On the Sannoh High bench, everything seemed normal. Those who needed to drink water drank water, and those who needed to wipe sweat did so. The expressions on each player's face were very natural. However, there was an irreconcilable and solemn atmosphere.
Goro Domoto looked at his team with worry in his heart. The current unfavorable situation was entirely caused by Jack Carter alone. If they wanted to reverse the situation, they had to start by restricting Jack Carter. But the question was, how could they effectively restrict that guy?
After thinking for a long time, Goro Domoto finally said, "Ichinokura, you should take a rest first!" After saying that, he looked at a boy sitting in the corner, with a hint of expectation and helplessness in his eyes. "Matsumoto, you will replace Ichinokura."
Matsumoto's name is Minoru Matsumoto. Like Satoshi Ichinokura, he also plays shooting guard, and his jersey number is 6. He is the strongest player on the team besides Eiji Sawakita and is known as the "second ace" of Sannoh High.
Minoru Matsumoto looked determined and nodded to Goro Domoto without hesitation, replying in a steady and powerful voice, "Yes..."
Goro Domoto solemnly warned, "Matsumoto, you assist Sawakita in marking the opponent's No. 9. Try to limit his rhythm as much as possible and don't let him score easily."
On the Shohoku bench, Kanon Shimizu was also explaining the tactical arrangements. She held a stack of Sannoh High players' information and said seriously, "The game rhythm is now leaning towards us. If Sannoh wants to change the current disadvantage, they will definitely find a way to limit Aceh's rhythm. They are likely to make player adjustments. For safety reasons, we also need to change the focus of our attack."
She paused, slowly looked at Ryota Miyagi, and said softly, "Miyagi-senpai, you may need to rest first."
Ryota Miyagi wiped the sweat from his face, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but finally swallowed his words back. He knew his own situation clearly. On the court, he might be the most vulnerable one, so it was right to substitute himself.
At this time, Kanon Shimizu turned her head, her eyes fell on Hanamichi Sakuragi, and said, "Sakuragi-san, it will be your turn to replace Miyagi-senpai!"
Um?
When Hanamichi Sakuragi heard his own name, he stood up from his seat as if he had been electrocuted. His eyes widened and his face was full of disbelief, excitement, and excitement mixed together. He couldn't believe that he could play so soon and asked with a trembling voice, "Are you serious? You want me to play?"
Kanon Shimizu looked at Hanamichi Sakuragi's excitement, smiled and nodded, and said, "It's true, it's your turn."
"Okay... leave it to the genius Hanamichi Sakuragi!" Hanamichi Sakuragi said loudly and excitedly, with a confident smile on his face, as if he had already seen himself dominating everyone on the court.
The pause was soon over.
Beep...
The whistle sounded. The game started again.
When the players from both teams took to the court again, everyone noticed the personnel changes in the two teams.
"It seems like Sannoh has changed players."
"Shohoku too, seems to have been replaced with a red-haired one."
"The coaches on both sides have a good understanding of each other."
"I heard that Shohoku's coach is an amazing person!"
The audience was talking one after another, and the players from various universities were also lost in thought. In a corner of the audience, there were the Kainan group who had left the field after the game.
Soichiro Jin stared at the field and saw the players being adjusted at the same time. He said with a little surprise, "They made substitutions at the same time."
When Nobunaga Kiyota saw Hanamichi Sakuragi, he suddenly felt a surge of anger and said with an unhappy look on his face, "That damn red-haired monkey."
Shinichi Maki stared at Minoru Matsumoto, who was wearing the No. 6 jersey of the Sannoh team, and said slowly, "Replacing Matsumoto, are you trying to turn the current disadvantage around in one go? But..."
His gaze slowly shifted to Jack Carter from the Shohoku team, and the scene of his last fight with Jack Carter emerged in his mind. Jack Carter's effortless appearance made him feel a little doubtful, and he couldn't help but mutter in his heart, "Will it be so easy?"
Shinichi Maki had always had a question in his mind. Ever since the last match with Jack Carter, he had a vague feeling that Jack Carter did not use his full strength at that time.
The Sannoh players were also stunned when they saw the new red-haired player from Shohoku's side. They didn't expect that Shohoku would also change players, and he was a big guy.
"Is it because they targeted me too much before that they replaced me with a taller guy?" Kazunari Fukatsu speculated in his heart.
Minoru Matsumoto followed Eiji Sawakita, and they both looked at Jack Carter, who was walking onto the stage. Eiji Sawakita turned to Minoru Matsumoto and said, "I'll need your help later."
Minoru Matsumoto looked serious and responded seriously, "Don't worry! I admit that his strength is beyond our imagination, but we can't be defeated so easily."
Eiji Sawakita smiled softly and then said, "I hope so!"
Soon, the game started again.
Eiji Sawakita dribbled the ball and attacked. Just as Jack Carter was about to step forward to defend, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked his way.
Um?
Jack Carter looked up at the person who came and it turned out to be Minoru Matsumoto.
Minoru Matsumoto said to Jack Carter with a smile on his face, "I won't let you disturb our ace."
Jack Carter ignored him, and with a flash of his body, he passed by Minoru Matsumoto at an extremely fast speed.
Minoru Matsumoto widened his eyes, a dazed look appeared on his face, and he exclaimed, "What a fast speed."
But he quickly came to his senses and turned around to chase Jack Carter.
When Eiji Sawakita saw Jack Carter rushing towards him, he seemed to have expected it and there was no surprise on his face. When Jack Carter came in front of him, he decisively threw the basketball in the direction of Minoru Matsumoto.
Pass the ball?
Jack Carter's eyes fixed and he stopped immediately.
Minoru Matsumoto caught the ball steadily and continued to rush towards Shohoku's basket with the ball without hesitation. When he came to the three-point line, Hanamichi Sakuragi arrived in time and blocked him.
Minoru Matsumoto suddenly stopped and then jumped and shot directly in front of Hanamichi Sakuragi. Seeing this, Hanamichi Sakuragi quickly jumped up and tried to stop it, shouting, "Look at this genius' hot pot."
Whoosh…
However, the next second, the basketball flashed past Hanamichi Sakuragi's head.
What?
Hanamichi Sakuragi's eyes widened, and he was unable to react for a moment. He did not expect the opponent's shooting speed to be so fast.
At this point, he couldn't stop swinging his hand.
Snap...
With a sound, Hanamichi Sakuragi's hand hit Minoru Matsumoto's palm squarely.
Beep...
The referee immediately blew a sharp whistle.
At the same time, the basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and finally fell into the basket.
Swish...
The crisp sound of the net being rubbed could be heard clearly. The basketball went into the net.
Then, the referee's voice reached everyone's ears. "Shohoku No. 10, foul, the ball counts, one penalty kick."
Boom...
In an instant, waves of excited cheers rang out from the audience.
"Wow! As expected of Matsumoto, he scored a 3+1 right at the start."
"That's amazing. He is worthy of being Sannoh's outside ace. He really lives up to his reputation."
"Sannoh is Sannoh, and it can't be compared to the unknown Shohoku."
"Well done, Matsumoto, for defeating Shohoku."
"Come on...Matsumoto, let Shohoku know how powerful you are."
"Damn it!" Hanamichi Sakuragi looked aggrieved and raised his hands helplessly. He never expected that he would commit a foul just after coming on the court, and he was filled with regret.
Takenori Akagi walked up to him and patiently reminded him, "Don't rush to shoot as soon as you see the other team shooting. Minoru Matsumoto is a good outside shooter, and his shooting speed is much faster than others. You have to be patient."
"I see." Hanamichi Sakuragi responded sullenly, secretly taking note of Akagi's words.
Hisashi Mitsui stared at Minoru Matsumoto, his eyes revealing a trace of horror, thinking in his heart, "He is Minoru Matsumoto, who is called the 'Second Ace,' a guy whose strength is second only to Eiji Sawakita. He must have deliberately committed a foul just now! He was able to shoot before Sakuragi's palm fell, and he even scored. It's really not easy."
Hisashi Mitsui believes that it is difficult for him to shoot as quickly as Minoru Matsumoto when being defended, let alone ensure the accuracy of his shot.
Swish...
The basketball went into the net.
Minoru Matsumoto made the free throw steadily.
Shohoku 35, Sannoh 31.
Minoru Matsumoto made a beautiful "3+1" as soon as he came on the court.
This result was beyond everyone's expectations.
Jack Carter naturally saw that Minoru Matsumoto was a master on the outside. He looked at Eiji Sawakita and said calmly, "Is this your purpose?"
Eiji Sawakita shrugged, with a smile on his face, and said, "There's nothing I can do! It will be a big trouble if I don't lead you away."
Jack Carter's expression remained calm as he said, "You don't think you can rest easy like this, do you?"
Eiji Sawakita shook his head and said seriously, "I don't think so."
Minoru Matsumoto's 3+1 seemed like a signal, gradually turning the game towards Sannoh's side. In the next few rounds, Eiji Sawakita and Minoru Matsumoto worked well together. They adopted the strategy of one person attracting Jack Carter's attention while the other was responsible for the offense, scoring consecutively with significant results.
When the game reached the 15th minute of the first half, Sannoh finally managed to tie the score and overtake.
Shohoku 41, Sannoh 42.
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