Chapter 48: County Competition Ends
The time came to June 25th.
Two games were scheduled at Kanagawa Gymnasium on this day:
Shohoku High School vs. Buri High School.
Ryonan High School vs. Kainan University Affiliated.
These two games would ultimately determine the top three places in the Kanagawa Prefecture competition.
At the moment, Shohoku, Ryonan, and Kainan were undoubtedly the favorites to win the championship in everyone's eyes.
As for Buri, it is a bit embarrassing to say that among these four strong teams, Buri is the least favored one.
Recalling the match with Ryonan, Buri lost by a huge margin of 100 points. Such a substantial score difference is enough to illustrate the massive gulf in strength between the two teams.
Besides, Ryonan had lost to Shohoku in a practice match, and Shohoku had defeated Kainan before.
As a result, the consensus for Shohoku to win first place in the county competition became increasingly high, and everyone felt that the first place would definitely belong to Shohoku.
As for the second place, it is generally believed that it will be between Ryonan and Kainan.
The two games on this day started simultaneously as before.
After the news spread, except for Shohoku's die-hard fans who still held their ground, eager to watch Shohoku's game, most of the school's basketball team members, spectators, and even reporters flocked to the venue where Ryonan and Kainan were playing.
Jack Carter and Kara Smith were naturally among them.
The arena where Ryonan and Kainan were fighting was packed with people.
As soon as Jack Carter and Kara Smith stepped in, they attracted countless eyes.
There was a burst of discussion among the crowd, and many people recognized them at a glance.
"That is..."
"It's Jack Carter from Shohoku High School."
"Why is he here? Shouldn't it be the match between Shohoku and Buri now?"
"Wow! So cool! I'm his fan. I like his playing style the most. It's so cool."
"The girl next to him looks familiar. Now I remember she is the manager of the Shohoku Basketball Team. She is so beautiful! Like a fairy."
Jack Carter and Kara Smith found an empty seat in the huge venue and sat down.
The reason why the two of them could appear here was naturally because they had informed the coach in advance.
Let's go back to the match between Shohoku and Buri.
Just 5 minutes into the game, Jack Carter appeared to be unstoppable and single-handedly disrupted the Buri team's defense.
He didn't even use his full strength, but the Buri team seemed defenseless in front of him.
After 10 minutes, the players of the Buri team were already numb, their eyes were staring, their faces were full of fear, and they had completely lost their composure on the court.
After 15 minutes, the situation was even more one-sided, with Shohoku leading Buri by 71 points with a huge score of 74 to 3.
This substantial score difference completely broke down the psychological defenses of the Buri team's players. They were directly defeated, and became so discouraged that they had no desire to fight anymore and even gave up resistance.
Jack Carter looked at the Buri team and suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in his heart, which was like anger and a little loss.
This inexplicable emotion was like a maggot attached to his bones, constantly gnawing at his heart and making him increasingly irritable and uneasy.
With this frustration, he played more and more ferociously, and every attack seemed to be to vent all the unhappiness in his heart.
Before the end of the first half, the difference between the two teams had exceeded 100.
At this time, the players of the Buri team were like zombies who had lost their souls, with empty eyes, and they could only walk mechanically on the court.
Even when the Shohoku players passed by them, they didn't react at all and didn't even move a finger.
Seeing this, the coach of the Buri team quickly replaced all the starting players with substitutes.
Coach Anzai also keenly noticed that Jack Carter was not in good shape, and he made a prompt decision to replace Shohoku's starters and let a group of first and second-year substitutes come on the court.
As soon as Jack Carter came off the court, he sat on the bench in silence, exuding a low mood.
The rest of the Shohoku team also noticed that something was wrong with him.
Kara Smith's face was full of worry. She quickly walked to his side and asked softly, "Jack...what's wrong with you?"
Jack Carter did not reply, but just lowered his head and remained silent.
The next moment, he said directly: "I won't play in the game anymore. I'm leaving first."
After he finished speaking, he stood up and walked out.
"Wait a minute, the game is still going on, can you leave?" Kara Smith was shocked and anxious, and hurriedly spoke out to stop them.
Jack Carter didn't even turn his head, his tone full of determination. "This kind of competition... I don't want to play!"
After saying that, he ignored everyone's dissuasion and strode straight out of the arena.
The members of the Shohoku team looked at each other, at a loss for a moment.
Takenori Akagi frowned, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
After all, in the current game situation, Shohoku can be said to be sure to win, so even if Jack Carter is not present, it won't be a big problem.
Coach Anzai looked at Jack Carter's departing back, pondered for a moment, then looked at Kara Smith and said softly, "Kara, go and keep Jack Carter company!"
"Ah? Oh..." Kara Smith was stunned at first, then she reacted and nodded quickly.
She knew in her heart that Jack Carter needed more care at this moment than in this sure-win game.
Afterward, Kara Smith found Jack Carter sitting alone on the steps of the square outside the stadium.
"Jack..." Kara Smith ran to Jack Carter breathlessly, her face full of concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Jack Carter lowered his head, like a silent statue, and said nothing.
Kara Smith frowned, anxious, and continued to ask: "Why are you ignoring me? I felt that something was wrong with you from just now. What happened?"
Jack Carter still had his head buried, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing around him.
After a long while, Jack Carter finally spoke, his voice revealing an unprecedented weariness. "Kara, I'm suddenly tired of playing basketball."
"Ah?" Kara Smith's eyes suddenly widened, her pupils instantly constricted, and an inexplicable panic spread in her heart. "How could it be? Jack, you are such a great basketball player, how could you be bored? You must be too tired to think like that."
Jack Carter shook his head slightly, his voice so low that it seemed to come from the abyss. "Now, I just feel that basketball is disgusting. There is not even an opponent on the court that can really excite me. Basketball is like playing a single-player game. There is no fun at all."
These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Kara Smith in a daze.
She opened her mouth, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond.
The two fell into a long silence, and the air around them seemed to freeze.
Suddenly, Kara Smith's eyes lit up, as if she had grasped a life-saving straw, and she suggested eagerly: "Right! Didn't you have a great time playing against Kainan's Shinichi Maki last time? Ryonan's Sendoh has also become much stronger! If you don't want to play now, why don't you go watch their game first? There happens to be a match between Ryonan and Kainan today."
Jack Carter listened, raised his head slightly, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and after thinking for a moment, he nodded gently.
Seeing that he agreed, Kara Smith immediately grabbed Jack Carter's hand and rushed towards the Ryonan vs. Kainan arena in a hurry.
Just like that, the two of them appeared in this venue.
At this moment, the match between Ryonan and Kainan has entered the second half.
On the scoreboard, Ryonan leads Kainan 46 to 37, and Ryonan is temporarily in the lead.
"Ryonan is leading! It seems that Sendoh's switch to the open position has brought significant changes to Ryonan." Kara Smith stared at the situation on the field and analyzed.
Jack Carter fixed his eyes on the fierce battle below and said calmly: "Ryonan made such adjustments probably to defeat Kainan. The final key to victory in this match still lies in Sendoh and Shinichi Maki."
On the court.
The players of Ryonan and Kainan were in a close fight.
Although Ryonan maintained the lead, it was unable to extend the lead to double digits.
Beep...
A sharp whistle suddenly sounded.
The referee raised his hand, pointed at Uozumi, and announced loudly: "Ryonan No. 4, foul."
"Ah?! Why did you break the rules again?"
"Too careless. It was like this before."
After hearing what these people were saying, Kara Smith seemed to understand something and blurted out, "Could it be that..."
Jack Carter narrowed his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, staring at Uozumi.
Standing in front of Uozumi was Kazuma Takasago, No. 5 of the Kainan team.
"They did it on purpose." Jack Carter said coldly, with a firm tone.
Kara Smith understood and nodded vigorously. "Yes, that's for sure. Kainan is targeting Uozumi. Once Uozumi leaves the court, Ryonan will have no one to do anything to Kainan in the paint."
The subsequent competition was indeed almost the same as Jack Carter and Kara Smith had expected.
Shinichi Maki dribbled past Sendoh and went straight into Ryonan's paint.
Then he jumped high and made a layup.
Uozumi rushed forward to block the shot, but not only did he fail to successfully block the ball, but he was also cleverly fouled by Shinichi Maki.
2+1.
As the referee's decision came down, Uozumi had accumulated three fouls.
But before long, the Kainan team launched another fierce attack.
Kazuma Takasago seized the opportunity, pretended to shoot, and successfully made Uozumi foul again.
This time, Uozumi's number of fouls reached four.
Just when everyone thought that Uozumi would be temporarily substituted out because of four fouls, an unexpected scene occurred.
Uozumi suddenly rushed to the referee in a rage and shouted, "Wait a minute, what right do you have to call a foul on me? I was standing here without moving, how could it be a foul? Did you see it clearly?"
Seeing this, the coach reminded with a serious face: "Raise your hands."
But Uozumi wouldn't listen at all and continued to argue with the referee.
Seeing this scene, Jack Carter couldn't help but snort coldly and curse in a low voice: "That idiot."
Kara Smith also looked helpless, and said with some regret: "This is really troublesome."
As expected, the referee mercilessly gave Uozumi a technical foul.
Just like that, Uozumi was fouled out.
Jack Carter shook his head slightly and said, "Although that guy's strength is just so-so, but without Uozumi, Ryonan will probably be in a tough fight next."
Kara Smith analyzed: "That's right, Kainan will definitely make a last-ditch effort to catch up with the score next time."
As they expected, in the following game, Kainan team launched a fierce counterattack against Ryonan team.
The Ryonan team, which had been leading, was gradually caught up by the Kainan team.
Time passed by every second.
When there were more than 6 minutes left in the game, the score was Ryonan 65 to Kainan 64, with only a 1-point difference between the two sides.
At this moment, the pace of the game suddenly accelerated, as if the air had become hot.
A thrilling, fast-paced offensive and defensive battle unfolds between Sendoh and Shinichi Maki.
Shinichi Maki dribbled the ball and encountered strong resistance from Sendoh. He quickly passed the ball to Soichiro Jin, who made a steady three-pointer.
Not to be outdone, Sendoh dribbled the ball past Kainan's defense and, under double-teaming by Shinichi Maki and Kazuma Takasago, he managed to score the ball with difficulty.
Shinichi Maki received a pass from his teammate and broke into the Ryonan penalty area. Under Sendoh's defense, he still successfully scored a layup with his outstanding personal ability.
Ryonan team quickly organized a counterattack. Sendoh rushed into Kainan's inside line, received the pass from his teammate, made a fake move to pass Shinichi Maki, jumped high, and completed a wonderful dunk.
The two sides fought back and forth in a fierce confrontation, and neither side was willing to give in easily.
However, in this fierce confrontation, the scores of the two teams were quietly changing.
At this moment, with less than 3 minutes left in the game, the score became Ryonan 74 to Kainan 76.
Team Ryonan, which was previously in the lead, is now 2 points behind Team Kainan.
"The fight between the two sides is so intense!" Kara Smith couldn't help but mutter to herself.
Jack Carter looked calm, his eyes fixed on Sendoh on the field, and said calmly: "The strength has indeed improved, but that's all! Kainan will win this game."
"Hmm? Why do you say that? The score difference between the two teams is not that big, Ryonan still has a chance!" Kara Smith asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"It's not a matter of points difference. There is still a gap in strength between the two teams' aces." Jack Carter explained patiently.
"The strength of the ace?" Kara Smith blinked, suddenly realized, and quickly said: "Are you saying that Sendoh will lose to Shinichi Maki?"
Jack Carter replied without hesitation: "Isn't it obvious? You've seen my match with Shinichi Maki, and he's much more than that. If this is all Sendoh is capable of, then Ryonan has no chance of winning this match."
Upon hearing this, Kara Smith nodded in agreement.
Just as Jack Carter predicted, in the last 3 minutes, Sendoh's condition took a sharp turn for the worse.
Whether it was because he was seriously overdrawn, or because his shortcomings in strength were completely exposed when facing Shinichi Maki, he was gradually suppressed by Shinichi Maki.
The Kainan team seized this excellent opportunity and launched a fierce attack. The players cooperated well and scored frequently.
On the Ryonan team's side, although the players were fighting hard and trying to maintain the offensive rhythm and not let the scoring break, they were still slightly inferior to the Kainan team which was firing on all cylinders.
The gap between the two teams seemed to be widened by an invisible hand.
The numbers on the scoreboard were jumping rapidly.
76 to 80.
78 to 84.
80 to 86.
The game entered the final 50-second countdown, and Ryonan's defeat was almost certain.
However, Ryonan's players seemed unwilling to admit defeat and began to defend, steal the ball, and make fast breaks desperately, trying to create a miracle in this final short period of time.
But fate did not seem to favor them. With the referee's crisp whistle, the game was over.
The Ryonan team was ultimately unable to break the fate of defeat.
The final score was 85 to 88.
Ryonan 85 vs. Kainan 88.
"Let's go, Kara." Jack Carter stood up and walked out of the venue first, with a hint of indifference in his tone.
"Wait for me..." Kara Smith hurriedly trotted to catch up. Before leaving, she couldn't help but look back at the Ryonan people who looked lonely off the field, and whispered silently in her heart. "It seems that the top two places in the county competition have been settled."
At this point, the county competition came to an end.
Shohoku High School vs. Buri High School. The Shohoku team advanced all the way and won easily, standing out with a dazzling result of first place in the county competition.
In the match between Ryonan High School and Kainan University Affiliated School, Kainan team won in the end and took the second place in the county competition.
Buri High School lost to Ryonan and Shohoku successively and was unfortunately eliminated with the fourth place in the county competition.
Ryonan High School, although it beat Buri, lost to Kainan, who was defeated by Shohoku, and ultimately had to take third place in the county competition, missing out on the coveted spot in the national competition.
The county competition ended here.
Kanagawa Prefecture High School Boys Basketball Tournament rankings are as follows:
First place: Shohoku High School.
Second place: Kainan University
Third place: Ryonan High School
Fourth place: Buri High School
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