Chapter 53: Chapter 52
Shutoku's following games became just like their first game, with all blowout games that turned into exhibition games of sorts. The games would always end with Shutoku High leading by at least a hundred points.
It was almost a show between Midorima and Ichigo as they traded baskets, even though they were on the same team. They constantly tried to outdo each other, with Ichigo mostly trying to surpass Midorima while Midorima played the game as he always had.
Perhaps it became so boring for Ichigo that he needed some motivation in the games, so he turned his attention to besting Midorima just for fun. On the other hand, Midorima didn't bother to respond, even when Ichigo taunted him. He simply played the game as he always had.
While Midorima didn't want to respond to Ichigo's taunts, he still managed to impress the crowd with his skills. Sometimes, after shooting, he would immediately turn around without bothering to see if his shot went in or not. Occasionally, he would shoot the ball beyond the three-point line, almost at the half-court line. Surprisingly, even though he could shoot from anywhere on the court, he still didn't attempt shots from beyond the half-court line.
Ichigo didn't know if Midorima only wanted to use those shots to surprise some powerhouse teams or if he simply didn't want to do it, but he never attempted a full-court shot. Nevertheless, Ichigo didn't really care what Midorima thought. He was just having fun on the court, performing impressive dunks and toying with his defenders with his dribble moves.
The most ecstatic player in these games was Takao. With his team dominating most of the time, he always showcased flair in his passing. He went behind his back, between the legs of defenders, and even executed alley-oop plays, displaying his passing skills.
Even though some of his passes were ambitious and resulted in errors, Coach Nakatani didn't bother about it since they were leading by a big margin. Coach Nakatani only reprimanded him after the game because his passes had too much flair and became excessive.
While his passes were what stood out the most in these games, Takao also occasionally showed off his shooting and layups. He would also try to take his defender on in isolation, showcasing his one-on-one prowess.
Although some of the upperclassmen were getting irritated by the antics of the three freshmen in the game, especially Yuya and Kiyoshi Miyaji, they still let them be since they were winning. However, after the games and during their practices, the upperclassmen got back at them by punishing them for the smallest errors.
Takao was the one who received the most punishment from the upperclassmen. This was especially true since he already had a bad record of persuading his fellow classmates to skip a practice to go watch other teams play. Interestingly, Ichigo and Midorima didn't even bother to defend him, even though Midorima was the one who provided transportation for them to go.
Takao could only grit his teeth as he received the brunt of the upperclassmen's accumulated irritation. He would always look to Ichigo and Midorima for help, but the two didn't even bother to look at him when he was being punished, as if they didn't know him. However, after his punishment, Ichigo would always console him.
Rather than finding solace in Ichigo's consolation, Takao became even more irritated. Sometimes, he would even pounce on Ichigo to choke him, but Ichigo was just too big and strong for him. He would then turn his attention to Midorima, but Midorima was also much bigger and taller. So, Takao could only endure the punishments from the upperclassmen like a man.
Their tournament continued until the final game of their block, the finals for block C. Their opponents for the last game of the preliminaries were Shirogane High, a team known for their great teamwork.
This game was unlike all their previous games, where they could pressure the other players for steals or violations. Shirogane players had better pacing and spacing than their previous opponents. Even when Takao and Ichigo pressured them in the backcourt, they could still bring the ball towards the half-court line without panicking.
Their good spacing allowed them to pass the ball amongst themselves if one of them was pressured by a double team. They also had the most stable point guard that Ichigo's team had ever encountered. He was not easily rattled like their previous opponents, and most of their players were fundamentally sound. They also had great defensive rotation.
Be that as it may, Shutoku still dominated the game, just not like their previous game where they completely outplayed the whole team. Shirogane High, while a good team, didn't have the firepower to outscore Shutoku, nor did they have a defense that could stop their offense.
So even though Shirogane High put up a good fight, they were still completely lacking compared to Shutoku. The only thing that was great about them was their ball movement and stable point guard, resulting in very few turnovers compared to other teams.
Shutoku even had more turnovers in this game than Shirogane because of Takao and Ichigo's overly exhibitionist plays. Most of Shirogane's turnovers came from shot clock violations. Although Takao and Ichigo's pressure defense was not effective against them, Shutoku's half-court defense was great, especially since Shutoku had a big advantage in terms of height and length, particularly with Ichigo and Midorima, who provided great help defense. They were not only tall and long, but also faster and quicker.
After four quarters, the game ended with a score of 136-72 in favor of Shutoku High. This was the only game in the preliminaries where they didn't have a hundred-point lead at the end. Though Shirogane scored a total of 72 points, most of that came after the starters of Shutoku were pulled out from the game in the third quarter.
Just like that, it was a celebration for the whole Shutoku High as their men's basketball team went through to the final league, where they would be facing the teams who also qualified and won their whole block. Not only did they qualify for the final league, but they did it in a dominating fashion.
Though all the players from Shutoku were also happy, they knew that it was just the start. They still had to win games in the final league to be able to compete in the Interhigh Tournament, where the best teams from the whole nation compete. They celebrated shortly with their classmates and friends before getting back in the gym for practices as they awaited the results from other blocks.
The next day, all the teams qualified for the final league were announced. From the winner of block A, unsurprisingly since Shutoku was not in their block unlike in the anime, it was Seirin High. While Seirin didn't dominate like Shutoku, they still won their games convincingly. The only team that posed a threat for them was Seiho High.
But unlike in the anime where they barely beat Seiho, in this game, Seirin High led the whole way from start to finish. While Seirin's lead didn't go up by 20 points, they still controlled the game throughout. The game ended with a score of 65-78 in favor of Seirin.
From block B, it was Too Academy led by the ace of the Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki. Like Shutoku, Too also dominated their whole block thanks to Aomine's hero ball. He was just unstoppable for their opponents.
From block C, of course, as we all know, it was Shutoku High led by Midorima and Ichigo. Most analysts expected Shutoku to be on top in this final league. They were the favorites to win the Interhigh Tournament, even higher than Rakuzan High, who were the defending champions with the addition of one player from the Generation of Miracles.
And lastly, from block D, was the King of the West, Shenshinkan High. While they were still considered one of the Three Kings of Tokyo, most people thought that they were the weakest team going into the final league.
They were ranked below Seirin, who was new team, only created last year. Seirin High was considered stronger in terms of power rankings because they defeated the King of the North, Seiho High, convincingly. And that's with Seirin missing their best player from last year because of injuries. Most people also thought that Seiho was a greater team than Shenshinkan High. So among the four teams qualified for the final league, they were seen as the weakest and the most unlikely to go to the Interhigh Tournament.
With all four teams finalized, the Final League of the Kanto Preliminaries was ready to begin. Unlike in the previous round within their respective blocks, this time all the teams would be competing in a single gymnasium. Furthermore, unlike the previous round where losing one game meant elimination, this time the four teams would compete in a round-robin format.
This format meant that each team would play against all the other teams qualified for the Final League. The top three teams from this round would then qualify for the Interhigh Tournament, where they would face off against the best high school teams from all over Japan.
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