Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 86 Core to Core!
After the warm-up, both sides ended the preparation phase and began to walk onto the court one after another.

The audience held their breath, looking forward to the fierce showdown that was about to unfold.

Unlike the previous game, Nobuhiko Okamoto of the Xiangbei team was once again selected as the starting point guard.

Murasaki was promoted to the small forward position, facing off against Hainan's core player Takamiya Motoyu.

Coach Anzai made this adjustment mainly because he took into account that Shinichi Maki's ability to fight was too strong, and decided to let Nobuhiko Okamoto consume Shinichi Maki's physical strength, thereby creating favorable conditions for subsequent games.

Although Nobuhiko Okamoto's performance was not dazzling, he has excellent confrontation ability and is not slow, making him the best candidate to consume Shinichi Maki.

His mission is to physically confront Shinichi Maki as much as possible, forcing him to expend more energy.

To put it simply, it means using your own inferior horses to consume the opponent's superior horses.

Hainan High School
Center: Kazuhiro Ikeda, 197cm, 91kg, sophomore
Ohmae: Kuraki Mine, 187cm, 81kg, sophomore
Kozen: Takamiyamotoyu 185cm, 75kg, third grade
Shooting guard: Ishida Keisuke, 177cm, 72kg, sophomore
Point guard: Shinichi Maki, 180 cm, 76 kg, freshman
As expected, the three giants of Hainan High School all started.

Among them, Kazuhiro Ikeda has a hot temper and is tough on defense. He is the core of Hainan High School's inside defense.

Kuraki Mine is a standard blue-collar power forward. Whether he is fighting for rebounds or blocking on the defensive end, he performs conscientiously, which reminds people of Muto Masaru in the plot.

Takamiya Motoyu was the MVP and scoring champion of the last county tournament, and was selected as one of the best five players in the country. He has explosive physical fitness and comprehensive offensive skills, and he can make both mid-range and three-point shots with ease.

Ishida Kiyosuke is a defensive stalwart. His reaction and agility allow him to appear in key positions in time, effectively interfering with and disrupting the opponent's offensive rhythm.

As for Shinichi Maki, there is no need to introduce him briefly!

Maki Shinichi: ???
This year in Kanagawa Prefecture, super newcomers continue to emerge, among which four freshmen have performed the most eye-catchingly, so they are called the "Four Horsemen of Kanagawa's Future" by those who like to gossip. They are Kogure Kiminori, Maki Shinichi, Fujima Kenji and Mitsui Hisashi.

Among them, Murasakibara is temporarily ahead of the other three.

During the jump ball phase, players from both teams sized up their opponents.

Judging from the lineup, Hainan High School clearly has the upper hand.

Center: Kazuhiro Ikeda＞Takenori Akagi
Ohmae: Kurakimine＞Ikeda Yuho

Small forward: Unknown

Shooting guard: Ishida Kiyoshi ＜ Mitsui Hisashi

Point guard: Shinichi Maki＞Nobuhiko Okamoto

In addition, Hainan High School is famous for its rigorous training, and coupled with the famous school effect, the quality of its substitute players is far superior to that of Xiangbei.

No matter how you look at it, Hainan High School has a clearly higher chance of winning.

The next moment, the referee threw the basketball in his hand parallel to the air.

When the basketball started to fall, Akagi and Ikeda Kazuhiro jumped up almost at the same time.

The two men's movements were in sync. Ikeda Kazuhiro seemed taller, but he was a typical 'Tyrannosaurus Rex', which made Murasaki remind him of the future 'Silly Finn'!
In the end, Akagi took the lead with a slight advantage and passed the ball to Nobuhiko Okamoto.

Nobuhiko Okamoto started quickly, and as soon as he rushed through the center circle, Shinichi Maki immediately came up to him.

Shinichi Maki's resistance was very strong, and he squeezed Nobuhiko Okamoto so hard that he staggered a little.

Although he is shorter and heavier than Amu, Nobuhiko Okamoto's ability to confront opponents is not weak, and he did not lose the ball.

"Is this guy really a first-year student? Are you sure he's not a perennial repeater?"

Looking at the mature-looking Shinichi Maki, Nobuhiko Okamoto began to doubt his life.

This guy doesn't look like a student at all, he looks more like a middle-aged man.

Nobuhiko Okamoto couldn't help but recall what Murasaki said unintentionally. 15 years ago, a player from Hainan High School looked similar to Shinichi Maki.

Is this the reason why Hainan High School has dominated Kanagawa Prefecture for 15 consecutive years?

Under the pressure of Amu, Nobuhiko Okamoto controlled the ball sideways while observing the situation on the field.

His eyes darted back and forth, trying to find an opportunity to break the deadlock.

At this time, Mitsui was running quickly, but due to the entanglement of Ishida Keisuke, he had no chance for a while.

Akagi and Yuho Ikeda can be ignored because their strength is not as good as their opponents.

Even after special training with the Watanabe brothers, due to the short time, Akagi could only narrow the gap with Ikeda Kazuhiro.

When other teammates have no chance, Murasakibara naturally becomes the best pass target.

Muguro is the core of Xiangbei! After Muguro received the ball, his teammates quickly moved away to give Muguro enough space for a singles match.

Looking at Takamiya Motoyu in front of him, information about him emerged in Mu Mu's mind.

During these five days, Murasakibara would study the video tapes of Hainan High School in between training sessions.

Among them, Takamiya Motoyu left a deep impression on him, and gave him the feeling of Rukawa Kaede and Sendoh in the plot years.

"Little boy, let me see how much you weigh!"

Takamiya Benyu narrowed his eyes, he was a little unhappy with Murasakibara.

He originally wanted to retain his title as the top scorer in the county tournament, but Murasakibara scored 40+ points in two consecutive games, averaging 35.2 points per game, which was nearly five points higher than him!
If he wants to become the top scorer, he must score ten more points than Murasakibara in the game.

Well, Takamiya Motoyu only played two games in total.

Mu Mu didn't say anything and observed the situation on the field.

Hainan High School is obviously full of confidence in Takamiya Motoyu, after all, the opponent can be said to be the best person in Kanagawa Prefecture.

At the first moment, Mu Mu took a tentative step.

Takamiya Motoyu immediately moved sideways to block Murasaki's breakthrough direction.

Murasaki quickly changed the rhythm and used skillful cross steps.

Takamiya Motoyu's center of gravity shifted with Murasakibara's movements, and Murasakibara seized the opportunity and broke through his defense in an instant.

However, Takamiya Motoyu reacted quickly and turned around to chase after him immediately.

His speed and explosive power were even superior to Muguro, and he caught up in the blink of an eye.

Murasaki slowed down his pace a little, and when Takamiya Motoyu blocked his way again, he used the gesture of bowing to induce Takamiya Motoyu to stop subconsciously.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Murasakibara quickly passed by Takamiya Motoyu and made a small lob shot without waiting for Ikeda and Hiro to make up for the defense.

shuh~
The basketball went into the net and the Xiangbei team took the first two points!

"This guy... is very strong!"

Looking at Murasakibara's back, Takamiya Motoyu couldn't help but be amazed.

He felt pressure from Murasakibara, a feeling he had never felt before. Even his teammate Amu did not give him such a feeling.

There is naturally a big gap between Shinichi Maki in his first year of high school and that in the plot year.

At this age, the body changes every year.

Offense and defense transition!

Shinichi Maki dribbled the ball across half court and was about to break through, but Takamiya Motoyu leaned on Murasaki and raised his hand to ask for the ball.

As the core of the team, he naturally has to respond.

Maki Shinichi had no choice but to pass the ball.

Facing Murasakibara's defense, Takamiya Motoyu began to sway left and right, looking for a chance to break through.

Murasakibara and Takamiya Motoyu kept a distance from each other to prevent him from scoring easily.

Suddenly, Takamiya Motoyu sped up his dribbling rhythm, making continuous changes of direction and successfully completing the breakthrough.

After breaking free from the defense, Takamiya Motoyu rushed straight to the basket, and Murasakibara followed closely behind, ready to block the shot.

When he was about to approach the three-second zone, Takamiya Benyu suddenly stopped, stepped firmly on the floor with both feet, jumped high, stretched his body in the air, and shook his wrist lightly.

With his extreme reaction, Murasakibara stopped in time and jumped up to block.

However, Takamiya Motoyu's shooting point was very high, and the basketball jumped over Murasakibara's fingers and went into the basket, making a crisp sound of hitting the net.

"This guy reacted so quickly, I almost got blocked!"

Takamiya Benyu glanced at Murasakibara and was full of vigilance.

Murasaki's defense can only be considered average, but his reaction is fast enough. As long as the opponent is not paying attention, he may be able to steal the ball or block the shot.

This is also the main reason why Murasakibara's defensive data is not bad.

(End of this chapter)