He Ximeng, feeling the harshness of the single-game elimination format in the national competition, dared not resort to any tactical delays. He decided to unleash his team's full strength from the start, wary of a disadvantageous opening and falling into a precarious situation.
Zhuji Middle School's starting lineup consisted of center Yan Hui, power forward Feng Chen, small forward Zhang Zhenpeng, shooting guard Wang Xian, and point guard He Ximeng.
Panyu Middle School's starting lineup featured center Su Wei, power forward Du Feng, small forward Zhu Fangyu, shooting guard Wang Shipeng, and point guard Chen Jianghua.
He Ximeng noticed that Ah Lian was absent from Panyu Middle School's lineup. It seemed Ah Lian, being younger, was likely still in junior high school...
As the game commenced, Su Wei, leveraging his height advantage, bested Yan Hui, securing the opening possession for Panyu Middle School. Upon receiving the ball, Chen Jianghua advanced rapidly past half-court, intending to use his driving ability to shake off He Ximeng, penetrate Zhuji Middle School's paint, and score directly!
However, to Chen Jianghua's surprise, He Ximeng not only kept pace with him but also played a counter-strategy. He shadowed Chen Jianghua and, at the very moment Chen Jianghua went up for a layup, He Ximeng soared from behind, utilizing his superior height and leaping ability to slam Chen Jianghua's seemingly assured layup against the backboard...
"Wow!" a collective gasp erupted from the crowd. No one had anticipated such a fiery opening play from these two teams.
Following He Ximeng's block, Zhang Zhenpeng, who had followed up, out-rebounded Zhu Fangyu and secured the ball in his arms.
After successfully blocking Chen Jianghua, He Ximeng, seeing Zhang Zhenpeng move in for the rebound, didn't hesitate. He turned and drove up the left sideline.
Zhang Zhenpeng didn't waste any time, immediately passing the ball to He Ximeng. He Ximeng changed direction with the dribble, one step past Du Feng, who was retreating to defend and attempting to impede his progress...
But Chen Jianghua was genuinely fast!
Even though He Ximeng had a head start, Chen Jianghua, with his sheer sprinting speed, rapidly closed the gap from the middle.
"You're not scoring..."
Chen Jianghua surged forward, attempting to steal the ball from He Ximeng.
He Ximeng executed a sudden stop mid-stride, a crossover dribble, and then accelerated again...
An ordinary player would have been easily bypassed with such fluid movements. However, Chen Jianghua stuck to He Ximeng like glue...
Seeing that he couldn't shake Chen Jianghua, He Ximeng, leveraging his core strength, took three steps and drove to the basket, staying close to Chen Jianghua. Once again, utilizing his height and leaping advantage, He Ximeng cradled the ball in one arm, lifted it high, and completed a soaring one-handed dunk right over Chen Jianghua's head...
"Captain, look! He's imitating your dunk!"
In the gymnasium of Nanjing Ninth Middle School, basketball players led by Hu Weidong had collectively skipped class and were hidden in the physical education department office, watching the live broadcast of the Zhuji Middle School vs. Panyu Middle School game.
Responding to his teammate's call, Hu Weidong, wearing thick glasses, nodded gravely. "He's imitating it quite convincingly..."
The phenomenon of skipping class wasn't limited to Nanjing Ninth Middle School. It was happening simultaneously in many schools across the eastern region, including Huipu Middle School, Hangzhou Fourth Middle School, Ningbo Fourth Middle School, and Caota Middle School...
Once their rivals, they were now supporters of Zhuji Middle School. They had placed all their unfulfilled dreams onto Zhuji Middle School, hoping they could go further and higher on the national competition stage...
"Ximeng's offense and defense are impressive!"
From the Zhuji Middle School bench, Cui Tianci couldn't help but wave his towel, cheering He Ximeng on.
"More than impressive, it's absolutely stunning..." Zhang Tian'ai watched He Ximeng's潇洒 (xiāosǎ - free and easy) demeanor with adoring eyes. However, her expression suddenly changed to one of distress.
"Oh no, this game is being broadcast live. After the match, Ximeng will definitely become famous... My future rivals will only become more numerous and stronger..."
He Ximeng's opening super block and subsequent graceful dunk had indeed awed all the spectators!
Whether they were in the stadium or watching on television, everyone was asking the same question: "Who is this number 4 player from Zhuji Middle School?"
Even Da Zhi, seated in the center of Qinghua High School's team, couldn't help but confirm with his teammates, "Is this the Zhuji Middle School that defeated Huipu Middle School and Nanjing Ninth Middle School?"
After receiving an affirmative answer from his teammates, a hint of competitiveness flashed across Da Zhi's usually placid face. "It seems this year's challengers are even stronger..."
"Who cares if they're strong or not? We'll take them one by one, or two by two if they come in pairs..." Unlike Da Zhi's refined demeanor, Li Nan was clearly more aggressive.
"Didn't we agree to start steadily? Captain, why are you showing off yourself?" Zhang Zhenpeng grumbled from the right corner, muttering to himself.
In this regard, Zhang Zhenpeng had completely misunderstood He Ximeng. Neither the极限封盖 (jíxiàn fēnggài - extreme block) nor the subsequent stylish dunk was He Ximeng's original intention.
For the first play, He Ximeng had intended to simply stop Chen Jianghua, but Chen Jianghua, relying on his speed, took off.
For the second play, He Ximeng had simply intended to drive for an easy layup. However, Chen Jianghua clung to him like a barnacle and even attempted a block. He Ximeng had no choice but to resort to a high-arcing, one-handed dunk to evade Chen Jianghua's defense. Could that be considered He Ximeng trying to show off?
The game continued.
Chen Jianghua, immediately suppressed on both offense and defense by He Ximeng, felt as if he had been slapped twice, leaving him momentarily stunned and disoriented. However, one positive outcome was that he instantly became more cautious. Instead of driving with the ball, he advanced steadily past half-court, looking for Du Feng in the post!
Du Feng was one of Panyu Middle School's three core players!
Du Feng, Zhu Fangyu, and Wang Shipeng formed Panyu Middle School's triple threat!
Chen Jianghua, a rookie who had just moved up from junior high, possessed incredible speed but lacked experience and made many turnovers.
Su Wei was a blue-collar center. With his height and weight advantage, he was solid defensively and a good rebounder, but his offensive skills were very unrefined, and his individual offensive capability was weak... Yes, very weak. Before entering high school, Su Wei was on the rowing team and had barely played basketball... It was only because he kept growing taller and stronger, and rowing became too difficult, that Su Wei switched to basketball...
After receiving the ball, Du Feng turned and back-down played Feng Chen. He Ximeng collapsed to help defend, attempting to steal the ball from Du Feng. Du Feng was cautious and immediately passed to Wang Shipeng, who ran over to receive the ball. Wang Shipeng faked, got his defender Wang Xian to bite, took a step sideways with the dribble, stopped, and shot!
The ball swished through the net. Wang Shipeng scored Panyu Middle School's first points.