A shocking 25-1 in the second quarter, creating a big quarter.
December 24th marked the second day of the Winter Cup tournament. In the men’s first round match, a strong showdown between Fukuoka Daiichi and Sendai University affiliate Akinari took place, with Fukuoka Daiichi winning the match 76-65, using their signature pressure defense to quickly take control.
At the beginning of the game, Fukuoka Daiichi’s players were slow in their movements, and they were unable to develop their original offense with good movement between people and the ball. In addition, Akinari had the upper hand in both offense and defense, and the score fell to 2-13 with about 6 minutes left in the first quarter.
Fukuoka Daiichi coach Takashi Ideguchi said, “It was my first time on the court, so I was nervous, so I was a little fluffy.I felt like my feet were loose,” reflecting on their slow start. However, he continued, “I thought taking a timeout would increase their momentum, so I decided to be patient.It was a gamble in the first place.”He believed in the players’ ability to make corrections, and the guard team The first quarter ended with an aggressive drive, transitions from defensive rebounds, and gradual showing of their true play, leading to a 14-15 lead.
And then came the second quarter. Fukuoka Daiichi regained its usual mobility, and coach Ideguchi said, “I thought it wouldn’t go well, but it felt good with 2 and 3 hits, so I kept trying,” said coach Ideguchi, who used an intense all-court pressure defense to defeat Akinari. Overwhelm. A quick attack after capturing a turnover in the enemy’s territory. He continued to force them to take tough shots, and after getting rebounds, he made easy shots one after another in transition. As a result, they produced a shocking big quarter with a score of 25-1 and stormed out. In the fourth quarter, they were caught up by Akinari, who was used to pressure defense, but they were able to maintain a double-digit lead and escape with ease.
“After this, there will be only strong teams, and every day will be like a semi-final or final.”
“It’s been a long time since I last played, so I think it can’t be helped, but it was a little dangerous.” Coach Ideguchi, who summed up the game, revealed that it was within his expectations that the lead would be narrowed in the final stages. That’s why, even when the gap was wide, they continued to use key players such as Hideto Sakihama, who was returning from a long absence due to injury.
“Akinari came with a stronger desire than us, and he didn’t give up until the end.We assumed something like that and tried not to let up even if we were up by dozens of points.It’s been a long time since Sakihama played a game. I feel like he overworked himself, but he made a good decision in the final battle.”
Akinari’s strong feelings are for former coach Hisao Sato, who passed away in June. Also, Coach Sato is a big figure for Coach Ideguchi, who has always been his goal, and he must have had a lot of thoughts about competing against Akinari in the first match of this tournament.
He hid his feelings during the match. However, after the game, after meeting the Meisei players who came to greet him and shaking hands with third-year ace Williams Shawn Rion, his hidden emotions overflowed. He revealed how he felt going into this match as follows:
“Today, I played the game thinking that Hisao Sensei was not there. I played the game thinking, ‘That’s enough, just go and play golf in peace in heaven.’ That’s what I felt.But in the end…”
Fukuoka Daiichi overcame a big hurdle in their first match, but as coach Ideguchi says, “After this, there are only strong teams, and every day is like a semifinal or final.” As coach Ideguchi says, there is a difficult road ahead. However, that is precisely why the coach views the fact that he was able to play such a tough match against Akinari in the first match as a positive. “It may have been good to be able to experience a game like this for the first time.I think the extended playing time (of the main players) has helped them get used to it, so I take it as a positive.After returning from injury, I’ve also put freshmen Sakihama and Apia (Patrick Makoto) on the court, so I want to run until my physical strength runs out.”
2023-12-24 11:06:00
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