Center Qin Rui, power forward Zhang Zhenpeng, small forward Huangfu Yanlin, shooting guard Ming Hanfei, and point guard He Ximeng.
To increase their offensive and defensive speed, He Ximeng had directly moved Zhang Zhenpeng to the power forward position.
"I've observed that although Changxing Middle School likes to play counter-attacks, their transition speed isn't as good as ours... So, for the next four minutes or so, I hope everyone will run as much as their energy allows... Don't worry, we have 7 players on the bench. If you get tired, someone will naturally take your place... I'll make sure to handle the passing for everyone..."
After the timeout, it was Zhuzhong's ball.
He Ximeng controlled the ball and advanced, while Yuan Zhangyang retreated defensively, still chattering, "Why are you playing now? Are you afraid we'll reverse the score..."
He Ximeng ignored Yuan Zhangyang, his eyes fixed on his teammates making their runs.
Zhang Zhenpeng was very active. After a screen from Huangfu Yanlin, he got an open cutting opportunity near the left free-throw line.
Before Zhang Zhenpeng could even reach out, He Ximeng had already seen his opportunity. With a long bounce pass, he precisely delivered the ball to the cutting Zhang Zhenpeng!
Zhang Zhenpeng caught the ball and took flight. Facing the retreating center of Changxing Middle School, he executed a one-handed slam dunk...
The crowd immediately erupted in gasps!
"Who is Zhuzhong's number 23?"
"Haven't seen him before?"
"No way? Could he be a freshman?"
"Possible! Otherwise, he wouldn't be coming off the bench!"
"It's hard to say about coming off the bench~ Isn't Zhuzhong's other ace, He Ximeng, also coming off the bench?"
"Could it be that He Ximeng didn't start so that he could coordinate with this number 23 during the substitute time?"
"This is bad! Is Zhuzhong going to upgrade from a dual core to a triple core?"
"It's over! Our hopes of advancing from the group stage today are dashed..."
...
Because of Zhang Zhenpeng's powerful one-handed slam dunk, the scene immediately became lively!
Having made the dunk, Zhang Zhenpeng was very arrogant. He flexed his biceps towards Hangzhou Fourth Middle School, his gaze fixed on Liu Yudong, who was wearing the number 10 jersey!
"Captain, Zhuzhong's number 23, this kid is quite interesting! He seems to be provoking you?" On the stands, a Hangzhou Fourth Middle School player chuckled at Zhang Zhenpeng's celebration.
"Take away the 'seems'! He is indeed challenging the captain!" Another Hangzhou Fourth Middle School player said, "We've seen plenty of kids like this... When they really meet our captain, they all get blown out..."
"That's true! The kid has courage! Unfortunately, he picked the wrong target..."
Liu Yudong stood with his arms crossed, quietly listening to his teammates without offering any opinion.
Liu Yudong had a mature appearance, with a square face and thick eyebrows. At first glance, one might mistake him for being the same age as the head coach of Hangzhou Fourth Middle School... Especially with Liu Yudong's steady and imposing demeanor, he didn't look like a high school student when sitting among the players.
This was why Zhang Zhenpeng, from the sidelines, could recognize Liu Yudong on the stands at a glance! His aura was too special...
"This brat, he took my advice to heart as if it were the wind... I told you to save your energy, and you come out here playing slam dunks... We'll see how I increase your training load when we get back..."
He Ximeng looked helplessly at Zhang Zhenpeng's "arrogant" retreating back and urged his teammates to get back on defense.
Although Yuan Zhangyang was also amazed by Zhang Zhenpeng's recent dunk, he was, after all, a senior in high school. While such flashy one-handed dunks were rare in grassroots games, dunking itself was not uncommon.
He managed to adjust his emotions. Yuan Zhangyang controlled the ball and advanced, encouraging his teammates not to be affected by the opponent and to stick to their offensive rhythm.
As soon as he spoke, Yuan Zhangyang suddenly accelerated, trying to catch He Ximeng off guard.
But He Ximeng's attention remained focused. Yuan Zhangyang's drive did not achieve the desired effect. He Ximeng stayed close to Yuan Zhangyang, entering the paint together.
After entering the paint, Yuan Zhangyang, unable to shake off He Ximeng, had to stop abruptly, fake, and turn, attempting a layup!
However, because his attention was mainly on He Ximeng, he failed to notice that Zhang Zhenpeng, who was on the wing in the low post, had already moved sideways to help He Ximeng with the double-team...
Yuan Zhangyang's low layup perfectly fell into Zhang Zhenpeng's grasp...
Zhang Zhenpeng leaped high and swatted Yuan Zhangyang's layup out of bounds with one hand!
This block left Yuan Zhangyang utterly humiliated.
After the ball was inbounded again, Yuan Zhangyang received the ball beyond the three-point line and forced a shot against He Ximeng. The ball bounced off the rim, and Qin Rui secured the defensive rebound, immediately handing it over to He Ximeng.
Yuan Zhangyang quickly retreated, expecting He Ximeng to drive himself.
But He Ximeng had no intention of attacking himself. He controlled the pace, created some distance from the Changxing Middle School players, and then made a long pass to Ming Hanfei, who was sprinting down the right side...