[Basketball]Return to the league in first place! / 100th Kanto University Basketball League Round 11 vs. Komazawa University – Sports Hosei

Hodai played the last match of the first round against Komazawa University. The match progressed with Hodai dominating from beginning to end, and in the 4th quarter, they struggled to keep their opponents to single digits, and were able to finish the league in first place! !

Battle review

1st Q. The game started with a Hodai ball. #18 Take the lead with Yaesawa’s three-pointer. After that, #7 Motoyama made a 3-point shot from the corner, and Houdai made two 3-point shots one and a half minutes into the game. #25 Nabeta’s brilliant steps earn him points. Komazawa University also showed an attacking stance, but Hodai’s characteristic fierce defense prevented the opponent from scoring. In the 1st quarter, #23 Tsutsumi’s defensive defense stood out. Hodai also often grabbed rebounds, which led to points. 5 minutes into the game, #0 Sugi Nobu passed the ball to #8 Ishida, and #10 Sakamoto scored a 3pt, showing good team play as they circulated the ball. Just as Hodai was picking up the pace, Komazawa took a timeout with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. Dai Komazawa also tried to counterattack, but Hodai took control of the match. At the end of the first quarter, we saw a quick attack from #32 Sugano’s steal to #7 Motoyama’s offense, and the first quarter ended with Hodai 17-13 Komazawa.

Hodai leads by 4 points and the second quarter starts with #7 Motoyama #25 Nabeta #10 Sakamoto #75 Yanagita #23 Tsutsumi. 2 minutes into the game, #75 Yanagida’s defense stole the ball from Komazawa. Create a highlight with Easy Basket. However, Komazawa Dai also continued to score points, and Hodai took a timeout at 5:40. From here on, Hodai gains momentum. The game resumed with Hodai’s throw-in. #7 Motoyama received the pass as soon as the whistle rang, and despite the tough situation, brilliantly made a 3-point shot into the net. Hodai’s momentum did not stop, and #21 Fujihei took a shot and although he was denied the goal twice, he passed it to his teammates and steadily scored points. After that, a combination of #21 Fujihira and #14 Sato was also seen. Although it missed once, #21 Fujihei quickly took the ball, evaded the Komazawa University players, and scored from the bottom of the goal. With two minutes left in the second quarter, #14 Sato made an easy basket with a steal. The second quarter, in which Hosei’s typical tenacious defense shined, ended with an 11-point lead over Komazawa University, 35-24.

▲＃18 Yaesawa Ren

It was #75 Yanagida who started the 3rd quarter. At the bottom of the goal, #75 Yanagida received a bounce pass from #10 Sakamoto that took advantage of the opponent’s gap, and he took a shot with ease. After that, Dai Komazawa made a three-point shot and Hodai was fouled, but the team’s coordinated passing allowed them to toy with the opponent, and #10 Sakamoto made a brilliant three-point shot. So far, Hodai had maintained the upper hand in the match. From the middle to the end, both Hodai and Komazawa often fouled each other, and steadily accumulated points with free throws. Meanwhile, Komazawa University made two three-point shots and gradually narrowed the gap. It looked like Komazawa University would continue to gain momentum and Hodai would be pushed back, but #25 Nabeta took a three-point shot while avoiding the opponent’s defense, breaking the bad momentum and ending the third quarter. The match ended with Hodai in the lead, 47-39.

The final quarter ended with an 8-point lead. Right from the start, Hodai gradually created their own flow with rebounds and blocks. #21 Fujihei, who received a pass from #0 Sugi Nobu, took advantage of an opening in the opponent’s defense and passed the ball to #23 Tsutsumi at the bottom of the goal. The voltage in the venue went up as they perfectly coordinated to take a solid shot. Furthermore, 8 minutes into the 4th quarter, #7 Motoyama received a pass and showed his charm here. #7 Motoyama’s well-timed pass was caught by #75 Yanagida in mid-air and he took a shot, allowing #7 Motoyama to further widen the point gap with his assists. With 15 seconds left in the game, #7 Motoyama received a long pass from #10 Sakamoto from the opponent’s goal and decided to make a quick attack, ending the game at 65-47. It was a match where they returned to the top of the Autumn League and racked up more wins in their bid to be promoted to Division 1!

(Interview/Article: Korenagi Iwaikawa, Miho Sato, Saki Manaka)

Photo provided by Hosei University Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Club

▲＃25 Norinobu Nabeta

◆Comments◆

Director Shunji Sato

-Looking back at the first round

I was able to come back in first place, so in that sense, I feel like the first round was a good first round.

-About the game plan

The opponent’s attacking players will be attacking to a certain extent, so I wanted to hold them back, but this weekend, I spent a lot of time on Waseda’s countermeasures, which I did yesterday, rather than focusing too much on Komazawa’s countermeasures. It wasn’t easy for me, but I think I was able to respond well by making corrections during the match.

-Excited for the second round

I didn’t have an easy win in the first round, so I think it will be a tough battle from now on against any opponent in the second round, so I will scout again, practice hard, and do my best to win.

-Finally, to all the fans

Thank you for your continued support. I managed to finish in first place in the first round. We will do our best to achieve good results in the second round and make it to the replacement match and intercollegiate match, so please continue to support us.