6 Chapter 6__: Top 16 games, the situation in Group C!(2)

AN__: I hope you are satisfied with the game explanations. Although I'm skipping through most of the games, I don't think you are interested in junior high school-level competition. However, I will start building or creating the world around the main character. New characters and original characters from the KnB series will be introduced. So, I hope you will like it.

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"Let's talk about our next opponent." Said Coach Kimura, sitting on his chair in front of the players, who looked tired after an afternoon of hard training. After ensuring that everybody was paying attention to him, Coach Kimura continued speaking.

"Yuuha Junior High is an upper-middle level team in the Tokyo prefecture. Although they are not as good as Kiyoshi's Shoei Junior High and Hanamiya's Youta Junior High, they can still cause some problems for us. So, I want you to be careful and not look down on them." Started Kimura while solemnly looking at his players. Although he was confident in his players, he didn't want any accidents to happen before reaching the finals.

He has been coaching Yuuki Junior High for five years. He is the person who transformed the team into a well-known entity in the nation. However, he never won any title, and that's the principal's most profound regret. As a basketball fan, the man always wanted to watch his team lift a trophy. That's why he was enraged when Yuuki didn't qualify for the main inter-high tournament. He even gave Kimura a death order to win this year's Winter Cup. Otherwise, he would be fired, dissatisfying the coach.

Still, reaching the finals might be a good result for them, who didn't achieve anything during the inter-high tournament, at least, in Kimura's opinion. 

Noticing his players' serious expressions, Kimura smiled and continued his speech. "Yuuha Junior High's playing style is very traditional. They have two tall inside players, 188 and 190 cm tall. So, they slow the game down and use their height advantage to score. That's how they won their game against Satsue Junior High." Kimura paused for a few seconds, allowing the players to digest the information he gave them before continuing.

"However, they are very slow and can't effectively help their guards defend against fast opponents. Players like Koganei and Hideki are the nemesis of their team." Kimura looked at the two players and spoke.

"I need you to use the screens set by Mitobe and constantly attack the basket if they follow him out of the three-second zone. If they don't, the mid-range is your paradise. Shoot them to oblivion." Stated Kimura, clenching his fist. He is extremely good at improving the morale of his players. That's how he became the captain of most teams he played for as a professional in Japan.

Noticing his players getting more excited as he spoke, he smiled and continued talking.

"As for our defense, let's cut the passing lanes and isolate their insiders from the other players. They don't have great three-point shooters, so you can give them space and stay inside the three-point line. Those two inside players must not have the freedom to operate. Otherwise, we might lose this game." He finished, looking extremely serious.

After waiting for his players to digest the information he just gave them, he continued giving instructions to his players, especially the big men.

"Eikichi Nebuya, Yuuha junior high's captain, is very strong. Although his technique isn't as refined as Kiyoshi's, he's strong enough to create space in the paint using his physicality. However, he can't play well under a double team due to his lack of skill. That's what we were able to gather from his previous games. He always struggled when double-teamed on the inside." He paused, looking at Mitobe and his taller players.

"So, I want you to help Mitobe whenever you see him fall into a disadvantage against that kid." He spoke while glancing at the other inside player.

Noticing the coach's gaze on them, they straightened up and responded. "Yes, coach!" Kimura smiled after hearing their response before dismissing them.

"Alright, you can go home. There will be no training tomorrow, so make sure you recuperate well."

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*Sound of someone catching a ball!* accompanied by *Loud cheering sounds!*

Catching the ball on the wing with 10 seconds left on the possession clock, Shinji quickly dribbled the ball between his legs, sank his right shoulder as if he was going to drive toward the basket on his opponent's left side before performing a quick crossover dribble and driving toward the paint on the opposite defender's right side and through the middle.

Passing by the opposite team's starting SF, Shinji reached the elbow in the blink of an eye. Looking up, he noticed that Nebuya, Yuuha Junior High's C and best player, wasn't coming up to defend him, giving him enough space and time to shoot the ball.

*Sound of the ball entering the rim!*

"Let's Go!!!" Loudly exclaimed Shinji after seeing the ball go through the rim.

Looking at the scoreboard, he noticed that Yuuki Junior High was only 3 points ahead of Yuuha Junior High with 4 minutes remaining in the game. This was the most challenging game of basketball Shinji had played since coming to this world.

'We looked down on Nebuya's strength!' He thought while running back to defense. Eikichi Nebuya played through a double team the whole game and scored 23 points until now. Mitobe has been tortured the whole game. An ice bath wouldn't even be able to alleviate the physical pain he must be feeling right now.

'Although he has no vision to pass the ball, he is strong enough to push our insiders away and create space to lay the ball up or dunk.' He thought before looking at the focused Mitobe, a slight smile on his face. 'Thankfully, this guy didn't give up and kept evolving as the game progressed.' He thought again before reminding his teammates to get close to their matches and not give them space to grab the ball comfortably.

High-intensity game is the best way for talented players to improve. Playing against someone of similar strength or who's slightly better than you will make you improve faster than training using cones and machines.

The game continued with 3 minutes and 43 seconds remaining.

As Yuuha's PG dribbled the ball up the court, Nebuya was already fighting Mitobe in Yuuki junior high's paint. Passing the ball around for a while, it finally reached their captain when there were 12 seconds left before the end of their possession time.

Catching the ball, Nebuya started backing Mitobe down toward the basket. In two dribbles, he managed to back Mitobe into the paint. Noticing that Shinji left his match and double-teamed the strong fellow. 

*Fwooh!*

Shinji tried to hit the ball as hard as he could and get it out of Nebuya's hands. However, the latter was quick to avoid the steal. Seeing his teammates open in the corner, Nebuya faked a pass, prompting Shinji to run back and return to his 1v1 endeavor with Mitobe. 

Nebuya, having gathered the ball, tried to shake Mitobe's center of gravity through fake moves and shoulder shakes. However, he was too unskilled to fool anybody. So, mitobe managed to stay and put a lot of pressure on him.

For almost two seconds, Nebuya tried to move around Mitobe, but the latter always followed his movements, not giving him time or space to do anything with the ball.

"Yes, that's it!" Yelled Kimura from the sideline as Nebuya forced a shot under Mitobe's tight defense, barely hitting the rim. Not far from the basket, Yuuki's Power Forward jumped and grabbed the rebound before launching a quick counterattack by throwing the ball toward Hideki, who scored an easy layup and increased the point difference to 5 points.

*Sound of someone blowing a whistle!*

Noticing the score difference widening, Yuuha Junior High's coach called a timeout to stop Yuuki's momentum from growing further.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Yelled Kimura, shaking Mitobe's hair like a proud dad would to his son. "You're faster and more flexible than him, so staying low while raising your hands and using your advantages to follow his movements is the way to go. Good Job, kid!" He added, praising his C's performance against the other team's best player.

Shinji shook his head, a smile on his face as he recalled his best friend's performance. 'Talented people will always grow under tense situations. It looks like Mitobe is talented as well.' He thought before listening to the coach's game plan.

"Although they brought us some unexpected troubles, they've grown tired by following our rhythm. I want you to full-court press them after the end of this time out. Don't allow them to pass the middle line. Until we have a comfortable lead, don't stop." He stopped and looked at Shinji before continuing his speech.

"On the offensive side, I want you to take over the game. Use the screens set by your teammates and score as much as you can. Nebuya is tired and will not follow Mitobe out of the paint, so use that space and create as many scoring opportunities as possible." He finished, clapping his hands to encourage his players.

"Alright, let's get this dub!" He yelled, raising his hands, his players following his movements while responding to his words in unison.

"Yes, coach!"

"Dub one me, dub on three!"

"One, two, three!"

"Dub!"

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"Who is this guy?" Silently questioned Nebuya, noticing that he could not back Mitobe down anymore. He started the game pretty efficiently, scoring 14 points in the first half by using his strength to tear the opposite team's defense up.

However, as soon as the second half started, he noticed Mitobe change his way of defending, making him play harder and spend more energy to get his shot off. That made him, who didn't initially have much stamina, tired quicker. Plus, Hideki and Shinji started constantly driving toward the basket, increasing Nebuya's efforts to defend his basket. So, with one minute remaining until the end of the game. Nebuya could barely run as he spent all his energy helping his teammates defend their matches.

Comprehending that, Shinji continued driving toward the basket, constantly looking for contact against Nebuya and making him foul. It's to the point where the latter got kicked out of the game when there was only 1 minute remaining.

"What you just did is bullying. You know that, right?" Commented Hideki, standing next to Shinji and Mitobe while looking at Nebuya dejectedly leave the court. Shinji smiled after hearing what his teammate said.

"He could've just let me score. I didn't tell him to try to block my shots." Responded Shinji, shrugging his shoulders as if the situation had nothing to do with him. Hideki shook his head, pushing Shinji to the free-throw line.

"We're going to be substituted after you score the free throws. Try not to score them, alright? I want to know how it feels to end a game." Jokingly added Hideki, returning to the three-point line.

"Don't worry about the rebounds. Nobody except Nebuya can stop me from getting it in that team." Added Mitobe, walking to the paint and getting ready to fight for the rebound.

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"Why am I also substituted? He's the one who missed both free throws." Complained Mitobe, a resentful look on his face as he glanced at the coach. Mitobe grabbed the rebound as promised after Shinji missed his free throws. However, as soon as he descended from the air, he heard the referee whistle, signaling that Yuuki Junior High's coach asked for a timeout.

"You think I didn't see you plot against me? You're too young to fool me." Responded Kimura, not even looking at his players. He was once the captain of a dominant team in the country. Of course, he understands how young players would feel. Who wouldn't want to play more if they have the energy to?

However, he was managing their playing time like this for their own good. Although playing a lot would help them grow, going full strength against significantly weaker opponents will not improve their strength in any way possible.

Plus, the more intense games they play as teenagers, the more injury-prone they would become once they make it to the pros. That's why he doesn't like overworking his players, even when needed. He would rather lose a final than let a player play for 40 minutes. That's his coaching philosophy and why he's in discord with their school's principal. Although Kimura wants to win, he doesn't value it as much as his players' development, at least in the junior high basketball league. Any old player would tell you how competitive Kimura could be. His teammates still shiver to this day while reminiscing about the old guy's obsession with victory.

Noticing that complaining to Kimura wouldn't work, Hideki and Mitobe looked at Shinji resentfully.

"Did you have to make it so obvious?" They asked in unison, getting madder as Shinji shrugged his shoulders as if he hadn't caused the situation.

"Y'all told me to do it!" - Shinji, probably.

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