It was a bright new day in Shohoku Ladies' Basketball Gym. There was a practice game between Shohoku Ladies of Kanagawa and Mamita Nishi of Iwate.
SHOHOKU GIRLS' TEAM
Team Colors:
H: White
A: Red
STARTERS:
PG #10 Hanako Sakuragi
(1st) (182 cm) 5-11
SG # 6 Yumiko Tendo
(2nd) (185 cm) 6-0
C # 5 Maya Sakamoto
(3rd) (194 cm) 6-4
SF # 4 Megumi Matsumoto
(3rd) (185 cm) 6-0
PF #14 Eunice Fujisawa
(1st) (193 cm) 6-4
MAMITA NISHI GIRLS' TEAM
Team Colors:
H: White
A: Green
STARTERS:
PG #12 Ayame Murasaki
(1st) (183 cm) 6-0
SG # 4 Hime Katsumi
(3rd) (186 cm) 6-1
C # 5 Hana Yazawa
(3rd) (196 cm) 6-5
SF #14 Yumi Okiyama
(1st) (192 cm) 6-4
PF #13 Inaho Yamamoto
(2nd) (192 cm) 6-4
Now the practice game starts now as Yazawa and Sakamoto were jumpball. Hanako got the ball.
"Okay! Let's outscored them." Hanako Sakuragi (Shohoku#10) said.
Hanako passed the ball to Megumi Matsumoto as she was guarded by the rookie Okiyama.
"I'll guard you." Yumi Okiyama (Mamita Nishi#14) said.
"Bring it on." Megumi Matsumoto (Shohoku#4) said as she passed the ball to Sakamoto.
"Come on and face me Sakamoto!" Hana Yazawa (Mamita Nishi#5) said.
Maya deadpanned.
"Don't get too easy on me Yazawa." Maya Sakamoto (Shohoku#5) said.
Meanwhile, Ryonan Ladies, one of two Kanagawa teams competed in the Premier League Regionals High School Basketball Tournament Girls' Division II. They also have the practiced game against Aiwa Ladies' Team. Aichi District Tournament Division I champion.
RYONAN GIRLS' TEAM
Team Colors:
H: White
A: Blue
STARTERS:
PG #11 Ayumi Aida
(1st) (181 cm) 5-11
SG #13 Mei Takahashi
(1st) (182 cm) 5-11
C #12 Ryoko Hanagata
(2nd) (197 cm) 6-5
SF # 4 Momoko Ayase
(3rd) (192 cm) 6-3
PF # 8 Naomi Kawasaki
(3rd) (196 cm) 6-5
AIWA GIRLS' TEAM
Team Colors:
PG # 4 Kimiko Moroboshi
(3rd) (186 cm) 6-1
SG # 5 Mai Shinigawa
(3rd) (188 cm) 6-2
C # 6 Mika Takamiro
(2nd) (193 cm) 6-4
SF #14 Saya Hagane
(1st) (191 cm) 6-3
PF #12 Akarimi Itasaka
(1st) (191 cm) 6-3
"Captain. Look at Aiwa High." Ryoko Hanagata (Ryonan#12) said.
"Their guards are taller than I expected." Momoko Ayase (Ryonan#4) said. "We have to be ready."
Back at Shohoku gym....
SHOHOKU 19
MAMITA NISHI 12
Shohoku takes the lead.
"Great job Hanako!" Maya Sakamoto (Shohoku#5) said. "Keep it up!"
"Thanks Sakamoto." Hanako Sakuragi (Shohoku#10) said.
Katsumi is puzzled at Hanako Sakuragi.
"Hanako Sakuragi." Hime Katsumi (Mamita Nishi#4) said. "She must be Shohoku's rookie ace player. I'll keep an eye on her."
Meanwhile at Ryonan gym....
RYONAN 21
AIWA 18
Ryonan leads by 3-point deficit.
"Coach Taoka! Aiwa is getting catching us up!" Hikoichi said.
"Relax Hikoichi." Coach Taoka said. "I don't think we gonna lose at this point. Aiwa are National-Leveled opponents so we must use run-and-gun and speed up the game while Aiwa have been using the transition defense."
"Aida! Takahashi! Don't get lagged behind!" Momoko Ayase (Ryonan#4) said. "We were lead by 3-point deficit against Aiwa but were not done yet. Keep guarding Moroboshi because she is an expert for 3-point shots."
"What about double-teaming Moroboshi?" Mei Takahashi (Ryonan#13) asked.
"That might worked." Momoko Ayase (Ryonan#4) said. "Just try to prevent Moroboshi from shooting threes."
Meanwhile, back at Shohoku gym....
SHOHOKU 38
MAMITA NISHI 35
Shohoku calls for a timeout.
"Hanako Sakuragi! You're too slow, you need to energized more." Megumi Matsumoto (Shohoku#4) said.
"Sorry about captain." Hanako Sakuragi (Shohoku#10) said. "It seems I underestimated Murasaki. Mamita Nishi relying on both fast-pace and run-and-gun."
"So you find out their strength." Megumi Matsumoto (Shohoku#4) said.
"Yes Captain." Hanako Sakuragi said. "I observed their plays. They played both fast-paced and run-and-gun with the mixed of transition defense."
"Then we have to be careful." Megumi Matsumoto (Shohoku#4) said. "Mamita Nishi of Iwate were thw number one high school team in Iwate."
"We must try to slow the pace of the game and we need to do more a lot of fast breaks." Maya Sakamoto (Shohoku#5) said.
Meanwhile, back at Ryonan gym....
RYONAN 41
AIWA 35
"It maybe 6-point leas but continued to guard their ace player!" Coach Taoka said.
Aida and Takahashi continued to doubleteaming but Moroboshi passed the ball to Shinigawa but was stolen by Kawasaki and passed the ball tp Takahashi and shoots the three and the ball went in.
RYONAN 44
AIWA 35
"Nice shot Takahashi!" Momoko Ayase (Ryonan#4) said. "Keep it up!"
"Alright. Aida, keep continued guarding Moroboshi. I'll set up the full-court press." Mei Takahashi (Ryonan#13) said.
"Takahashi! Just to make sure that Aiwa will not catching us up." Coach Taoka said.
"Yes Coach!" Mei Takahashi (Ryonan#13) said.
Meanwhile back at Shohoku gym....
SHOHOKU 52
MAMITA NISHI 57
It was the end of the 1st half.
"Sakuragi. We're only down by 5 points. But you have to be ready for the second half." Megumi Matsumoto (Shohoku#4) said.
"Don't worry captain. Everything will be under control." Hanako Sakuragi (Shohoku#10) said.
"We need to play more aggressively in the second half." Eunice Fujisawa (Shohoku#14) said.
"I agree." Yumiko Tendo (Shohoku#6) said. "Mamita Nishi Basketball Team is the truly the toughest opponent since they became number one in Iwate."
"Once the second half started, we need to played more harder in order to prevent us being pulverized by Mamita Nishi's fast break penetration." Megumi Matsumoto (Shohoku#4) said. "Sakamoto, you need to played more harder this time in the 2nd half."
"Fine by me. But I won't let being upjumped by their center." Maya Sakamoto (Shohoku#5) said. "I'm Shohoku's vice-captain and there's no way in hell that I'm going to lose to their center."
"Then it settled." Megumi Matsumoto (Shohoku#4), then it settled. We'll wear them out by strengthening our man-to-man defense and get more fast break points."
YOU ARE READING
The Story of Hanako Sakuragi
FanfictionThis is the story of Hanako Sakuragi, a close cousin of Hanamichi Sakuragi, who joined Shohoku Ladies' Basketball Team and becoming the rookie star player.
