Chapter 012: Excellent three-pointers! The defense is also very strong! This is exactly what Seagull Middle School needs most
Imamatsu Shinshu, at 181 cm tall, executed a powerful... well... a tomahawk dunk where his wrist didn't go above the rim, but on a junior high court, it was still a rare sight.
It instantly ignited the entire arena!
However... before that dunk, Hoshiumi Mì's steal and assist were even more impressive.
Imamatsu Shinshu felt the same, running back to the backcourt with an excited look on his face to high-five Hoshiumi Mì.
"Nice one!"
At the same time.
Mitsubayashi Koji turned his head, his gaze locked onto Hoshiumi Mì.
Although on the surface it was just a faint glance, as if he wasn't truly angered, the Iwai players knew that their captain was actually furious.
After being stripped by that number 12, he was definitely determined to pay him back double on his own head.
Thus.
The Iwai point guard had just dribbled the ball past half-court when he passed it to Mitsubayashi Koji.
Hoshiumi Mì keenly sensed this.
He nimbly fronted his man, locking down the position and not even giving Mitsubayashi Koji a chance to receive the ball.
The Iwai point guard had no choice but to pass the ball to the power forward on the other side. The latter had just started to make a move when he was enveloped by a help defense from Ouboki Taro, who was putting all his effort into defense since he couldn't get going on offense!
A rushed, forced attack, as expected, clanked off the rim!
On the other end, Kamomedai's offense.
Iwai still maintained their zone defense formation.
Hoshiumi Mì actively moved without the ball, taking a quick step to position himself outside the three-point line in the left corner.
Based on the previous situation on the court.
Although Tsugawa Tomoki, who was guarding Captain Imamatsu, had strong one-on-one defensive skills, making it difficult for Captain Imamatsu to score with his preferred drive to the basket, he was still able to penetrate deep enough to pressure the defense.
As expected.
Imamatsu Shinshu faked a drive, collapsing the opponent's defense.
Then he passed the ball to Hoshiumi Mì in the corner.
At this moment, Mitsubayashi Koji pounced like a fierce tiger. However, facing Mitsubayashi Koji's ferocious closeout, Hoshiumi Mì didn't hesitate in the slightest!
A 'closeout' itself implies 'space'.
A drawback of a static zone defense.
He shot decisively!
Swish!
Another three!
They were down by twenty just a moment ago, but now, in less than a minute, they had clawed back eight points!
The deficit was instantly cut to twelve!
The entire gym erupted in cheers!
Amidst these cheers, the Iwai coach immediately called a timeout!
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"So good, two threes in a minute. Is it going to be like the last game against Seiei Junior High again?"
A more rational Kamomedai student analyzed:
"That game was probably just a hot streak. It's not that easy to replicate. But it looks like Hoshiumi Mì's three-point percentage can be maintained at a relatively high level, which is truly a godsend for our Kamomedai Junior High."
During the timeout, the Iwai coach pointed at Hoshiumi Mì from afar and said to Mitsubayashi Koji:
"Koji, when you get back on the court, don't participate in the zone defense anymore. You must shut down his three-point shooting for me!"
"Don't worry, coach! I'll shut him down!"
After the timeout, the game continued.
Iwai's offense, Mitsubayashi Koji had the ball. Hoshiumi Mì immediately stuck to him like a shadow, applying tight pressure. This time, the Iwai coach had already made arrangements.
Mitsubayashi Koji used a teammate's screen and finally managed to receive the ball with difficulty.
But just as he caught it... a ghostly hand silently reached for the ball!
Smack...
The ball was instantly knocked loose and fell to the ground!
Mitsubayashi Koji quickly dove to the floor to fight for it!
But Hoshiumi Mì was faster! He made a diving leap, controlling the ball a step ahead!
He looked up and saw that Ouboki Taro, just like Imamatsu Shinshu before, was streaking towards the opponent's frontcourt. Hoshiumi Mì flicked the ball with his left hand, and the basketball turned into an orange streak, chasing after the sprinting Ouboki in the frontcourt!
Ouboki caught the ball and, without any ambiguity, threw down a powerful, center-style dunk!
The arena once again erupted in applause and cheers.
"As expected, it's easier for tall guys to dunk! But most importantly, Ouboki, at nearly 190 cm, can run the fast break just like Captain Imamatsu."
"Indeed, our Kamomedai has never been weak in terms of stamina and speed. Our weakness is technique..."
"Hoshiumi's defense can't be ignored anymore! He's locked down Mitsubayashi Koji for three consecutive possessions!"
"Making Iwai's scoring core look bad for three straight possessions is something even Captain Imamatsu would find difficult. I underestimated Hoshiumi's defensive ability before!"
"His threes are great! His defense is strong too! He's exactly what Kamomedai needs right now, and the best fit for our team!"
"Hoshiumi and the current Kamomedai are a perfect match!"
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At this point, the deficit had been narrowed to just 10 points!
Kamomedai's offense.
Point guard Kouchi Masaya dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and once again passed it to Imamatsu Shinshu. The latter used the same trick, faking a drive with the goal of collapsing Iwai's defensive formation.
At the same time, his eyes were constantly searching for Hoshiumi Mì's figure.
But Iwai was prepared this time.
They used a four-man zone, guarding the paint impenetrably.
The remaining Mitsubayashi Koji was solely responsible for 'taking care of' Hoshiumi Mì.
Mitsubayashi Koji stuck to Hoshiumi Mì like glue, constantly using his body for intense physical contact, his mouth relentlessly taunting with fierce anticipation: "You're pretty good, kid! But not from now on!"
"You won't touch the ball again!"
Hearing this, Hoshiumi Mì just raised an eyebrow slightly.
Mitsubayashi Koji continued the physical contact, his mouth also running non-stop, with the sole purpose of provoking Hoshiumi Mì. As long as his opponent got angry, his goal would be achieved.
Hoshiumi Mì saw through it clearly.
So he wouldn't get angry at all.
But he wouldn't let Mitsubayashi Koji pester him like this either.
He took the initiative, using a timely screen from Ouboki Taro to nimbly get open! As a quality 3&D player, he couldn't just wait foolishly outside the three-point line for the ball.
He had to learn to move actively without the ball, using screens to find openings!
As expected, Hoshiumi Mì successfully got open!
Imamatsu Shinshu's pass also whistled over at the first opportunity!
Hoshiumi Mì steadily caught the ball outside the three-point line.
But Mitsubayashi Koji's physical abilities were indeed impressive. With a strong push, he managed to break free from Ouboki Taro's screen!
He pounced towards Hoshiumi Mì again.
But for Hoshiumi Mì, the series of movements and the screen had created enough space to shoot. Mitsubayashi Koji's closeout at this point wouldn't be able to block him.
However... as Mitsubayashi Koji lunged towards Hoshiumi Mì, his right hand swung viciously towards Hoshiumi Mì's face in a blocking motion