He Hui, Feng Chen, Zhang Zhenpeng, Wang Xian, and He Ximeng himself.
Zhong Shijie enjoyed the same star treatment as Liu Yudong and Gong Xiaobin, except that the player exclusively responsible for guarding him was not Zhang Zhenpeng, but Wang Xian!
Zhang Zhenpeng mainly targeted the team's ace players who played the power forward and small forward positions, while Wang Xian focused on the ace players who played point guard and shooting guard.
With Wang Xian's close guarding, He Ximeng's court command, and Yan Hui's presence in the paint, Zhuji Middle School successfully took the lead in the second quarter.
In the second half, Zhong Shijie attempted to rely on three-point shots.
However, He Ximeng did not relax his defense on him, and Wang Xian maintained an equal playing tempo with Zhong Shijie, carrying on the interference throughout...
Zhong Shijie could no longer replicate his opening performance of hitting three out of four three-point attempts. Furen Middle School's comeback attempt failed, and they ultimately accepted the result of three consecutive losses.
He Ximeng scored 12 points and 7 assists in this game, with statistics that were not particularly eye-catching.
However, after the game ended, Zhong Shijie did not approach Yan Hui, who had scored 20 points and 8 rebounds, nor Zhang Zhenpeng, who had scored 17 points and 7 rebounds. Instead, he went straight to He Ximeng.
"I know you're their core~ I also know you've been hiding your true strength~ But, none of that matters to me right now~ Next year, after all you monstrous players graduate, I'll become the strongest player in the national competition... Then, I'll go to the professional league courts and continue to challenge you..."
Zhong Shijie had good vision, was not weak in skill, and possessed even greater ambition.
However, before He Ximeng could reply, Zhang Zhenpeng was already hopping mad beside him.
"Hey, hey, hey~ Who are you looking down on? I've already reserved the MVP of next year's national competition, you know?"
Zhong Shijie shrugged, appearing indifferent. "On the basketball court, it's all about skill..."
"Just you wait! This time next year, I'll definitely crush you..."
He Ximeng did not participate in the meaningless conversation between the two adolescent boys.
The old coach had said that youngsters should be proud and unrestrained, which was probably how Zhang Zhenpeng and Zhong Shijie were acting right now.
Whether it was the mainland or Taiwan, they were all descendants of China, children of Yan Huang, sharing the same heritage. Even with slight differences in accent, they all spoke Chinese. And in basketball, they all shared a common dream...
He Ximeng thought it was great that teenagers like Zhong Shijie from Taiwan should come to the mainland more often and witness the true strength of teenagers from all provinces of the country...
After Zhuji Middle School defeated Furen Middle School, Nanmo Middle School defeated Hefei No. 1 Middle School, and Weifang No. 1 Middle School defeated Wuhan No. 6 Middle School.
With three games concluded, Zhuji Middle School and Nanmo Middle School remained undefeated. Weifang No. 1 Middle School had two wins and one loss, closely following behind. The other three teams had essentially seen their Eastern Zone Finals journey come to an end. The remaining games would be played for honor.
The highly anticipated clash between Zhuji Middle School and Nanmo Middle School would take place this afternoon!
This matchup would not only determine who would be the strongest team in Group A, but also whether Weifang No. 1 Middle School would advance.
If Zhuji Middle School won, they would directly secure a ticket to the top four. For Weifang No. 1 Middle School, as long as they could defeat Nanmo Middle School on the final day, they could still advance to the semifinals with a second-place finish in the group.
If Zhuji Middle School lost, the qualification situation in Group A would become more complex. Weifang No. 1 Middle School would not only need to defeat Nanmo Middle School but also accumulate as large a point difference as possible.
This was because Zhuji Middle School, Nanmo Middle School, and Weifang No. 1 Middle School would form a cycle of wins and losses, and ultimately, only the point difference would determine who advanced and who was eliminated.
In this crucial battle, He Ximeng dared not come off the bench. Especially with Yao Ming on the court, if he and Liu Wei could synchronize their play, they could easily establish a commanding lead, making it difficult to catch up later.
Therefore, for this game, He Ximeng not only started but also fielded Zhuji Middle School's tallest lineup!
The starting five consisted of center Yan Hui, power forward Feng Chen, small forward Zhang Zhenpeng, shooting guard Wang Xian, and point guard He Ximeng.
In this lineup, the shortest player was He Ximeng at 1.88 meters!
Nanmo Middle School's lineup featured center Yao Ming, power forward Cai Liang, small forward Zhang Wenqi, shooting guard Luo Xudong, and point guard Liu Wei.
Center Yao Ming stood at 2.20 meters, power forward Cai Liang at 2.03 meters, and small forward Zhang Wenqi at 1.99 meters...
This was why He Ximeng fielded Zhuji Middle School's tallest lineup! It wasn't that He Ximeng didn't want to start with their regular lineup, but if they had, Zhuji Middle School would have been at a significant disadvantage in terms of height...
Nanmo Middle School's overall height was undoubtedly the highest in this Eastern Zone Final!
As the game was about to begin, He Ximeng instructed Yan Hui to forgo the tip-off against Yao Ming, voluntarily yielding the first possession to Nanmo Middle School.
Yao Ming easily tipped the ball to Liu Wei, and the game officially commenced.
After Liu Wei brought the ball past half-court, he intended to pass directly to Yao Ming in the paint, as per their usual strategy... However, he discovered a slight "problem" on Yao Ming's end!
Zhuji Middle School's center, player number 33, though not tall, possessed great strength and a solid build. Crucially, he was an excellent defender! Crouching low, leaning forward, using his hands as shields, he firmly held Yao Ming's waist and back...
Yao Ming had never encountered such post defense before, which made him extremely uncomfortable, feeling as if he had nowhere to exert his strength.
Liu Wei also noticed Yao Ming's predicament and immediately decided not to target Yao Ming for this offensive possession. Instead, he called for his long-time partner, Zhang Wenqi!
Before Yao Ming joined the team, Nanmo Middle School had already won the Shanghai region with the combination of Liu Wei and Zhang Wenqi. Yao Ming's addition had only elevated their strength.
However, even without Yao Ming, they still had other tactical options.
Liu Wei used Zhang Wenqi's screen to shake off He Ximeng's pursuit and successfully drove into Zhuji Middle School's paint. But Liu Wei did not drive all the way. He glanced back to observe the positions of Zhang Wenqi and Yao Ming...
He Ximeng did not chase after Liu Wei. Instead, at the moment the screen separated, he maintained his high-post position, guarding against Zhang Wenqi's jump shot...
Concurrently, He Ximeng loudly reminded his teammates, "Help defense!"
"I've got it!"
Zhang Zhenpeng, guarding the right side, responded immediately and quickly shifted to help defend the paint.
Meanwhile, Zhuji Middle School's towering center, Yan Hui, remained immobile, steadfastly adhering to the pre-game strategy. He continued to lean into Yao Ming's back, preferring to let Liu Wei drive in rather than rotating to provide help defense...