He Ximeng once again recorded 8 assists in this match, along with 10 points, 3 steals, and 1 block. His scoring numbers remained low, leading to rumors outside the court that He Ximeng was not good at scoring and had poor shooting accuracy...
However, He Ximeng averaged 8 assists per game, far leading the point guards of other teams in this tournament, and even surpassing Sun Anhui, the super point guard of Huipu High School, ranking first on the point guard list!
Yan Hui, following his performance in the first game, once again achieved a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, showing consistent performance.
Zhang Zhenpeng's playing time was controlled by He Ximeng in this match, resulting in 16 points and 6 rebounds, a slight decrease compared to the first game. However, while most first-year rookies were struggling to even get on the court, Zhang Zhenpeng had clearly become the ace player of Zhuji High School! The Rookie of the Year this year, as expected, would be Zhang Zhenpeng... But would Zhang Zhenpeng be satisfied with just the title of Rookie of the Year?
After finishing the match against Jinyun High School, Zhuji High School was the first to complete their games for the day. They then moved to the spectator seats to watch the performances of the other four teams in their group, especially the matches of Zhuji High School's biggest rival, Hangzhou No. 4 High School!
Hangzhou No. 4 High School's opponent in the afternoon was Changxing High School, which had lost by a large margin to Zhuji High School in the morning.
Based on pre-game strength predictions, Hangzhou No. 4 High School's strength was even greater than that of Zhuji High School.
Although Yuan Zhangyang did not want to give up any game, Changxing High School's head coach had told all the players before the match that they could try their best in this game, but if the situation turned unfavorable, he would conserve their strength and let the new players gain experience...
As the head coach expected, Changxing High School fell behind from the start and was completely dominated by Hangzhou No. 4 High School!
Zhejiang's strongest high school player, Liu Yudong, was no joke. His mid-range jump shots were almost always accurate, and for every two three-point attempts, he would make about one... The key was that his drives and layups were also unstoppable...
It was not so much that Changxing High School was defeated by Hangzhou No. 4 High School, but rather that Changxing High School was crushed by Liu Yudong alone!
Following his 32 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in the morning game, Liu Yudong once again recorded an all-around stat line of 30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in this game!
On the scoring list, Liu Yudong was far ahead of other players, firmly holding the throne as the top player in this regional competition.
Ouhai High School, which had narrowly defeated Jinyun High School by one point in the morning, engaged in a fierce battle with Taintai High School in the afternoon. Fortunately, luck was once again on Ouhai High School's side, as they made two consecutive shots in the last minute, ultimately defeating Taintai High School 74:72.
Thus, the first day of the competition concluded.
In Group B, the six teams showed extreme disparities in their records.
Hangzhou No. 4 High School, Zhuji High School, and Ouhai High School all performed excellently on the first day, with records of 2 wins and 0 losses.
Jinyun High School, Taintai High School, and Changxing High School all lost their games on the first day, effectively announcing their elimination and that their remaining matches would be fought for honor.
In Group A, the six teams had relatively closer records.
Huipu High School and Ningbo No. 4 High School both had two wins and led the group with undefeated records.
Caota High School defeated Tianjiabing High School but lost to Ningbo No. 4 High School in the afternoon, ending the first day with a record of 1 win and 1 loss.
Qingxi High School lost to Huipu High School but defeated Yunhe High School in the afternoon, also finishing with a record of 1 win and 1 loss.
Yunhe High School and Tianjiabing High School both lost their two games, with slim chances of advancing.
Theoretically, Caota High School still had a slim chance of advancing. However, the conditions were very strict.
First, Qingxi High School needed to defeat Ningbo No. 4 High School.
Second, Caota High School had to defeat Qingxi High School and Yunhe High School, ensuring their record was at least 3 wins and 2 losses.
If this happened, Caota High School, Qingxi High School, and Ningbo No. 4 High School would all have records of 3 wins and 2 losses, and these three teams would form a circular win-loss relationship.
According to the tournament rules, in case of equal records, the net point difference between the teams would be considered.
Caota High School would then have a chance to compete with Ningbo No. 4 High School for net points...
Of course, if Caota High School could defeat Huipu High School, that would be the best-case scenario, allowing them to advance as the group leader. However, the probability of defeating Huipu was even lower than that of competing with Ningbo No. 4 High School for net points.
Therefore, when He Ximeng encountered Yu Chu and Chen Qiudao in the hotel cafeteria, he saw that they both looked serious.
As they were not in the same group, He Ximeng could not offer any direct help. He only exchanged a few pleasantries, encouraged them not to give up hope, and to play well in the upcoming matches. What if Ningbo No. 4 High School really lost to Qingxi High School?
"Although I know the possibility is slim... I still won't give up!" Chen Qiudao remained as resolute as ever.
In comparison, Yu Chu seemed more resigned: "This is my last national tournament. I just want to have no regrets and enjoy the fun on the court..."
After their brief exchange, the two teams waved goodbye.
Chen Qiudao suddenly turned back and said without preamble, "He Ximeng, don't forget our promise. Keep winning..."