He Ximeng had guessed correctly!
On the player bench, not just Ming Hanfei, but also Huangfu Yanlin, Fu Xinyuan, Zhu Ningzhen, and others, all wore anxious and worried expressions. Only Feng Chen and Qin Rui seemed slightly better. In that moment, he suddenly realized that his young teammates had been playing too smoothly throughout their journey.
During the preliminary rounds, only the match against Huipu Middle School had been somewhat challenging; most other games had seen Zhuji Middle School start off relatively smoothly.
Even yesterday, against the strong Eastern District team Weifang No. 1 Middle School, Yan Hui and Zhang Zhenpeng had not been at a disadvantage.
Before this game, the atmosphere within Zhuji Middle School had been very relaxed. No one thought that the two-loss Fuxin Middle School would pose any significant trouble for Zhuji Middle School... However, Zhong Shijie's unexpected emergence from the perimeter caught Zhuji Middle School off guard.
Worse still, Zhuji Middle School itself encountered a scoring drought, their shooting touch faltering, putting them in a passive situation.
He Ximeng, accustomed to big stages, remained unfazed by this scenario.
But for the young teammates of Zhuji Middle School, the Eastern District finals were, after all, a big stage... Now, starting so passively, would they lose this game? After all, in yesterday's two matches, Zhuji Middle School had led throughout, giving their opponents no chance to turn the tide. Would Zhuji Middle School repeat their mistakes today?
He Ximeng saw through his teammates' inner thoughts at a glance.
"Fine, let's take this opportunity to give these young guys a mental education! Let them understand how to play when they're behind..." He Ximeng mused, then spoke slowly.
"In competitive sports, there are always uncertainties! On-the-spot performance and player condition can all lead to the game's direction deviating from the team's predetermined path! We can't always have a smooth start!
"When facing a disadvantage, the first thing to do is not to panic, but to trust your teammates and your coach!
"Secondly, calmly assess the situation on the court, identify the reasons for the disadvantage, and then decide whether to make lineup adjustments or tactical changes...
"Hanfei, tell me, do you think there were any problems with our tactical execution in the opening stages?"
Ming Hanfei, called out by He Ximeng, had no choice but to analyze, "The offense as a whole was fine; it's just that our own shooting touch wasn't very good. On defense, we were too condensed inside... Of course, that was the strategy you set before the game, and Yan Hui and the others were just executing it firmly..."
"Very good! If the offense and defense aren't the issue, then why are we falling behind? What's the main reason?"
Ming Hanfei didn't reply. Feng Chen answered first, "It's because Fuxin Middle School's number 27 is hitting threes at too high a percentage..."
"Is Fuxin's number 27 good at shooting three-pointers?" He Ximeng continued to ask.
"Wuxi Middle School's number 27, Zhong Shijie, in the first game against Nanmo Middle School, was 2 of 6 from three-point range, a 33% success rate. In the second game against Weifang No. 1 Middle School, he was 1 of 5 from three-point range, a 20% success rate. Based on the success rates in the previous two games, Zhong Shijie is not good at three-pointers, or at least, his three-point percentage is very inconsistent..." Zhang Tian'ai supplemented directly from the side.
"All defensive strategy choices must be based on pre-game analysis. The reason we chose to shrink our defense at the start was because Fuxin Middle School did not pose a significant threat from the perimeter. However, the reality is that Fuxin Middle School is hitting a high percentage of three-pointers today, exceeding our expectations... We now have two paths before us: first, make a rapid adjustment, expand our defense, and stop the opponent from continuing to hit three-pointers; second, maintain the current defensive strategy, stick to the established plan, and wait for the opponent's shooting percentage to return to normal..."
"Then why don't we choose the first option and stop their three-point shooting first?" Ming Hanfei still didn't quite understand.
"This involves a matter of balance! I just asked you, were there any problems with our offense and defense?"
"It seems there were no problems..."
"If we had problems, for example, if there was chaos in our rhythm, then we must adjust and smooth out the game's tempo. If we ourselves have no problems, and the opponent is simply playing exceptionally well, then we don't need to adjust immediately and chase their rhythm... Waiting a bit, letting the bullets fly for a while, isn't necessarily a bad thing..."
Although Ming Hanfei admitted that He Ximeng made sense, he added, "But it's too difficult to determine whether it's necessary, isn't it?"
"This depends on the head coach's ability to lead... Ahem, or their ability to predict the game situation..."
After He Ximeng's explanation, the anxiety on Zhuji Middle School's bench did indeed decrease.
At the same time, the situation on the court began to change.
Zhong Shijie's fifth three-point attempt rimmed out. After Yan Hui grabbed the rebound, he turned and passed to Chen Feng, who was rapidly driving. Chen Feng drove into the frontcourt, and Zhang Zhenpeng cut to the inside but was swarmed by Fuxin Middle School. Chen Feng decisively chose to pass to Tang Chenfeng, who was trailing on the perimeter. Tang Chenfeng caught the ball and shot, hitting a chase-down three-pointer!
Zhuji Middle School's three-point shooting finally started to connect!
Before this, Zhuji Middle School had been trailing by attacking the paint, preventing Fuxin Middle School from widening the score.
Now, with Fuxin Middle School missing a three and Zhuji Middle School making one, the swing was effectively six points... The momentum on the court instantly stabilized.
Although Fuxin Middle School still held a slight lead, He Ximeng's pressure to adjust was largely relieved. He Ximeng could still maintain the current rhythm and wait until the end of the first quarter to enter the game...
Fuxin Middle School ultimately failed to establish a significant lead in the opening stages. As Zhong Shijie's perimeter shooting touch cooled down, the score difference between the two teams began to narrow... After He Ximeng entered the game, he had intended to leverage his physical advantage to break through Fuxin Middle School and overturn the score.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Shijie used himself as bait, continuously breaking through and passing, setting up his teammates.
He Ximeng's strategy of pitting weaker horses against stronger ones encountered tenacious resistance from Fuxin Middle School.
The first quarter ended with both teams tied.
During the break between quarters, the overall mood on Zhuji Middle School's side was still somewhat subdued.
He Ximeng highly praised his teammates' steadfast execution of tactics in the first quarter, intending to boost the team's morale. However, the effect was mediocre. High school students were still high school students; their mental fortitude could not be compared to professional players. Their emotions were easily affected by the game's progress.
With no other option, He Ximeng deployed Zhuji Middle School's strongest lineup at the beginning of the second quarter!