Zhang Zhenpeng, this "foolish fellow," seemed sharp but was overly fixated on scoring. When he saw a scoring opportunity, he charged forward like a rat spotting rice... It wasn't entirely unfair for Liu Yudong to seize the chance and target him.
"Hurry and drag him back!" He Ximeng shouted to his teammates on the court, while signaling Zhang Tian'ai to call a timeout at the technical area.
Yan Hui strode over, threw an arm around Zhang Zhenpeng's neck, and pulled him back to their team bench.
On the basketball court, the most unwise action was to challenge the referee's authority! Especially for a player.
Regardless of whether Liu Yudong had faked the foul on the previous play, considering that this year's national competition was held in Hangzhou, a call slightly favoring Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School was hardly a problem.
Besides, Liu Yudong was a star player in this competition, while Zhang Zhenpeng was merely a freshman rookie making his debut...
Back on the bench, Zhang Zhenpeng still looked unconvinced, muttering about "faking a foul" and wanting his teammates to uphold justice for him.
He Ximeng didn't indulge Zhang Zhenpeng, stating bluntly, "Fairness isn't given by others; it's earned through your own strength! When you become the number one high school student in Zhejiang, you'll get the fairness you desire... Then, calls like that won't be offensive fouls against you, but defensive fouls against the opponent..."
Zhang Zhenpeng was stunned, not expecting He Ximeng to say such a "principle." It sounded neither fair nor just, yet it made a lot of sense...
In fact, the other players on the Zhuji Middle School bench were also taken aback by He Ximeng's words.
Faced with such a situation, a head coach would either stand with their player and condemn the referee's incompetence, or directly interrupt their player's complaints and warn them not to cause trouble.
It was rare for a head coach at such a moment to seize the opportunity to instill a "stronger is better" philosophy in his players...
Zhang Zhenpeng quieted down, sitting on the bench and contemplating He Ximeng's words.
Having already accumulated three fouls, Zhang Zhenpeng would not have another chance to play in the first half.
He Ximeng readjusted the lineup, substituting out Feng Chen, Zhang Zhenpeng, and Chen Feng, and bringing in Zhu Ningzhen, Wang Xian, and himself.
The game resumed.
After shaking off Zhang Zhenpeng, Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School's offense indeed began to regain momentum.
Although He Ximeng had successively sent in Wang Xian and Zhu Ningzhen to try and bother Liu Yudong in place of Zhang Zhenpeng, Wang Xian's speed was adequate, but he was at a disadvantage in height, weight, and vertical leap. Zhu Ningzhen had the height and weight, but lacked speed and vertical leap...
Just as He Ximeng had predicted, Zhuji Middle School could no longer find anyone who could harass Liu Yudong like Zhang Zhenpeng. After all, the title of " Zhejiang's number one high school player" was not earned lightly.
By the end of the half, the score was tied at 36-36 between Zhuji Middle School and Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School.
From the perspective of the spectators, Zhuji Middle School being able to play this way against Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School was already a victory, regardless of the outcome.
But for He Ximeng, a halftime draw was not enough. To guarantee their chances of advancing, Zhuji Middle School had to defeat Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School to secure an advantageous position in the next round of the playoffs.
Originally, if Zhang Zhenpeng hadn't been plagued by foul trouble, He Ximeng controlling the game from the center in the second half, with Yan Hui attacking the paint, Zhuji Middle School would have had a decent chance of winning by applying pressure on both ends of the court against Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School.
But now, with Zhang Zhenpeng accumulating three fouls early, Zhuji lost a crucial weapon. Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School would undoubtedly concentrate their attacks on Zhang Zhenpeng, aiming to get him fouled out. Even if Zhang Zhenpeng was careful, he would be restricted on defense... This was forcing He Ximeng to further unlock his skills...
At the start of the second half, He Ximeng fielded the same opening lineup, with Zhang Zhenpeng temporarily resting on the bench. He Ximeng and Yan Hui would first confront Liu Yudong!
After a 10-minute halftime break, Liu Yudong returned refreshed and revitalized! His stamina truly lived up to the title of "Zhejiang's number one"!
In the third quarter, Liu Yudong continued his offensive onslaught, with strong post-up plays, straight-arm jump shots from mid-range, and three-point shots from beyond the arc. His arsenal was fully deployed, scoring seven consecutive points and leaving Zhuji Middle School struggling to defend.
However, fortunately, Zhuji Middle School had He Ximeng managing the game!
He Ximeng first scored two points with a driving layup, then assisted Yan Hui with a high-low pass for an easy layup, and finally drove and dished to Tang Chenfeng for a corner three-pointer...
With a score of 7-7, He Ximeng, with 2 points and 2 assists, led his teammates in a tenacious stand against Liu Yudong's scoring spree!
Following this, He Ximeng brought Zhang Zhenpeng back into the game, initiating Zhuji Middle School's counterattack.
Zhang Zhenpeng successfully disrupted Liu Yudong's fourth shot attempt without drawing a foul.
Yan Hui grabbed the rebound and passed to He Ximeng, who pushed the ball up the court. He feigned a pass to Zhang Zhenpeng on the right wing, but instead pulled up for a three-pointer himself... A beautiful transition three-pointer!
Nash's favorite transition rhythm + Curry's favorite shooting method... Before Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School could react, He Ximeng ended the play and signaled his teammates to get back on defense!
During the defensive transition, Zhang Zhenpeng helplessly reminded He Ximeng, "It's fine if you don't want to pass to me, but can you not use me as a decoy? I was already ready to catch and fly..."
"Fooled? Being fooled is good! If I could fool you, it means the opponent is even less able to distinguish!"
On the next possession, Liu Yudong again sought out Zhang Zhenpeng, wanting to quickly get the "troublemaker" off the court. However, Zhang Zhenpeng, having learned from the first half, refused to fall for it. Faced with Liu Yudong's outstretched arm, Zhang Zhenpeng chose to retreat, preferring to let Liu Yudong score rather than risk fouling out. After all, he was the man destined to save Zhuji; if he got fouled out with five fouls, he wouldn't even get to play in the fourth quarter. Wouldn't that be ridiculous?
Liu Yudong responded with a two-point score for Zhuji, and during Zhuji's next counterattack, he reminded the point guard to tighten their defense on He Ximeng, not allowing him any open three-point shots.
If they wouldn't give him the space, would He Ximeng not create it himself?
On this play, as He Ximeng drove to the three-point line, he feigned a shot, drawing the defender in, and then dropped low for a drive!
Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School's point guard quickly turned to recover, but unexpectedly, He Ximeng executed a crossover dribble, stepped back to the three-point line, and then, amidst the defender's stunned gaze, sank another outside three-pointer!