiyota Nobunaga, who was only 178cm tall, jumped up after receiving the ball and dunked the ball into the basket with one hand.
Kiyota Nobunaga's slam dunk made Aomine Daiki and Midorima open their mouths unconsciously. Even Kuroko, who had always maintained a poker face, was now full of surprise. Akashi also widened his eyes. I couldn't believe the scene I saw at this time.
On the other hand, the Shohoku team members were no longer surprised and applauded Kiyota Nobunaga.
"Slam...slam dunk?!"
"This guy...is about the same height as us?!"
After dunking, Nobunaga Kiyota quickly returned to defense. When he passed Aomine Daiki, Aomine unconsciously compared his height with that of his opponent. Qingfeng discovered to his horror that the other person's height was similar to his own. Even if he was taller than himself, his height was very limited.
However, the 175cm Aomine Daiki, let alone slam dunk, what he can do now is just grab a standard basket, dunk a drink bottle is no problem at all, but when it comes to grabbing the ball and slam dunk, he is far from able to do it. .
Snapping a drink bottle may not sound like a big deal, but Aomine Daiki is only a first-year junior high school student. What he can do, among those of similar height in the country, there are very few people who can do it.
A player like Kiyota Nobunaga, who is less than 180cm tall, can complete such a dunk. Not many people in the country, let alone junior high school and high school, can do it.
】
"Junior high school student, you seem to have some misunderstanding about the explosive power and bounce of high school."
"With a shot like yours, in front of me, you'd have to block it ten times!"
Nobunaga Kiyota, who completed a slam dunk, was in a good mood, and the limelight had completely overshadowed Sakuragi Hanamichi. When I was returning to defense, I passed by Akashi and said to Akashi with the tone of teaching a junior.
"Although several of their current batch are considered to be once-in-10-year geniuses, but then again, compared with high school students, the gap is still too big."
"What's more, Xiangbei High School is not a weak school. Although this school was only in the top 8 in last year's IH, there is no doubt that they are a super powerhouse with the ability to compete for the championship."
"The talents of each of the players in Xiangbei are quite terrifying. The red-haired player's jumping is not what a high school student should have, and the defender's jumping is also exaggerated and terrifying."
"And it's obvious that the strongest players from Shohoku High School didn't play at all."
"I should never have agreed from the beginning... Now, I just hope that the players will not be hit too hard by these high schools."
Off the court, Supervisor Sanada looked at Shohoku's two offenses and one defense. He felt guilty in his heart and felt vaguely regretful for his previous decision. From time to time, his eyes glanced at the rest area on the other side, where Coach Anzai was sitting. Jinguji Budo, Mitsui Hisashi and others around him.
A player of Jinguji Budo's height cannot be ignored even if he is sitting on the bench. Moreover, as the supervisor of the junior high school basketball team, Sanada is familiar with high school basketball. He knows both Jinguji Budō and Mitsui Hisashi.
In the stadium, the junior high school students began to organize a new round of offense.
Logically speaking, the two consecutive slam dunks from Xiangbei should have greatly damaged the self-confidence of the junior high school students. However, Diguang's players were all in good spirits, even more excited than when the game just started.
Such positive emotions somewhat surprised everyone in Xiangbei.
What Sakuragi Hanamichi and others didn't know was that the junior high school team they were playing against could be said to be the strongest team in the prefecture. In past practice matches, Aomine and the others had to at least beat their opponents. 30 points. Since entering the junior high school and integrating into the team, Diguang's five-man team has never suffered a single defeat.
Even in games against them, the opponents often give up before half the game.
People like Qingfeng actually long for a rival in their hearts!
Although the opponent of Shohoku High School has some supermodels, it is also what Aomine Daiki and the others have always longed for.
"It doesn't matter even if you lose... Basketball is only interesting when you play against such opponents!
"
Aomine Daiki's eyes burst out with unprecedented light.
It’s been an unknown amount of time, and Aomine Daiki hasn’t tasted that feeling of climbing for an unknown amount of time!
....................................................
