In the group stage battle of Group A, with a score of 75:68, Hui Pu Middle School successfully defeated Ningbo Fourth High School to secure the top spot in the group.
In the semifinals tomorrow morning, Hui Pu Middle School will face a strong confrontation with Hangzhou Fourth High School to determine one spot for the national finals in the eastern division. Zhuji Middle School will go head-to-head with Ningbo Fourth High School to decide the other advancement spot.
In previous years' competitions, Hui Pu Middle School and Hangzhou Fourth High School fought purely for championship honor after securing their advancement spots. However, this year, due to Zhuji Middle School's disruption, Hangzhou Fourth High School was forced to advance to the semifinals as the second-place team and encountered Hui Pu Middle School earlier than expected. For both sides, this is not just a battle for honor. The competition will be more intense than in previous years…
Correspondingly, although Ningbo Fourth High School advanced as the second-place team in their group, they no longer have to face Hangzhou Fourth High School. For them, this year is also a golden opportunity to secure a ticket to the eastern division finals… They had always believed that Zhuji Middle School's victory over Hangzhou Fourth High School was more due to luck than actual strength…
Little did they know, on another floor of the same hotel, the players of Zhuji Middle School were gathered together, studying the group stage match between Hangzhou Fourth High School and Hui Pu Middle School. He Ximeng, as the analyst, was holding a clothes hanger, gesturing towards the screen, while Cui Tianci occasionally added details from his live observation… Zhang Tianai, as the video playback operator, followed He Ximeng's instructions to pause, play, and rewind…
Seeing He Ximeng meticulously using the most advanced recording system to help his teammates familiarize themselves with the opponents' tactical movements… Zhang Yide couldn't help but sigh at how today's young people are truly keeping up with the times, so different from when he was in high school…
The last day of the preliminary rounds, with two semifinals in the morning and two finals in the afternoon. The teams eliminated in the group stage had technically concluded their national tournament journey for the year and could head home, but not a single team left early. Everyone gathered at Hall A to watch today's final power clashes!
The semifinal match between Zhuji Middle School and Ningbo Fourth High School took place first!
Ningbo Fourth High School operates with a dual-ace system: center Xiao Yu and small forward Yu Zhibo, both considered top-tier in the Zhejiang region!
In last year's national tournament, if Xiao Yu hadn't been injured unexpectedly, Ningbo Fourth High School would have had a chance to compete with Hangzhou Fourth High School for an advancement spot.
Therefore, in this year's national tournament, Ningbo Fourth High School was driven by a desire for revenge, intending to go all out against Hangzhou Fourth High School. They never expected Hangzhou Fourth High School to "unexpectedly" lose to Zhuji Middle School!
And in the third-place playoff last year, Ningbo Fourth High School, led by Yu Zhibo, ultimately lost to Zhuji Middle School, led by He Ximeng and Yan Hui, finishing fourth…
"I thought we wouldn't meet this year… I didn't expect you guys to actually beat Hangzhou Fourth High School? Good! If we beat you, it's as good as beating them, killing two birds with one stone…"
He Ximeng did not start in this game.
Zhuji Middle School's starting lineup consisted of Yan Hui, Feng Chen, Wang Xian, Tang Chenfeng, and Chen Feng.
Yu Zhibo of Ningbo Fourth High School, seeing that Zhuji Middle School had only sent one of their three ace players, Yan Hui, onto the court, was immediately displeased, feeling that his team was being underestimated.
So, during the interval when Yan Hui and Xiao Yu were heading to the center circle for the tip-off, Yu Zhibo sidled to the sideline and uttered harsh words towards He Ximeng, intending to dampen Zhuji's morale. Little did he know, He Ximeng was not easily intimidated. These mild, insignificant "harsh words" had no effect on He Ximeng's emotions at all…
"Who is this number 35?" Zhang Zhenpeng asked He Ximeng, looking bewildered.
Before He Ximeng could speak, Zhang Tianai quickly chimed in.
"Yu Zhibo, Ningbo Fourth High School's ace player, 1.95 meters tall, 82 kilograms, with diverse offensive techniques, nicknamed the 'Offensive Kaleidoscope,' hailed as the most versatile small forward in the Zhejiang region's offensive skills…"
"He sounds quite formidable…" Zhang Zhenpeng stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Yesterday, he just defeated Zhejiang's strongest, Liu Yudong. Today, let's defeat this most versatile offensive small forward…"
Zhang Tianai covered her face and shook her head. "Are you sure it was you who defeated Liu Yudong?"
"Wasn't it?" Zhang Zhenpeng thumped his chest and argued logically, "Who was responsible for defending Liu Yudong yesterday?"
…
He Ximeng ignored the banter between the lively siblings and shifted his attention back to the court.
The referee's whistle blew, and the game began.
Yan Hui won the tip-off against Xiao Yu and successfully tipped the ball to Chen Feng.
Chen Feng dribbled the ball past half-court, accelerated for a strong drive, and entered the paint. Chen Feng's intention to pass to the center was somewhat obvious. Xiao Yu firmly guarded Yan Hui and extended his hand to disrupt, preventing Yan Hui from receiving the pass.
Seeing no opportunity in the middle, Chen Feng had to pass the ball to Tang Chenfeng, who was positioned at the right corner for support. Facing the lunging Yu Zhibo, Tang Chenfeng didn't rush his shot. Instead, he faked, took a step, drove past Yu Zhibo, and headed towards the basket, aiming to attack the rim.
However, Xiao Yu immediately retracted to the basket, preparing to block Tang Chenfeng. Tang Chenfeng changed his strategy mid-action, stopping abruptly and attempting a close-range jump shot!
Unexpectedly, the already beaten Yu Zhibo, like a phantom, chased after Tang Chenfeng from behind. Leveraging his height and jumping advantage, Yu Zhibo blocked Tang Chenfeng's jump shot from the side and behind… Possession changed.
Ningbo Fourth High School's point guard brought the ball past half-court and passed it to Yu Zhibo, who then began a one-on-one against Wang Xian!
They were old rivals. In last year's national tournament, the first-year Wang Xian, coming off the bench, had a brief matchup against Yu Zhibo, and the result was that he was completely dominated by Yu Zhibo…
Facing him again today, Yu Zhibo didn't even recognize who Wang Xian was on the opposing side… After all, in last year's group stage, Yu Zhibo had dominated more than one or two players at the small forward position. But for Wang Xian, he had etched Yu Zhibo's face firmly in his memory. The matchup against Yu Zhibo was Wang Xian's most painful experience in last year's national tournament, without exception. The feeling of being utterly controlled, of having everything taken from him at will, was unforgettable for Wang Xian.
Since the end of last year's national tournament, Wang Xian had sacrificed offensive improvement to focus on honing his defensive skills, all in preparation to avenge himself in this year's national tournament! He didn't expect to defeat Yu Zhibo, but at least, he didn't want to be exploited at will again…
Yu Zhibo, unaware of Wang Xian's growth, used a hesitant step and then directly utilized his height advantage to execute a standing jump shot! This move had always worked for Yu Zhibo.
If Wang Xian attempted to block, it would be futile. But under He Ximeng's tutelage, Wang Xian had practiced the "eye-closing" technique with some success. Although this technique was ineffective against Liu Yudong in the previous game, against Yu Zhibo…
It truly startled Yu Zhibo!