The outcome of this match was as He Ximeng had predicted: Hui Pu High School indeed stumbled against Nan Mo High School!
While Hui Pu High School maintained their fast-break strategy, their defense against Yao Ming lacked focus, allowing "Big Yao" to frequently drive to the paint for easy baskets.
After Big Yao’s stamina faltered and he left the court for a rest, Sun Anhui couldn’t contain Liu Wei, who repeatedly executed beautiful consecutive plays.
The combined power of Liu Wei and Zhang Wenqi was also not to be underestimated.
Hui Pu High School's fast-break offense was first neutralized by Big Yao's dominance in the paint, and then countered by Liu Wei and Zhang Wenqi’s joint scoring spree. The score couldn’t be pulled apart… Once Hui Pu High School couldn't widen the lead, the game would devolve into half-court battles… Big Yao’s effectiveness would multiply. Yu Leping couldn’t stop Big Yao, nor could Hu Yinqiu. Hui Pu High School was comprehensively at a disadvantage.
Although in the final moments, Zheng Wu stepped up and scored six consecutive points, momentarily helping Hui Pu High School tie the score.
However, with Liu Wei’s pinpoint assist to Big Yao for an alley-oop dunk, Zhang Wenqi’s missed long-range shot, and Big Yao’s put-back…
Yao Ming scored four consecutive points for Nan Mo High School, directly securing their victory!
74:70, Nan Mo High School narrowly defeated Hui Pu High School by four points, blocking last year’s Final Four team from the East Zone finals.
Until the game’s end, Hui Pu High School couldn't comprehend why the same strategy that led Zhuji High School to a four-point victory over Nan Mo High School resulted in a four-point loss for them.
Following Liu Yudong and Gong Xiaobin, Zheng Wu’s national tournament also came to an end…
Hui Pu High School’s defeat instilled a sense of crisis in another former powerhouse, Nanjing No. 9 High School.
After all, in the group stage, Zhuji High School had genuinely defeated Nan Mo High School!
Following the logical chain, Zhuji High School defeated Nan Mo High School, Nan Mo High School defeated Hui Pu High School, and Hui Pu High School had defeated Nanjing No. 9 High School in the group stage… Although Nanjing No. 9 High School might have held back some strength in the group stage, the current situation was undeniably precarious.
Before the game, Hu Weidong reminded his teammates to increase their focus for this match and give their all, urging them not to suffer a surprise defeat like Hui Pu High School.
Nanjing No. 9 High School’s starting lineup consisted of center Tang Zhengdong, power forward Yi Li, small forward Zhang Cheng, shooting guard Hu Weidong, and point guard Hu Xuefeng!
Zhuji High School’s starting lineup was center Yan Hui, power forward Feng Chen, small forward Zhang Zhenpeng, shooting guard Wang Xian, and point guard He Ximeng!
Facing last year’s East Zone champions, He Ximeng dared not be careless, deploying Zhuji High School’s most balanced offensive and defensive lineup.
Wang Xian would bear the responsibility of guarding Hu Weidong!
Before the game, He Ximeng instructed Wang Xian not to get discouraged or give up, regardless of how the game unfolded. Hu Weidong’s individual talent was virtually unstoppable in the high school arena…
He Ximeng preemptively prepared Wang Xian for the possibility of facing psychological pressure during his matchup with Hu Weidong. Being outplayed might be unavoidable for Wang Xian in this game, but if his teammates stepped up, Zhuji High School still had a chance to win.
The game began with Tang Zhengdong securing the tip-off with his height advantage.
Hu Xuefeng brought the ball past half-court and immediately passed it to Hu Weidong, who was beyond the three-point line, letting Hu Weidong initiate the opening play.
Hu Weidong lowered his stance, facing Wang Xian’s defense, dribbled low, and executed a crossover, feigning a drive. This caused Wang Xian to quickly step back, whereupon Hu Weidong pulled up for a three-pointer without even looking at the basket…
The ball swished through the net with precision. Nanjing No. 9 High School was on the board with a three-pointer!
“Holy cow! Isn’t this guy severely nearsighted? Why isn’t he wearing glasses?” Zhang Zhenpeng, who was preparing to rebound, exclaimed after seeing Hu Weidong sink the three-pointer with a swift motion.
“He is severely nearsighted. Old Hu sees triple images of the basket… To avoid wearing glasses, Old Hu practices shooting until he can’t lift his arms every day… Now, he has developed muscle memory and doesn’t need to aim visually…” Zhang Cheng, matched against Zhang Zhenpeng, replied calmly.
“Uh…” After Zhang Cheng’s nonchalant explanation, Zhang Zhenpeng realized that Hu Weidong was not just a talented player but also a ruthless individual who demanded extreme self-discipline, similar to He Ximeng. No wonder he was the top high school player in the East last year… But challenging the best player was precisely his goal, wasn’t it?
With his unique thought process, Zhang Zhenpeng, upon learning of Hu Weidong’s extraordinary discipline, was not intimidated but instead felt a surge of fighting spirit, earning Zhang Cheng’s admiration!
For Zhuji High School’s first offensive possession, He Ximeng did not employ the rapid counter-attack strategy as in the previous game. As a former excellent head coach, he understood the need to adjust tactics for different types of opponents.
The fast-break strategy was the optimal choice against Nan Mo High School. Their dominant center, Yao Ming, was a crucial weapon, and his stamina had to be depleted as much as possible to weaken his offensive threat.
However, in Nanjing No. 9 High School’s lineup, their center Tang Zhengdong was not the primary scoring threat. Shooting guard Hu Weidong, small forward Zhang Cheng, and power forward Yi Li were all capable scorers, and Tang Zhengdong was not expected to carry the team’s offense. Therefore, even if Tang Zhengdong were to wear down, the impact on Nanjing No. 9 High School would not be significant. For Zhuji High School, the effort would not be proportional to the reward.
Hence, He Ximeng would still insist on fast-break defense following successful defensive plays. However, surprise attacks after normal baskets would be temporarily shelved because Nanjing No. 9 High School’s transition defense was demonstrably very fast.
He Ximeng slowly brought the ball up the court, attempting to share it and find weaknesses in Nanjing No. 9 High School’s defense through quick passes. Unfortunately, Nanjing No. 9 High School, being an East Zone championship-caliber team, had players who were highly focused at this early stage of the game.
After the ball circulated, it returned to He Ximeng’s hands.
He Ximeng called for Yan Hui to set a high pick-and-roll. Yan Hui screened Hu Xuefeng for He Ximeng, and He Ximeng drove to the basket, stepping inside Nanjing No. 9 High School’s three-point line.
Nanjing No. 9 High School was also employing a zone defense. Tang Zhengdong did not follow Yan Hui to the three-point line but stayed near the free-throw line, anticipating He Ximeng’s drive!
Simultaneously, Yi Li and Zhang Cheng, positioned at the wing corners, both rotated inwards, preparing to double-team He Ximeng as he drove to the basket.
He Ximeng immediately perceived his opponents’ reactions. Instead of forcing a shot, he passed the ball to Zhang Zhenpeng, who was actively signaling for it…