Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 416 Matchup Against Morishige Hiroshi

The bitterness in Amu's heart was beyond words.

The harsh reality and challenges made him feel powerless and frustrated, and his dreams seemed even more unattainable, as if everything had gone down the drain.

At that moment, he felt lonely and helpless, as if the whole world was against him.

His 'close friend' Moroboshi Dai seemed to sense Maki's bitterness, and took the initiative to put his arm around Maki's shoulder, saying, "Maki, cheer up, we still have a chance!"

Despite Maki's poor performance, Moroboshi Dai understood that it was not Maki's fault.

Even if he faced Kogure, he probably wouldn't fare much better than Maki.

Even as an observer, Moroboshi Dai himself felt his scalp tingle, let alone Maki, who was directly involved.

"Moroboshi, I understand. Just wait and see how I perform."

With Dai Moroboshi's comforting words, Maki managed to force a smile, but he managed to suppress the anger in his heart.

After Aihe served, Amu carried the ball across half-court.

Before attempting to break through, he specifically observed Kogure's location.

Once bitten by a snake, twice shy; this perfectly describes Amu's situation.

As Mikoshiba took Kogure away, the situation on the field changed instantly.

Amu finally found the opportunity to strike and decisively launched his operation.

He easily broke through Nobuhiko Okamoto's defense and drove towards the basket.

Despite Okamoto's efforts to catch up, Maki's speed was too fast, leaving him far behind.

Sakuragi immediately realized the threat posed by Maki and quickly moved in to cover.

Amu did not rush to attack, but calmly observed the situation on the field.

Without hesitation, Amu passed the ball accurately to Morishige Hiroshi.

After receiving the ball, Morishige Hiroshi leaped high and slammed it into the basket.

Bang~

Morishige Hiroshi hung on the basketball hoop, a smug look on his face.

He likes to hang from the basketball hoop and enjoy the view, but unfortunately, he's prone to getting called for fouls.

Actually, he could have chosen a different way of life, one that involved hanging from a streetlamp and watching the scenery!
Moroboshi Dai noticed that Morishige Hiroshi had relapsed and quickly called out, "Hiroshi, come down here right now!"

Urged on by him, Morishige reluctantly let go of the basket, which landed on the floor.

The referee thought for a moment and then released the whistle he was about to put to his lips.

"so close!"

Moroboshi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Morishige Hiroshi with a helpless expression.

This guy is great in every way—he's strong, polite, but he just loves hanging baskets too much.

During the Aichi Prefecture tournament, Morishige Hiroshi was suspended for three games because of this hobby.

"Ah Kuan, you need to be careful in this match!"

Moroboshi Dai solemnly instructed him, fearing that Morishige Hiroshi might mess things up.

In Moroboshi Dai's view, the key to whether Aiwa Academy can turn the tide lies with Morishige Hiroshi.

The game continued, and under Kogure's organization, Shohoku always managed to get easy scoring opportunities.

With Kogure's organizational and reaction abilities, he can always find loopholes in the opponent's defensive layout, causing Aiwa Academy's defensive strategies to fail repeatedly.

During this time, Ai and the players tried to cut off Kogure's connection with his teammates.

Unfortunately, even when his teammates didn't create opportunities, Kogure was able to create scoring chances for himself by relying on his exceptional individual skills.

In short, this is a player who brings his own system to the table.

Mikoshiba, who was matched up against him, had no way to deal with this and was easily overwhelmed on both offense and defense.

At this moment, Mikoshiba fully understood Maki's feelings and was very unhappy.

Under Kogure's targeted defense, Mikoshiba's offense lost its previous efficiency and instead became riddled with errors.

It's worth mentioning that, due to Aiwa Academy's targeted measures, Sakuragi's ability to defend against Morishige Hiroshi's flanking maneuvers was greatly reduced.

In his matchup against Sakuragi, Morishige Hiroshi's dominance under the basket was very evident.

Sakuragi was helpless in the face of this.

Morishige Hiroshi's outburst undoubtedly posed a significant challenge to Shohoku's defense.

Besides Morishige Hiroshi, Maki's condition is also gradually recovering.

Not long after, the first half finally ended. 58:43
Shohoku came first, followed by Aiwa.

Shohoku, playing with only half of their main squad, won by 15 points against Aiwa in the first half.

If it weren't for Nobuhiko Okamoto and Kuma Yamamoto dragging the team down, Kogure believed that winning by 30 points would have been a piece of cake.

Surprisingly, Coach Anzai had no intention of changing the formation.

Not only that, he even elevated Kogure's position further.

That's right, Kogure will be playing center again, and his opponent will be Morishige Hiroshi.

The second half began with no changes to either team's lineup.

The difference is that Shohoku began to change their lineup.

Center: Kogure
Great Forward: Sakuragi
Komae:Kuma Yamamoto

Shooting Guard: Rukawa Kaede

Point Guard: Nobuhiko Okamoto
During the jump ball game, when Kogure stood in front of Morishige Hiroshi, Morishige Hiroshi couldn't help but show a puzzled expression.

Compared to Kogure, Morishige Hiroshi is taller and stronger, seemingly giving him a significant advantage.

Morishige Hiroshi appears to be a size bigger than Kogure, but that's mainly due to his extra weight.

In reality, the two sides were not as heavy as imagined; Kogure was only a few kilograms lighter than Morishige.

Moroboshi Daisuke's expression turned serious. He said, "Kuan, be careful!"

Kogure has played center on three separate occasions, and each time he put up phenomenal numbers.

Whether their opponents were Suzuki Nobisuke or Kawata Masashi, they had all suffered losses at Kogure's hands.

It's worth noting that one of these two players was the former number one center, and the other is the current number one center.

This demonstrates Kogure's dominance at the center position.

To put it bluntly, Kogure is the best player in all five positions, and he has a huge lead over the second-best player.

"Don't worry, I will defeat him!"

Morishige Hiroshi is full of confidence; since he started playing basketball, he has never met an opponent.

Soon, the referee tossed the ball into the air.

As the basketball began to fall, to Morishige Hiroshi's astonishment, Kogure leaped up and easily slapped the ball to Okamoto Nobuhiko.

Maki tried to steal the ball, but Okamoto Nobuhiko started sticking his butt out and dribbled sideways across half-court.

Kogure positioned himself low, easily trapping Morishige Hiroshi behind him.

Nobuhiko Okamoto passed the ball to him immediately.

The Shohoku players spread out, giving Kogure more space to play one-on-one.

Kogure focused his mind and began a back-to-the-basket one-on-one attack.

bang~
Kogure first tested the waters, but this collision naturally failed to break Morishige Hiroshi's spirit.

Feeling the force transmitted between them, both of them felt a chill run down their spines.

Kogure didn't make any futile attempts; given Morishige Hiroshi's fighting ability, there was absolutely no need for it.

Without hesitation, Kogure shrugged his shoulders, took a step to the left, and then quickly pulled his foot back.

Morishige Hiroshi was unconsciously affected, and his center of gravity shifted noticeably.

This gave Kogure enough space.

Kogure seized the fleeting opportunity, quickly turned and broke through, narrowly missing Morishige Hiroshi.

Morishige Hiroshi hurriedly turned around to give chase, but the distance between them not only did not shrink, but actually increased.

Bang~

Kogure leaped high and executed a Drexler-style gliding dunk.

“It’s getting more and more interesting!”

Morishige Hiroshi muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

His smile was full of anticipation and longing.

He has always longed to meet an opponent who can match him, someone who can make him feel real pressure and enjoyment.

Now, Morishige Hiroshi has finally found that person and is ready to face this thrilling duel.

(End of this chapter)