“I wanted to repay Professor Hisao.” Sendai University Meisei showed a “soul” catching up with its rival[SoftBank Winter Cup 2023 Field Report ⑥]
December 24, 2023
Boys’ first round of the “SoftBank Winter Cup 2023 Reiwa 5th 76th National High School Basketball Championship (hereinafter referred to as SoftBank Winter Cup 2023)”. From the moment the pairings were announced, the match between Fukuoka Daiichi (Fukuoka ②) vs. Sendai University Meisei (Miyagi) became a hot topic. The two schools, which are competing in this year’s Inter-High Quarterfinals and the U18 Nissin Foods Top League 2023, are well-known to be some of the strongest schools in the country. This card, which was too good to be won in the first round, attracted a lot of attention.
In June of this year, the famous coach Hisao Sato passed away, and his former student, coach Toshiki Hatakeyama, has inherited his mentor’s “spirit” and is leading the Sendai University Meisei team. We are a tenacious team with an extraordinary passion, based on the motto that we were taught in our final moments: “Even in difficult times, it’s bright.” Fukuoka Daiichi coach Takashi Ideguchi, who was close friends with Coach Sato, also knew this well, which is why he expressed his strong determination before the match, saying, “We will fight as if it were the final match.”
Fukuoka Daiichi has a big lineup with #17 Hideto Sakihama and #44 Makoto Apia Patrick returning from injury in the starting lineup. On the other hand, Sendai University Akisei played a speedy development with #4 Akito Odajima as the starting point, and showed a good rhythm with shots from #7 Haru Sato. However, Fukuoka Daiichi did not panic and thanks to Sakihama’s performance, they did not let the momentum slip. While the game remained evenly matched, the turning point came in the second quarter. Fukuoka Daiichi applied intense pressure and succeeded in conceding only one point in the quarter. Fukuoka Daiichi held a 39-16 advantage at the end of the first half, and continued to use their main players in the second half, as coach Ideguchi said, “No matter how wide the score difference was, we didn’t want to put down any players.” Masu. With six and a half minutes left in the third quarter, the lead was 44-16, the largest lead of the game by 28 points.
However, the battle was not over yet. #6 Tadatoshi Mura said, “I wanted to repay Mr. Hisao with this tournament, so I was determined not to let it end like this.” Sendai University Akisei is full of emotion. After enduring a difficult period, Sonomura and Sato started making 3-point shots in the fourth quarter, showing a furious catch-up. While the cheering seats erupted into applause, #10 Toyota Taki’s 3 points with 27 seconds remaining finally cut the gap to single digits. However, their counterattack was limited, and the match ended at 65-76.
The Sendai University Meisei players lost in a fierce battle and shed tears. After the match, there was something shining in Coach Ideguchi’s eyes as he hugged #8 girlfriend Shawn Rion Williams and told her, “You did a really good job.” Williams said, “In the end, we all jumped for rebounds, covered up even when we made mistakes, and showed a never-give-up attitude as a team, so I think we were able to play a game that won’t embarrass Mr. Hisao.” I commented with tears in my eyes.
Having defeated a formidable opponent and survived the important first round, Fukuoka Daiichi will continue to carry the aspirations of Sendai University Akinari on their shoulders and aim to become the best in Japan.
2023-12-24 21:07:24
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