Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 382 The outcome is decided
sigh~
The basketball swished through the hoop, creating a splash of net paint.

This is Shohoku's ace player—Kenji Fujima!
Last year, Xiangyang performed outstandingly in national competitions and achieved excellent results.

Having experienced the trials of the national-level competition, Fujima, as Shohoku's ace, naturally benefited greatly.

In addition, Fujima discovered and improved his own shortcomings in advance.

All of these factors resulted in Fujima being stronger than his contemporaries.

In the latest issue of Basketball Weekly's high school player rankings, Fujima is ranked fifth.

"Damn it, I must defend against that next time!"

Kiyota Nobunaga was very unwilling to give up and decided to focus more on the defensive end.

From the side, Matsumoto Minoru's voice rang out: "Kiyota, if you can't handle it, I'll take over guarding against Fujima!"

"A man can't say no, especially since you're the offensive core. Don't waste too much energy on the defensive end."

Kiyota resolutely refused Matsumoto Minoru's offer.

During halftime, Coach Taoka specifically instructed Matsumoto Minoru to defend Hasegawa in order to ensure Matsumoto's stamina.

As for the dirty and tiring work, that would naturally be done by the other players.

Because of their similar height, Coach Taoka entrusted Kiyota with the important task of defending against Fujima.

Seeing that Kiyota had learned his lesson and worked harder, Coach Taoka was very satisfied, and his anger subsided considerably.

During the Xianghai battle, Kiyota could often be seen making a concerted effort to defend.

The most classic scene was when Mitsui's final three-pointer was thwarted by Kiyota; otherwise, Shohoku might have won the game.

In terms of defensive attitude, Kiyota is absolutely impeccable.

Of course, the other two monkeys were also quite defensive.

The difference between Kiyota and them is that he is not influenced by women.

When it was Ryonan's turn to attack, Matsumoto Minoru responded quickly.

This put Hasegawa in a difficult position. Despite his best efforts to defend, Matsumoto Minoru easily broke through his defense.

sigh~
Before Takano could cover, Matsumoto Minoru hit a floater.

Matsumoto Minoru landed on the ground and subconsciously looked at Fujima.

At that moment, Fujima's gaze also fell on Matsumoto Minoru.

Their eyes met unexpectedly, and sparks flew instantly.

Matsumoto Minoru smiled slightly, a hint of provocation in his smile, as if he were challenging Fujima to a duel.

Fujima nodded slightly, seemingly in response to Matsumoto Minoru's challenge.

Having received a satisfactory reply, Matsumoto Minoru calmly retreated on defense.

With Shohoku's current roster, they simply cannot execute a fast break.

Apart from Fujima and Itō Taku, the other three big guys are all pretty average in terms of athleticism, with Hasegawa being slightly better.

With this lineup, there's simply no room for fast breaks.

When it was Shohoku's turn to attack, Fujima leisurely moved to the frontcourt.

Ito Taku even timed his dribble past half-court perfectly, clearly slowing down the pace and reducing the number of possessions.

Ikegami saw through Shoyo's plan and immediately went to meet him.

Under Ikegami's persistent entanglement, Ito Taku appeared quite disheveled.

The two were on completely different levels!
This is why Coach Kitano has always lamented that Shohoku has no rising stars.

Among the first and second-year players at Shohoku High School, the best performer, Ito Taku, barely reached the level of a starting player on a strong team, not to mention the other players.

Given Ito Taku's potential, it's almost impossible for him to reach the level of a core player on a strong team before graduation.

"Ito!"

At this point, Fujima had no choice but to come up and help.

Ito Taku quickly passed the ball over, instantly blocking Kiyota for Fujima.

Fujima stood outside the three-point line, feinting a drive to the basket.
When Fujima showed signs of dribbling and breaking through, Kiyota instinctively took a step back, lowered his center of gravity, and spread his arms, ready to block.

When Kiyota realized he had been tricked, Fujima seized the opportunity and leaped up to shoot a three-pointer.

At that moment, everyone's eyes were focused on the basketball flying towards the basket.

sigh~
The basketball traced a beautiful arc and pierced the net precisely.

This three-pointer allowed Xiangyang to tie the score.

At that moment, the Xiangyang cheerleading team erupted in enthusiastic cheers and the sound of plastic bottles being smashed.

Kiyota stood there, looking somewhat dazed.

Fujima scored again, not only winning the point but also putting immense pressure on Kiyota.

At that moment, Coach Taoka came to the sidelines and waved to Kiyota.

Kiyota walked over nervously, thinking that he hadn't performed well and the coach was going to take him off the field.

"Kiyota, if we can't defend against him, we should try to wear down Fujima's stamina. When he's almost exhausted, that's when Ryonan will win!"

Coach Taoka's strategy was simple: use Kiyota, a lower-class horse, to wear down Fujima, a superior horse.

It has to be said that such tactics are common in basketball games.

"Coach, I will definitely complete the task you assigned me!"

Kiyota breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he wasn't substituted off the field.

"Behave!"

Coach Taoka patted Kiyota on the shoulder, then turned and returned to the bench.

The match on the field was still going on fiercely, and the tense atmosphere was almost palpable.

Kiyota passed the ball to Matsumoto Minoru as soon as he crossed the midfield line and began to make flexible runs around the field.

His footwork was swift and agile, sometimes veering to the left, sometimes to the right, and sometimes suddenly accelerating, trying to break free from Fujima's defense.

Fujima followed closely behind, keeping a close eye on Kiyota's every move, giving his opponent no opportunity to take advantage.

In order to keep an eye on Kiyota, Fujima's stamina began to deplete rapidly.

Seeing this, Coach Kitano frowned.

He could see through Ryonan's plan, but he was helpless. He couldn't very well let Fujima defend like gOat.

As for having Fujima switch to guard other players, what difference would that make?
There's no way around it, the Ryonan perimeter players on the court are all very fast!
After a period of delay, Minoru Matsumoto once again demonstrated his strength.

He keenly observed that Hasegawa was standing a little further back, with a distance of more than a meter between them.

This is undoubtedly a golden opportunity!

Without the slightest hesitation, Matsumoto Minoru exerted his strength, leaping into the air and sinking a beautiful three-pointer.

Hasegawa was slightly taken aback, but still instinctively jumped up to interfere.

Minoru Matsumoto threw this ball with great confidence.

Even if they miss, Uozumi and Nango still have a good chance of grabbing the rebound.

Takano and Nagano from Shohoku are tall, but even combined they might not be able to beat Uozumi, let alone with Nango.

sigh~
The basketball traced a beautiful arc and pierced the rim accurately.

Ryonan has taken the lead again!

A burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the stands, celebrating Matsumoto Minoru's brilliant goal.

His teammates rushed over, patted him on the shoulder, and celebrated his crucial score.

When it was Shohoku's turn to attack, the Shohoku players began to adjust their positions, trying to create space for Fujima to play one-on-one.

Takano even set a screen for Fujima, but Uozumi didn't follow and remained under the basket.

Before the game started, Coach Taoka had analyzed the information of Shohoku's main players.

Among them, Takano and Nagano had a narrow range of attacks, mainly concentrated in the paint area.

Using Takano's screen, Fujima managed to shake off Kiyota for the time being.

Chi~
Instead of driving to the basket, Fujima opted for a pull-up jump shot.

sigh~
Fujima is on fire, scoring another goal. After landing, Fujima makes a gun-blowing celebration gesture, then turns back to defend.

"interesting!"

Fujima's outstanding performance further fueled Matsumoto Minoru's competitive spirit.

In terms of scoring, he doesn't think he's inferior to Fujima.

With Fujima and Matsumoto Minoru entering scoring mode, their duel undoubtedly became the focus of the game.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire basketball arena reached a fever pitch.

As the game intensified, the audience's eyes were glued to the field, eager not to miss a single exciting moment.

Every point scored by either player captivated the audience.

Every time someone scores a point, cheers erupt throughout the arena, as if they're about to lift the roof off.

The score went back and forth, and the audience's emotions rose and fell accordingly, with shouts and cheers from the fans rising and falling.

If we're talking about the most disappointed players on the field, it would naturally be Kiyota and Hasegawa.

Both of them were completely destroyed!
As the game progressed, the atmosphere inside the basketball arena became increasingly frenzied.

However, the balance of the game gradually tilted in favor of Ryonan.

It's not that Matsumoto Minoru's scoring ability is higher than Fujima's, but rather that his teammates are stronger, especially in rebounding.

Takano and Nagano were no match for Ryonan's twin towers in the paint and were completely suppressed.

In just ten minutes, the Ryonan Twin Towers grabbed five offensive rebounds and converted all of them into points through second-chance opportunities.

Ryonan's leading position is due to the advantage of its twin towers.

72:63
Ryonan is in front, and Shoyo is behind.

In those ten minutes, Minoru Matsumoto scored a whopping 21 points.

Fujima had 16 points and 3 assists, so the two sides were evenly matched.

Thanks to Fujima's performance, Shohoku didn't fall too far behind.

As a result, Fujima lost most of his stamina.

Unlike Matsumoto Minoru, Fujima never participated in the game.

There's no way around it; Shohoku simply can't do without Fujima.

If Fujima is lost, the threat level for Shohoku will drop to a new level.

哔～
At this point, Coach Kitano called another timeout.

"The final battle has finally begun!"

In the audience, Kogure's eyes became more serious.

The other Shohoku players followed suit, keeping their eyes glued to the court, not wanting to miss a single exciting moment.

When the timeout ended, both sides changed their lineups.

Ryonan: Uozumi, Nango, Ikegami, Ajin, and Sendoh
Shohoku: Hanagata, Kishimoto, Hasegawa, Minami Retsu, and Fujima
The lineups for both sides were almost identical to those at the start of the game, with the only difference being that Ryonan replaced Matsumoto Minoru with Ajin.

"Matsumoto, Kiyota, you two did very well. Take a five-minute rest. I'll put you back on the field in five minutes!"

On the Ryonan bench, Coach Taoka is comforting the two players.

Before the game, he had already decided to gradually wear down the Xiangyang players' stamina through reasonable rest.

At this moment, the game resumed.

Shohoku once again employed their run-and-gun offense, and in less than ten seconds, Fujima delivered a brilliant pass to Kishimoto for a mid-range jumper.

However, Fujima's already limited stamina was rapidly depleting.

Hu~hu~
Fujima was panting heavily, but he had no choice but to quickly return to defense.

Because Ryonan clearly increased their offensive pace.

The run-and-gun offense demands a lot of physical fitness from the players, and at the current pace, it will be difficult for Fujima to maintain his current form.

Coach Kitano was anxious and worried, but he couldn't think of a solution.

This Shohoku team absolutely cannot do without Fujima.

Only with Fujima can Shoyo be considered a championship favorite; otherwise, they're not much better than Toyotama.

Under these circumstances, Coach Kitano could only continue to put Fujima through the wringer.

Hasegawa: Coach, is Fujima the only person you see?
After a ten-minute rest, Hanagata, Minami, and Kishimoto had recovered considerably.

On the other hand, the same principle applies to Uozumi and Sendoh.

On the court, Xiangyang once again employed their signature run-and-gun offense.

On the other side, Ryonan's offensive pace was equally fast.

Both sides simultaneously increased the pace of the game.

For a moment, the pace was incredibly fast.

However, Xiangyang has been unable to narrow the gap for a long time.

After five minutes of back-and-forth play, Xiangyang was still trailing by 9 points.

During those five minutes, the pace was so fast that both sides were exhausted.

Fujima stood with his hands on his hips, breathing heavily.

"Fujima, are you alright?"

Hanagata looked worried.

"It's okay, I can hold on until the end!"

Fujima didn't want his teammates to see his vulnerable side, so he waved his hand casually.

It was at this moment that Coach Taoka made another substitution.

Ryonan's lineup has changed to Uozumi, Nango, Matsumoto Minoru, Kiyota, and Sendoh.

With no changes to Shohoku's lineup, Fujima only managed a few breaths before he had to organize the team's attack again.

"Come on, Fujima, I'm going to beat you!"

Kiyota stood in front of Fujima once again.

After a five-minute rest, he recovered a lot.

On the other hand, Fujima had never rested, and his legs felt like they were filled with lead; he was at his last gasp!
Even so, Fujima still has his own pride and will not allow himself to be looked down upon by the new students.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that teammates have not had a chance to appear for a long time.

The next moment, Fujima had no choice but to step in himself and try to take on Kiyota one-on-one, hoping to break the deadlock.

However, despite his best efforts, he found that he could not shake off Kiyota's defense.

Compared to the start of the match, Fujima's steps were noticeably heavier.

In contrast, Kiyota got a long rest and was not affected, maintaining his peak condition.

Fujima couldn't help but feel frustrated by Kiyota's relentless, irritating defense.

In this situation, Fujima quickly changed his strategy.

He took a step back, attempting to score with a step-back jump shot.

Unfortunately, Kiyota's defensive awareness was extremely sharp, and he seemed to have anticipated Fujima's intentions.

Just as Fujima jumped, Kiyota also leaped into the air, stretching his body to its fullest extent in mid-air.

This fully demonstrates his defensive awareness and focus on the game.

Kiyota smiled the moment he felt the touch on his fingertips.

Although he didn't completely block Fujima's shot, he had already achieved his goal.

"Rebound!"

Fujima's shot, interfered with by Kiyota, ultimately missed the basket and failed to score.

This scene made the spectators on the sidelines hold their breath. While they were amazed by Kiyota's brilliant defense, they also felt sorry for Fujima's mistake.

(End of this chapter)