Hui Pu Middle School's pincer movement failed, but they didn't dwell on it. They immediately turned and began a fast break, transitioning to offense.
He Ximeng quickly called his teammates back to defend. From the baseline, Zheng Wu unleashed a long pass to Wu Hou, who was already near the half-court line.
Wu Hou received the ball without stopping and charged directly towards Zhuji Middle School's paint.
Yan Hui and Feng Chen were too far to get back. Wang Xian and Tang Chenfeng, one in front and one behind, attempted to double-team Wu Hou.
However, Wu Hou changed direction on the move, shifting from the right flank to the left. After luring Wang Xian and Tang Chenfeng towards him, he suddenly curved his path and broke out of the paint, opting not to force a layup.
"Watch your back!"
He Ximeng, who had just crossed half-court, loudly warned his teammates. Wu Hou's play was clearly intended to pass to the middle... but it was too late. As He Ximeng spoke, Wu Hou turned halfway and made a bounce pass to Sun Anhui, who was following up in the middle!
Sun Anhui caught the ball and drove again. Wang Xian and Tang Chenfeng couldn't recover in time, and Sun Anhui scored with a layup on the right side.
The speed of this counterattack was truly incredible, giving the opponent no time to reposition and adjust.
Fortunately, Zhuji Middle School's stamina had at least been strengthened. Otherwise, after a few more possessions, they would have been worn down by Hui Pu Middle School and would have been at their mercy.
At this stage, the most He Ximeng could do was play offense to compensate for defense, holding the line. Once Hui Pu Middle School's initial onslaught subsided and their counterattack speed returned to normal, it would be time for his teammates to shine. After all, in the current state, any mistake would severely impact the team's morale. Hui Pu Middle School would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to go on a small run and establish a lead.
When it was Zhuji Middle School's turn to attack, He Ximeng advanced the ball at a measured pace.
Since Hui Pu Middle School was aggressively increasing the tempo, Zhuji Middle School needed to do the opposite and slow things down. This was about controlling the game's rhythm; they couldn't fall into the opponent's desired pace.
After bringing the ball past half-court, He Ximeng directed his teammates to set up and attempted to lob the ball to Yan Hui near the paint, hoping Yan Hui could score.
But Hui Pu Middle School's double-team defense was swift! Yu Leping guarded him from behind, and Zheng Wu interfered from the front, his hands all over, preventing Yan Hui from advancing with his back to the basket.
Yan Hui was forced to pass the ball back to He Ximeng, who was outside the three-point line. The moment He Ximeng received the ball, he feigned a shot.
Sun Anhui didn't jump but slid forward, extending a hand to provide token interference, clearly not believing He Ximeng would attempt a three-pointer.
Although He Ximeng had displayed decent three-point shooting ability in the match against Hangzhou No. 4 Middle School, the shooting accuracy of most players in the high school league was inconsistent. Therefore, no team generally considered the three-pointer their primary offensive weapon. This era still revered inside-out offense. Teams either focused on strong post-ups by their big men or drives and layups by their guards.
Sensing Sun Anhui's mindset, He Ximeng initially dribbled and drove one step, following Sun Anhui's expectation.
Sun Anhui quickly retreated, a look of "just as I expected" on his face!
But the next moment, He Ximeng immediately executed a pull-up jumper, a between-the-legs crossover, faking a change of direction, but in reality, gathering the ball for a step-back... a signature move of Harden, one that could easily be called for a travel if not executed perfectly.
The referee hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't blow the whistle.
He Ximeng smoothly shot the three-pointer. The ball arced high over the rim and went in cleanly!
"What the hell! Isn't He Ximeng a traditional point guard?"
"Damn! Who said He Ximeng wasn't good at scoring?"
"My god! Is He Ximeng on steroids?"
"Holy cow! Did He Ximeng have a shot of adrenaline?"
...
He Ximeng, starting with a completely different style than his hesitant play during the group stages, made all three of his shots, scoring 7 consecutive points! The crowd erupted.
Especially the teams in Group A who hadn't played against Zhuji Middle School. From what they heard from other teams in Group B, He Ximeng was known for his sharp passing, assists, and court command, but lacked scoring ability, with his three-point shots being erratic.
"You call this He Ximeng unable to score?"
The players in Group A were stunned.
In fact, the players in Group B were no less bewildered.
The He Ximeng they had encountered wasn't like this. The He Ximeng they played against talked a lot on the court, chattering instructions to his teammates on positioning and plays, passing, passing, and passing again without end.
He was nothing like this current stoic and deadly persona.
"Seriously, which one is the real He Ximeng?" Yuan Zhangyang murmured from the stands.
"Both!" Liu Yudong said coldly. "One is He Ximeng in coach mode, and the other is He Ximeng in player mode!"
With He Ximeng firing on all cylinders, Zhuji Middle School weathered the initial onslaught from Hui Pu Middle School.
Subsequently, Zheng Wu began to assert himself, repeatedly scoring on one-on-one plays against Wang Xian.
Wang Xian was a capable defender but was physically slender. He had an advantage when defending guards and forwards, but he struggled significantly against a forward like Zheng Wu, who possessed both height and strength.
Therefore, He Ximeng initiated substitutions early, bringing in Zhang Zhenpeng. Wang Xian shifted down to shooting guard, and Tang Chenfeng went to the bench to rest.
The strongest Hui Pu needed the strongest Zhuji to match them. Otherwise, if Hui Pu Middle School pulled away with a lead, the rest of the game would become difficult to play.
After all, although He Ximeng's overall ability had improved, he himself was unsure of the exact extent of this improvement. To date, no team had pushed He Ximeng to the brink, forcing him into a desperate, do-or-die battle.
Zhang Zhenpeng had long been eager to test himself against Zheng Wu. Upon receiving He Ximeng's call, he shed his pullover and leaped onto the court, ready to play.
Zhang Zhenpeng's arrival significantly eased the offensive pressure on He Ximeng.
In the early stages, Yan Hui was heavily guarded by Hui Pu Middle School, unable to find good shooting opportunities in the paint. He Ximeng had to rely on his individual skills to carry the team's scoring.
Zhang Zhenpeng, on the other hand, had the characteristic of being able to play both inside and outside.
With the inside game struggling, Zhang Zhenpeng could team up with He Ximeng to break down Hui Pu Middle School's defense.
As expected, after Zhang Zhenpeng entered the game, with most of Hui Pu Middle School's attention on He Ximeng, he executed a screen with Yan Hui in the paint, helping Yan Hui draw Yu Leping away.
Zhang Zhenpeng's initial intention was for He Ximeng to pass him the ball, allowing him to exploit the size mismatch against Yu Leping.
Unexpectedly, He Ximeng faked and passed the ball to Yan Hui on the other side, enabling Yan Hui to use his size advantage against Zheng Wu with a post-up play.