This shot by Liu Yudong was essentially him taking on three players from Zhuji Middle School alone!
Although his decision to take the shot himself was a bit forced and not entirely reasonable, it highlighted Liu Yudong's formidable playing style and sharp scoring ability!
A collective gasp erupted from the stands. The strongest high school player in the league was indeed living up to his reputation. Under the siege of Zhuji Middle School's two ace players and their substitute center, Qin Rui, Liu Yudong calmly shot the basketball… It was simply unstoppable…
Most players, facing such aggressive pressure from Liu Yudong, would typically experience a strong sense of frustration, or their morale would drop, their fighting spirit would wane, or they would fall into disarray and be routed…
However, He Ximeng and Zhang Zhenpeng, the two ace players from Zhuji, after failing to stop Liu Yudong, exchanged glances.
In each other's eyes, they saw no trace of frustration or retreat. Instead, they both saw a burning fighting spirit!
Frankly, Zhang Zhenpeng's last intense fighting spirit was when he first saw He Ximeng.
And for He Ximeng, this was the first time since returning to high school that he felt such a strong desire to defeat an opponent… He hadn't even felt this way when he first met Zhang Zhenpeng… Because He Ximeng could tell at a glance that the current Zhang Zhenpeng, in a one-on-one situation, was no match for Liu Yudong!
Liu Yudong had reached the pinnacle of what a high school player could achieve. He Ximeng even believed that Liu Yudong was fully qualified to play in the CBA league. Whether it was core strength, tactical skills, or psychological resilience, Liu Yudong was ready for professional play.
In contrast, Zhang Zhenpeng was much more immature. Although Zhang Zhenpeng's future potential was not to be underestimated, likely reaching CBA level, the current Zhang Zhenpeng was not mature in all aspects, especially psychologically. With his over-the-top, chuunibyo tendencies, he might be easily overwhelmed by veteran players in the professional arena…
However, now, on the high school basketball court, the immature Zhang Zhenpeng could rely on his talent to become a highly anticipated rising star. It was just that defeating Liu Yudong one-on-one was basically impossible… but with He Ximeng's help…
Turning around, He Ximeng broke through again. Zhang Zhenpeng did not drive to the basket but retreated to the three-point line in the middle. He Ximeng made a clever pass back, and Zhang Zhenpeng caught the ball and shot. With a decisive move, he returned a three-pointer to Liu Yudong!
If I can't break through the basket and overpower you, then I'll shoot from the three-point line, let's see what you do about that?
After making this "answer ball," Zhang Zhenpeng was extremely excited. His chuunibyo tendencies flared up again, and he puffed out his right bicep towards Liu Yudong…
"That kid on your team is much more arrogant than you… He probably challenges you to one-on-one a lot, right?"
Indeed, Liu Yudong hit the nail on the head, making He Ximeng want to cover his face: "He's a bit annoying, but that kid means no harm. He's just a bit chuunibyo…"
"Mm, I can see that. His celebrations never repeat…"
At the end of the first quarter, Zhuji Middle School, relying on the strong offense of He Ximeng and Zhang Zhenpeng, tied the score at 24:24 with the formidable Hangzhou Fourth High School.
This result greatly surprised the audience. In their pre-game predictions, Zhuji Middle School and Hangzhou Fourth High School were not even on the same level… Yet, even with Zhuji Middle School's focused defense, Liu Yudong, despite showcasing his hidden playmaking ability, could not give Hangzhou Fourth High School an advantage in the first quarter…
At the start of the second quarter, He Ximeng went to the bench for a rest. However, Yan Hui and Zhang Zhenpeng were put on the court. Zhang Zhenpeng was freed from the power forward position and returned to his more comfortable shooting guard/small forward role.
On Hangzhou Fourth High School's side, Liu Yudong returned to the game after a two-minute break.
Stamina was another key advantage that allowed Liu Yudong to dominate the high school scene.
Back in middle school, Liu Yudong trained his stamina relentlessly. He was not only the ace of the school basketball team but also the ace of the track and field team, holding the school record for the 3000 meters.
After entering high school, Liu Yudong focused all his energy on basketball, but he never neglected his stamina training.
Therefore, Liu Yudong was one of the rare players in high school basketball who could play the entire game without his stamina faltering.
He Ximeng's stamina had also significantly improved compared to before. By He Ximeng's estimation, he could now play a full high school game. However, playing the entire game did not align with his understanding of basketball.
Whether in professional or high school games, basketball was always a team sport.
Compared to the "one-man army" approach, He Ximeng preferred the atmosphere of a group of people working together towards a common goal.
This was similar to Zhuji Middle School's current situation, where under He Ximeng's rotational strategy, everyone could contribute their strengths and efforts towards the team's victory…
After He Ximeng left the court, he specifically instructed Zhang Zhenpeng to man-mark Liu Yudong full-court, while Yan Hui, Feng Chen, Fu Xinyuan, and Chen Feng would continue to play a zone defense in a diamond formation.
Man-to-man defense and team zone defense, two tactics were used in alternation.
Zhang Yide initially wanted to stop He Ximeng and remind him that tactics should be simple rather than complex, especially in high school games, where overly complicated strategies could be counterproductive.
However, upon seeing He Ximeng intently watching the court and occasionally calling out to his teammates to pay attention to their positioning, Zhang Yide swallowed the "reminder" he was about to utter.
"Forget it! The chances of winning this game were slim to begin with… If we lose, we lose. Consider it experience accumulation for Ximeng. The experience of failure is the most unforgettable…"
Zhang Yide predicted that He Ximeng's simultaneous use of two defensive tactics would lead to internal confusion within Zhuji Middle School.
But the situation on the court delivered a resounding slap in the face to Zhang Yide!
With He Ximeng designating Zhang Zhenpeng as a lone ranger to mark Liu Yudong closely, Hangzhou Fourth High School's offensive fluidity was clearly not as smooth as in the first quarter.
Because on the Zhuji side, excluding Zhang Zhenpeng, Yan Hui and Feng Chen occupied the two corners of the trapezoidal area, and Fu Xinyuan and Chen Feng occupied the two upper corners. The overall defense had retreated but had no obvious loopholes.
If one had to point out a weakness, it was that their defense on the three-point line was relatively weaker.
And this was precisely the opening He Ximeng had intentionally left for Hangzhou Fourth High School.
Hangzhou Fourth High School's three-point shooting was not weak. In the previous group stage games, they averaged about 8 three-pointers per game.
However, about four of those eight three-pointers came from Liu Yudong… This meant that whether it was inside or outside offense, Hangzhou Fourth High School was heavily reliant on Liu Yudong's shots!