The stands buzzed with discussion.
Zhuqi Middle School had suddenly changed their formation, adopting Hui Pu Middle School's signature fast-break tactics, catching Hefei No. 1 Middle School completely off guard.
Guo Aotian had been playing from the start until now, his stamina already considerably depleted. With He Ximeng pushing the pace on both offense and defense, the entire rhythm of the game fell into disarray.
Huangfu Yanlin, Fu Xinyuan, Ming Hanfei… Zhuqi Middle School attacked from all cylinders, scoring an 8-0 run right in front of Guo Aotian, leaving Hefei No. 1 Middle School reeling.
Hefei No. 1 Middle School had actually prepared for this. After all, the example of Weifang No. 1 Middle School being caught off guard by Zhuqi Middle School and losing had occurred just that morning.
Hefei No. 1 Middle School's head coach had originally planned for Guo Aotian to use offense to defend, to withstand He Ximeng's surge after coming onto the court. However, under Zhuqi Middle School's sudden full-court press defense, Guo Aotian couldn't even touch the ball.
He was either stripped by He Ximeng, or the pass was intercepted by Feng Chen's close defense, leading to a turnover after intense pressure.
By the end of the first quarter, Zhuqi Middle School was already leading Hefei No. 1 Middle School by 10 points… Even though Hefei No. 1 Middle School knew Zhuqi Middle School would make their move during this period, they were still unable to stop their opponent's surge, and the score was pulled apart.
"The game is over…"
From the stands, Gong Xiaobin declared the outcome. In the morning's match, Weifang No. 1 Middle School had been defeated by Zhuqi Middle School in this exact manner.
He Ximeng used the advantage of the rotation time to quickly establish a lead. In the remaining three quarters, he controlled the tempo of the game with his steady playmaking. Whenever the opponent showed signs of a comeback, or his own team experienced a scoring drought, He Ximeng would step up and score a couple of baskets. If the situation remained stable and his teammates could handle it, He Ximeng would calmly sit back and focus on passing.
The only difference was that when facing Weifang No. 1 Middle School, without Gong Xiaobin on the court, Zhuqi Middle School had used a more traditional lineup.
Now, facing Hefei No. 1 Middle School, with the opponent prepared and their star player Guo Aotian on the court, He Ximeng attempted to emulate Hui Pu Middle School's strategy, directly overwhelming Hefei No. 1 Middle School's strongest lineup.
While it might be considered a "less than honorable victory" due to exploiting the advantage of fresh legs in a rotation, Zhuqi Middle School had clearly signaled this rotation strategy during their morning game against Weifang No. 1 Middle School. If Hefei No. 1 Middle School couldn't handle it, they couldn't blame He Ximeng for being "dishonorable."
70:62, Zhuqi Middle School's victory over Hefei No. 1 Middle School wasn't by a huge margin, but the game situation was consistently controlled by He Ximeng.
Defeating Weifang No. 1 Middle School in the morning and Hefei No. 1 Middle School in the afternoon.
Zhuqi Middle School had won both their games on the first day, instantly standing out in Group A.
Although the strength of the teams in the Eastern Division had significantly improved compared to the Zhejiang Division, Zhuqi Middle School was no longer the same team they were two months ago.
Under He Ximeng's coaching, Zhuqi Middle School's overall cohesion had undergone a dramatic transformation. Simply put, the former Zhuqi Middle School was able to be a strong team in the Zhejiang Division because of the individual abilities of the duo Yan Hui and He Ximeng. In fact, in high school basketball, most teams rely on individual player ability to win games.
This is why Hui Pu Middle School could dominate the Zhejiang Division and achieve good results in the Eastern Division and national tournaments.
This is because Hui Pu Middle School relied more on teamwork and tactical advantages, with individual player ability coming last.
To put it crudely, most teams on the current high school stage are like scattered troops. A team like Hui Pu Middle School is like a quasi-disciplined unit trained by professionals. Although there is still a considerable gap compared to professional teams, their tactical understanding and team philosophy far exceed that of ordinary high school players.
And the biggest change He Ximeng brought to Zhuqi Middle School was transforming this once scattered group into a quasi-disciplined unit. His teammates gradually gained a clear sense of positioning, understanding what roles and responsibilities they needed to undertake within different tactical systems.
Compared to technical improvements, He Ximeng gave his teammates more of an increase in basketball IQ and accumulated stamina.
Due to the overall improvement in team strength, even though the opponents in the Eastern Division finals were significantly stronger than those in the preliminary rounds, He Ximeng actually felt he was playing more relaxed and with more flair than in the preliminary rounds.
Yan Hui was as stable as ever, and Zhang Zhenpeng had also gradually grown, becoming a reliable support at the power forward and center positions.
Chen Feng's court vision was not bad to begin with; he was just not confident enough and tended to hold back when facing skilled opponents. But after He Ximeng's guidance, coupled with having He Ximeng as a "template" to observe and learn from, he now coordinated seamlessly with Yan Hui and Zhang Zhenpeng.
As for Wang Xian and Tang Chenfeng, He Ximeng defined both of them as 3D players.
Compared to Wang Xian, who was already strong on defense and weak on offense, this role made him feel like a fish in water. He would take 3-6 shots per game, and when his touch was good, he could make 3-4 three-pointers. When his touch was off, he could still make 1-2 three-pointers. Additionally, with occasional assists from He Ximeng on fast breaks, Wang Xian's single-game score could even approach 10 points when he was playing well.
In contrast, Tang Chenfeng inherently disliked defense and focused more on scoring. Therefore, He Ximeng's modification of Tang Chenfeng was not entirely successful. Tang Chenfeng's defense showed no significant improvement, but his nose for fast breaks was very keen. Now, without He Ximeng needing to remind him, Tang Chenfeng could always grasp He Ximeng's intentions during offensive and defensive transitions and quickly drive to the expected positions.
At the end of the first day of competition, Zhuqi Middle School had two wins and was tied with Nan Mo Middle School for first place in the group.
Weifang No. 1 Middle School lost to Zhuqi Middle School but defeated Furen Middle School in the afternoon, securing one win and one loss.
Hefei No. 1 Middle School narrowly defeated Wuhan No. 6 Middle School in the morning but lost to Zhuqi Middle School in the afternoon, also with one win and one loss.
Furen Middle School and Wuhan No. 6 Middle School both lost their two games on the first day, ranking at the bottom of the group, with their hopes of advancing to the top four essentially extinguished.
Upon returning to the hotel, the previously unknown Zhuqi Middle School immediately garnered immense attention.
This attention led to a startling discovery: there was a stunning beauty traveling with the Zhuqi Middle School team!