Even though my legs were strained, I stood on the court until the end and said, “I felt relieved.”
“I haven’t won a single game since I entered Kunuei, so I’m relieved to be able to win on this stage.”
Rion Matsumoto of Osaka Kunuei Girls’ Academy said this immediately after stopping Kyoto Seika Gakuen from winning the Winter Cup for the fourth time in a row. With 50 seconds left in the final quarter, with an eight-point lead, Matsumoto hit a 3-point shot, then headed to the hoop and grabbed the rebound himself. He then scored the ball under the goal, clinching the match. My body, which had been working so hard, was near its limit, and at that moment my legs cramped up. Matsumoto stayed on the court because he couldn’t make substitutions, but that’s what Matsumoto wanted.
“I wanted to go all the way to the semi-finals and lead them to victory. I had been coming this far, but I got injured and was disappointed to have to replace them, so I was relieved that I was able to make it to zero seconds.”
Kunei lost in the third round to Ohka Gakuen, who won the Inter-High Championship. Since then, they have been aiming for the top in the winter, and coach Kaori Ando says that the changes in the awareness of the underclassmen, including Matsumoto, have made Kaoru the strong player she is today. “In terms of something unusual, after losing at the Inter-High, Matsumoto, Hara (Otoha), and Hosozawa (Yukio) started to realize that “we have to do it.” They were worried that they might surpass the third-year students. I think the second-year students really created a great atmosphere because of their energy.Our image is quite serious and calm, but the second-year students seem to be quite mischievous, so I think that’s where they’ve improved.”
Matsumoto struggled offensively and defensively, scoring 13 points including three 3-point shots, as well as team-high six assists and two steals. Hara had 16 points and 3 assists, and Hosozawa had 7 points, 9 rebounds (5 offensive rebounds) and 4 assists, and the sophomores who were named achieved results. Of course, the performance of the third year students was also outstanding, with mainstay Mirai Miwa scoring a team-high 21 points, and captain Reimi Hatade playing key roles, scoring 13 points. It was a victory that was achieved because everyone played their part, and Matsumoto is also proud of that.
“We had an international student, so we were small compared to them. We played with the mindset of “all basketball,” applying pressure from the front, taking care of the international student, and rebounding as a team. Since we’re taller, we thought it wouldn’t be helped if we were beaten, so we all had a strong will to restart quickly and fight back even if we were beaten.”
They defeated a difficult opponent and are now one win away from their goal of becoming number one in Japan. Matsumoto takes to the court to prove his mentor’s basketball philosophy. “I definitely want to win and show my sensei the top spot. I want to show everyone in Japan that Ando sensei’s guidance was right for me.”
