Chapter 53

Before long, the referee signaled for the players from both sides to enter the court, and the cheers on the scene reached their peak.

After the "please take care of me," it was the real-deal hand-to-hand combat segment.

Murasakibara won the tip-off with faster reactions and jumping ability; the Pole opposite him was just all show and no substance.

Except for height, his wingspan, jumping ability, and athletic ability were all inferior to his own.

On Teiko’s first attack, Nijimura Shūzō performed a pick-and-roll with Tendo.

After Tendo’s screen, he didn't roll to the basket but pulled out to the three-point line.

Nijimura Shūzō thus gained spacious breakthrough space, followed by a mid-range stop-and-pop jumper.

The opponent’s No. 4 position’s footwork couldn't keep up; the Teiko captain was always a beat faster than others in the same position.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net hollowly, and Teiko fired the first shot.

Nijimura Shūzō’s desire to attack was exceptionally strong today.

Understanding the importance of this match, he didn't intend to watch the juniors perform today.

Turning back, Seihō returned the favor.

The opponent’s Lingbo Running Method indeed had its unique features.

You could see the opponent’s captain, Kasuga Ryūhei, use a Euro-step to dodge the defender, and facing Murasakibara’s sky-covering help defense, he took a step ahead to score 2 points with a layup.

Teiko clearly hadn't adapted to the opponent’s *shun-guai*.

Even with Momoi’s intelligence support, at best it could only speed up this adaptation process.

Murasakibara was a bit unhappy.

This wasn't his fault; this kind of *shun-guai* combined with a Euro-step was a major killer in basketball.

Turning back, Nijimura Shūzō once again used a teammate’s pick-and-roll screen to rush inside the three-point line, scoring another mid-range jumper.

"Beautiful shot, worthy of being Teiko’s captain."

"In the previous group stage, Tendo-senshu almost stole all the spotlight, but Nijimura-senshu’s performance was very stable; he averaged 20+5+5 data."

"Today, Seihō’s defense against Tendo-senshu is clearly prepared; Nijimura-senshu discovered their defensive loopholes, and both opening attacks were completed by himself."

The radio commentator gave Nijimura Shūzō high praise.

Teiko’s captain was now the No. 4 position people dreamed of; whatever you wanted, he had.

Nijimura Shūzō didn't let the fans down either; the previous group stage seemed like he was storing energy, and now that he reached the round-robin, he finally released it all.

This match concerning the first place in the Tokyo area didn't let the fans down.

Both sides entered the state quickly from the beginning, presenting the audience with an intense confrontation.

At least the first quarter of the match was like this.

Including Tendo, there was little performance in this quarter.

The ball was almost entirely in Nijimura Shūzō’s hands, and he lived up to expectations, exploding for 14 points in a single quarter.

It was a lesson to Seihō for not respecting him.

After all, he was Teiko’s captain; if you Seihō people didn't come to double-team me but instead went to double-team your own junior, wasn't that looking down on yourself too much?

Shirogane Gōzō was very satisfied with his disciple’s first-quarter performance.

"Well done, Nijimura." After the players left the court, he was the first to praise his captain.

"It’s what I should do, Coach." Nijimura Shūzō didn't take it seriously, joking, "Thanks to Tendo, now other teams don't target me for defense anymore."

This wasn't the first time this had happened; Tendo in the group stage had snatched all the attention of other teams away from Nijimura Shūzō.

Seeing Seihō do the same today, the Teiko captain and coach immediately knew how to fight this battle.

The first quarter ended.

The score between the two sides was 23:20, with Teiko leading by 3 points.

The point gap hadn't widened, the match was also exciting, and the rivalry between the two teams’ fans hadn't ended.

Teiko’s first single-quarter score didn't exceed 30, which was enough to prove Seihō’s formidable defensive ability.

"I’ll leave the second quarter to you, Akashi, Haizaki." Shirogane Gōzō didn't overwork his mainstays just because the point gap wasn't large.

He performed rotations as usual, choosing to let Akashi lead the substitutes to deal with the opponent at the beginning of the second quarter.

"Yes." Akashi nodded, understanding his task was not to let the opponent overtake the score.

But what he had to do was to widen the point gap that the mainstays couldn't widen.

"Tch!" Haizaki was unhappy; he was actually Tendo, that bastard’s substitute.

Who told him to lose the practice match?

And so, when the match restarted, people discovered that Teiko had actually substituted out their mainstays early, which surprised everyone a bit.

How much did they look down on the king, Seihō?

Seihō’s people were also angry; they were the dignified king, Seihō...’s affiliated junior high school, and as a result, they weren't playing for their lives but doing normal rotations?

Who would like this feeling of being looked down upon?

Especially Kasuga Ryūhei.

He had already received a guarantee from Seihō’s high school coach that he would officially enter the Seihō high school basketball club next year.

No matter how strong Teiko was, they couldn't look down on him like this.

But the reality was that neither Akashi nor Kasuga Ryūhei got their wish.

The point gap between the two teams still couldn't be widened.

On one hand, Seihō was indeed a team with strength; none of the teams that killed their way out of the group stage were simple goods.

On the other hand, Teiko’s substitutes were very strong.

Not to mention Akashi, the remaining three players were originally first-string level, having fought north and south with Nijimura Shūzō last year, with impressive combat power.

What’s more, not long ago, there was also Haizaki, this Pokémon, who threw himself into the net.

Haizaki’s expression was a bit painful when he left the court.

Because he felt he had encountered a nemesis again.

Seihō’s first-year Tsugawa Tomoki, who was only substituted in the second quarter, actually made Haizaki feel like he had nowhere to start.

That bald guy was not only strong in defense, but the key was that he didn't attack at all.

It was like the Lakers playing the Nuggets, with Jokic playing the whole match, unable to find where the Lakers’ center was, unable to activate his talent to beat the opponent’s center, only to find out after the match that the Lakers had no center, and Anthony Davis had been traded...

This disgusted Haizaki quite a bit; the ability he plundered couldn't break through his defense, and in turn, he had to be bullied by him with a smile.

Yes, it was bullying.

For Haizaki, Tsugawa Tomoki, this loser, felt even more physically uncomfortable than Tendo.

Tsugawa Tomoki would always smile and say things like "Classmate, you’re so strong" while defending, and then dissolve his offense into nothingness.

This was a hundred times more hateful than those guys who sprayed dung with their mouths.

Haizaki didn't expect to encounter such an unlucky guy in his debut match.

As a result, before he could get revenge, he was substituted off the court.

Shirogane Gōzō only gave the bench five minutes, which was to ensure that the mainstays’ body heat wouldn't be lost too severely.

If they rested for too long, their state would be gone.

Seeing this, the opponent immediately gave his disciple a hand signal.

The complexity was like Kakashi fighting Zabuza for the first time, copying someone else’s Water Dragon Bullet, forming a full 88 seals.

The match continued.

Nijimura Shūzō received a pass from a teammate, preparing to perform a single-point explosion like in the first quarter.

But he discovered that Seihō had already changed its defensive strategy, and two defenders appeared in front of him.

"Is it because of that first-year?" His gaze swept over the direction of Tsugawa Tomoki.

This little bald guy had defended Haizaki to 4 shots and 1 hit after coming on in the second quarter.

And Haizaki was a genius in his eyes who didn't lose to Aomine and the others.

"Shirogane, we Seihō have secured this year’s national tournament."

Seeing that Teiko couldn't run the offense they wanted, Seihō’s head coach also relaxed.