Chapter 5: Practice Game!.

While enjoying his tea in his house.

Coach Anzai gets a call from other school hoping that they can play against Shohoku in a practice game in the Shohoku's GYM.

A practice match against Janshi International Academy. One of many international school in Japan and probably the only one that has team competing in a tournament. Janshi International is nothing but a bottom feeder in the prefecture, they always at the bottom and gets lost in the first round or sometimes even in the preliminary rounds. But, Janshi has two players that they got who they think can turn things around.

The next morning.

Coach Anzai told the players that they will play against the Janshi here in the school gym for their last preparation before the Kanagawa Prefecture National Qualifying Tournament. And Janshi will come in the Saturday at 10am, this will be the first match between them and even though they are bottom school, Coach Anzai reminds the players to be cautious of them as they can be be the one sneak up and bite them off the top.

After that, Shohoku practice much more harder than before and so the match against Janshi arrive and being the Genius he is, Sakuragi almost came late at the gym.

At the Locker.

[MIYAGI: You idiot! Why are you late?!.]

[SAKURAGI: Don't get mad, Ryo-Chin. I was practicing my jumpshot until late night yesterday and by the time I got home, I doze off when I laid down on the bed.]

[RUKAWA: Idiot.]

[SAKURAGI: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!.]

[AYAKO: Now, now. Let's all calm down.]

Both Sakuragi and Rukawa calmed down and Coach Anzai began giving the new jersey's for this year's team.

SHOHOKU BASKETBALL CLUB.

#4 Ryouta Miyagi 3rd Year PG.

#5 Yasaharu Yasuda 3rd Year PG.

#6 Tetsushi Shiozaki 3rd Year SG.

#7 Satoru Kakuta 3rd Year PF/C.

#8 Hanamichi Sakuragi 2nd Year PF/C.

#9 Kaede Rukawa 2nd Year SF/PF.

#10 Kentaro Iishi 2nd Year PG/SG.

#11 Satoro Sasaoka 2nd Year SG/SF.

#12 Toji Kawata 2nd Year PG.

#13 Shota Jin 1st Year SG/SF.

#14 Daichi Kobayashi 1st Year C.

#15 Genjurou Furukawa 1st Year SF.

[COACH ANZAI: Our starters would be…..]

Both school went out of respective locker and the starters after getting the last instruction from their coaches, gets on the center court and lined up to greet each other.

JANSHI INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL CLUB STARTER.

#4 Rintaro Watanabe 3rd Year PF.

#5 Shohei Tanihara 3rd Year C.

#6 Eita Osamu 3rd Year SF.

#14 Daiki Taiga 1st Year SG/PG.

#15 Daigo Taiga 1st Year PG/SG.

SHOHOKU BASKETBALL CLUB STARTER.

#4 Ryouta Miyagi 3rd Year PG.

#6 Tetsushi Shiozaki 3rd Year SG.

#9 Kaede Rukawa 2nd Year SF/PF.

#8 Hanamichi Sakuragi 2nd Year PF/C.

#14 Daichi Kobayashi 1st Year C.

Both center get into their position, and the referee blew his whistle and toss the ball into the air, both center jumps and tries to reach the ball. Shohei wins the jump ball and Daigo quickly gets the ball.

[JANSHI PLAYERS ON THE BENCH: ALRIGHT!.]

[SHOHOKU: AGH!.]

Daigo dribbling the ball and surveying the court, he pass it to his twin brother, Daiki at the left wing. Daiki which being defended by Shiozaki, dribble the ball through his right leg and then crosses Shiozaki over to his left side. Daiki loses Shiozaki very easily.

[SAKURAGI: AGH! YOU IDIOT!.]

[MIYAGI: RUKAWA!.]

[RUKAWA: You don't have to yell.]

Rukawa stole the ball from Daiki and runs the other side, he finished the fast break by dunking the ball with his right hand.

SHOHOKU:2

JANSHI:0

1st HALF 19:40

[SAKURAGI: Show off.]

The game continue, Daigo gets the ball and he dribble to the right wing to pass the ball in the paint towards Shohei in the post against Daichi. Shohei in the triple threat position, he dribble towards his right side, Daichi go along with him which where Shohei spins back to his left and then shoots a shot.

[SAKURAGI: FLY SWATTER!.]

Sakuragi blocked it and send it out of bounds. Sakuragi blocked it too strong that there was a sound when he hit the ball.

At the stand.

[MITO: HAHAHA, That Hanamichi block the ball too hard.]

[THE REST OF THE SAKURAGI GANG: HAHAHAHA!]

At the court.

Janshi for the rest of the 1st Half didn't even get a chance to stop Shohoku's offensive run and gets completely annihilated with the rest of the game. Shohoku win the game with 112 to 76. It was Kaede Rukawa's scoring prowess that provided Shohoku this absolutely incredible victory, scoring 48 points. But he wasn't the only that made the difference, Hanamichi Sakuragi, in just one year of playing basketball, finished the with his first ever double scoring digit with 16 points and as per usual dominated the rebound with 26 and blocked shots with 11. Because of his prescene inside, the Janshi guards and forwards was scared to attacked the paint.

And Ryouta Miyagi's first game as a captain, he performed wonderfully, executing his passes and decision making in the court to the most impressive performance that he ever did. He finished the game with 19 points and collected 15 assists.

This year's Shohoku was different than ever before, and it will be interesting to see how they will do in this year tournament. Could they finally do it? Can they finally over thrown Kainan?.