Mirai Miwa: 30 Points & Osaka Kunuei’s Winter Cup Win – BASKET COUNT

Breaking away from poor shooting touch in the early stages and rebounding from the deficit

Osaka Kunuei Girls’ Academy defeated Ohka Gakuen 66-61 in the Winter Cup final, achieving their first championship.

However, until the middle, it was at Ohka Gakuen’s pace. From the get-go, Kunei was hampered by the opponent’s pressure, and the guards were unable to carry the ball as they wanted, forcing him to play a cramped offense without a clock. Ace Mirai Miwa also doesn’t score well because his shots under the goal are hated by the ring.

With 6 minutes left in the second quarter, Miwa was only making 3 of 9 field goals. Miwa, who should have been the most calculating, couldn’t make a shot, and the team was behind by 12 points. At this point, coach Kaori Ando lowered Miwa to the bench just a little.

Miwa looks back on this time as follows. “My teacher told me, “Have fun and just hit it without running away.” That’s when I realized that I wasn’t my usual self, and when I got back on the court, I was able to play like myself.There were many times when I thought, “I have to do this,” and pushed myself, so my teacher’s words helped me.”

Miwa was off the court for less than two minutes. Still, the commander’s words had a profound effect on changing his mind. Even if the space under the goal is blocked, he assesses the position of the opponent and the ring, creates a gap with minimal movement, and takes a shot with a high probability. In the last four minutes of the second quarter, Miwa made all three shots and also recorded two blocked shots. Miwa scored 12 points in the third quarter and turned the game around.

They continued to play except for this two-minute period, and although they did show some signs of fatigue towards the end, they did not let up on their intensity and fought until the end. “It was my last match with Kunei, and I thought what would happen if I ran away with it, so I gave it my all without thinking about fatigue,” Miwa says.

“After all, it’s all about having fun. If I don’t have fun, I’ll definitely regret it, and I’ve had trouble playing my own game, which has led to me losing, so I decided to just have fun.”

As a result, Miwa played 38 minutes and recorded 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He fulfilled his role as the ace and brought the team their first Winter Cup victory.

Miwa said this at the victory press conference. “I’ve been participating in games since I was a first grader. Up until now, I couldn’t help my seniors become the best in Japan, and that was always frustrating. We were able to complete the 40 minutes with a strong desire to become the best in Japan. I think we were able to win because the third graders who supported us and the entire team came together as one.”