Chapter 19: Fierce Confrontation
At this moment, the right side of the entire venue was unusually quiet.
Eiji Sawakita looked helplessly at Jack Carter, smiled bitterly, and said, "I actually fell into your trap."
Satoshi Ichinokura and Masahiro Nobe stood aside, their faces filled with embarrassment and self-blame. If they hadn't blocked it rashly just now, the ball wouldn't have been lost. The two hurriedly apologized to Eiji Sawakita.
Eiji Sawakita waved his hands nonchalantly and said, "It's okay, it's not your fault. It's just that he's too cunning. I didn't expect him to use you to stop me."
After he finished speaking, Eiji Sawakita wiped the sweat off his cheeks with his jersey and muttered to himself, "What a scary guy."
Thinking back to how tense his nerves were just now, he realized that if he had been a little careless, he would have been left behind by the opponent.
The transition from defense to offense was swift. Sannoh quickly launched a counterattack. Leading the charge with the ball was still Kazunari Fukatsu, and defending him was Ryota Miyagi.
The same basketball, the same opponent—the previous scene seemed to be repeating itself. Kazunari Fukatsu was like a gust of wind, changing direction twice in a row and successfully getting rid of Ryota Miyagi again. However, Ryota Miyagi seemed prepared and turned around to chase after him.
Fortunately, Kazunari Fukatsu is not Jack Carter, and Ryota Miyagi finally stopped him again in front of the three-point line.
"I won't let you pass," Ryota Miyagi said, his eyes wide open, staring at Kazunari Fukatsu's every move.
Kazunari Fukatsu raised the corner of his mouth, chuckled, and said, "There is no need for me to go over there. Have you forgotten the lesson I taught you before?"
Hearing this, Ryota Miyagi's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong. Is this guy going to use his old trick again and force a shot over his head? No, we must not let him succeed.
Ryota Miyagi knew that once Kazunari Fukatsu lifted the ball, he would be helpless. Therefore, if he wanted to stop the opponent, he had to take action before the ball was raised above his head.
Thinking of this, Ryota Miyagi seized the opportunity and quickly attempted a steal.
Um?
Kazunari Fukatsu noticed Ryota Miyagi's move and stopped shooting instantly. He swiftly moved the ball behind him, assumed a classic triple threat stance, and looked at Ryota Miyagi in surprise. If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, the ball might have been intercepted.
This little guy in front of me, except for his height disadvantage, is really capable in other aspects. Kazunari Fukatsu's biggest headache is dealing with these small players with extremely fast speed.
He quickly glanced around, then flicked his wrist and threw the basketball to Satoshi Ichinokura on the side.
Ryota Miyagi saw this and wanted to stop it, but he was powerless. After receiving the ball, Satoshi Ichinokura raised his hand and shot without hesitation.
Hisashi Mitsui quickly jumped up and tried to block the shot. However, in mid-air, Satoshi Ichinokura suddenly changed his shot to a pass and threw the basketball toward the ground below.
The basketball bounced high after it landed and fell into the hands of Kazunari Fukatsu, who bypassed Ryota Miyagi and broke into the inside.
Kazunari Fukatsu took off and shot without any hesitation.
Oh no.
When everyone at Shohoku saw this, their hearts suddenly tightened. The basketball drew an arc in the air and was slowly approaching the basket.
No, this height...
Takenori Akagi seemed to have noticed something. However, by the time he reacted, it was too late.
Because at some point, a figure suddenly appeared beside him and flew into the air. Looking closely, it was none other than Eiji Sawakita.
Eiji Sawakita caught the basketball flying in the air steadily and then put all his strength into dunking it towards Shohoku's basket. But just when the basketball was about to go into the basket, a hand suddenly appeared like lightning and stood in front of Eiji Sawakita.
"This guy." When Eiji Sawakita saw that it was Jack Carter, there was a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he was not too surprised. He had guessed that Jack Carter might catch up with him, but when the other party really appeared in front of him, he couldn't help but be shocked.
He had clearly managed to catch his opponent by surprise, but he did not expect Jack Carter to not only catch up with him but also see through Sannoh's intention of cooperating in the attack.
At this moment, he truly realized how difficult Jack Carter was.
But...
Eiji Sawakita raised a confident smile and said, "It doesn't necessarily have to be me who gets this point."
As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist and swung the basketball towards the backboard of Shohoku. The basketball brushed past the edge of Jack Carter's palm and hit the backboard heavily.
Um?
Jack Carter widened his eyes, looking confused at first, but soon he seemed to have thought of something. He quickly looked behind Eiji Sawakita.
Behind Eiji Sawakita, a tall and strong figure suddenly leaped up like a mountain, giving the illusion that it was covering the sky and the sun. The figure was none other than Sannoh's center, Masashi Kawata, wearing the No. 7 jersey.
Masashi Kawata steadily caught the basketball that bounced back after hitting the backboard and dunked it into the basket without hesitation.
Clang...
A deafening roar instantly resounded throughout the entire globe. The basketball went into the net.
Shohoku 2, Sannoh 2.
Scores for both teams.
Step... step...
Jack Carter and Eiji Sawakita landed one after another. The two looked at each other, and burning sparks burst out in their eyes.
Eiji Sawakita said, "It was a close call just now! I didn't expect you to catch up with me."
Cut...
Jack Carter curled his lips in disdain and said with a look of disgust, "You actually chose to pass the ball."
Eiji Sawakita didn't care about Jack Carter's contemptuous look, shrugged his shoulders, and said helplessly, "I wanted to dunk, but there was no way!"
Snort...
Jack Carter snorted and walked away.
The offense and defense switched again. It was Shohoku's turn to serve.
Jack Carter stretched out his hand to ask for the ball, but the basketball did not reach him as he wished. Instead, it was passed to Kaede Rukawa by Takenori Akagi.
Actually, Takenori Akagi cannot be blamed. He originally planned to pass the ball to Jack Carter, but seeing Eiji Sawakita blocking the middle, he temporarily changed the target for safety reasons.
After receiving the ball, Kaede Rukawa rushed towards Sannoh's half like a black lightning. However, just halfway through the run, Satoshi Ichinokura appeared like a solid shield, blocking his way firmly.
Kaede Rukawa looked calm, ready to break through the obstacle in front of him without hesitation. But he tried several times, and Satoshi Ichinokura was like a leech, successfully stopping him every time.
Kaede Rukawa frowned, changed direction again, and then made a fake move to deceive the opponent. But what he didn't expect was that not only did he fail to break through, but he was forced to take a step back by Satoshi Ichinokura.
Seeing this scene, everyone in Shohoku was shocked.
Kaede Rukawa couldn't break through?
Kanon Shimizu was not surprised by this scene. Although Satoshi Ichinokura is a shooting guard, his most outstanding ability is his defensive ability. His defensive ability is definitely among the best in the country, and it is not an exaggeration to call him an expert.
Seeing that he couldn't break through, Kaede Rukawa made up his mind and decided to pass the ball. As a result, the ball was not even shot. But before he could shoot the ball, Satoshi Ichinokura was quick-witted and swift-handed, and he suddenly used the "Black Tiger Heart-piercing Technique" to accurately stab the basketball.
Snap...
Kaede Rukawa's pupils suddenly shrank, and shock appeared on his face. The ball was actually intercepted. This was something no one expected.
The basketball was poked away and landed on an empty space. Seeing this, the players from both teams rushed forward like hungry wolves, trying to grab the basketball before the other side.
At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared like a ghost and caught the flying basketball steadily. When everyone looked closely, they saw that the person standing there was none other than Jack Carter.
When the Sannoh players saw this, their hearts suddenly tightened. For some reason, whenever they saw Jack Carter get the ball, they would unconsciously feel a sense of nervousness.
Eiji Sawakita reacted immediately and tried to intercept. But Jack Carter did not play by the rules. He cleverly used Takenori Akagi's body as a cover and successfully bypassed Eiji Sawakita.
The other members of Sannoh also gathered around and tried to stop Jack Carter. However, Jack Carter was like a nimble ghost, changing directions several times in a row, his movements smooth and silky, without any pause, and he easily flashed past them.
So fast.
Everyone at Sannoh was shocked at the same time, their eyes filled with shock. When they turned around, Jack Carter had already opened up a considerable distance between them.
Among the Sannoh team members, only Eiji Sawakita reacted quickly, taking big strides and chasing closely.
The two ran one in front and one behind, one rushing forward and the other chasing with all his might, running all the way from Shohoku's half to Sannoh's half, as if it was a fierce chase race.
"This guy's speed, is this a joke?" Eiji Sawakita became more and more surprised as he chased. He was without the ball at the moment, but it was so difficult for him to chase Jack Carter, who had the ball.
However, when Jack Carter arrived at the basket, Eiji Sawakita finally caught up. Jack Carter didn't stop; he jumped up with the ball and made a layup. Eiji Sawakita also jumped up quickly and stretched out his hand to try to intercept.
Two people were in mid-air, one holding the ball and attacking, the other defending with all his strength. Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.
Immediately afterward, Jack Carter's layup posture suddenly changed from his right hand to his left hand. He pulled the lever suddenly with his left hand, stretched his arm to the side, and then quickly shot a hook shot inside.
At this time, his whole body was slightly tilted, and his left arm hardly swung much, relying entirely on the strength of his wrist to hook the shot.
This series of sudden actions stunned Eiji Sawakita. Eiji Sawakita was on the right side of Jack Carter, and Jack Carter's arm had already stretched to the left. At this angle, even if Eiji Sawakita wanted to stop him, he couldn't reach it.
But...can a shot like this really go in? The posture was a bit messy, the angle was extremely forced, and he just relied on the strength of his wrist to shoot.
Eiji Sawakita stared at the basketball with his eyes fixed on it, his mind full of doubts.
Under the gaze of the audience, the basketball flew out, hit the backboard, and then bounced into the basket.
Swish...
The sound of a basketball hitting the net was crisp and pleasant.
Shohoku 4, Sannoh 2.
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