In the current domestic arena, especially at the high school level, timing isn't as precise and tactics aren't as sophisticated. It primarily comes down to the core player's ability to handle clutch situations!
Hu Weidong unhesitatingly chose to attack himself. What about He Ximeng? Hu Weidong is a shooting guard, and choosing to shoot himself is perfectly acceptable. He Ximeng, however, is a point guard. According to the current understanding of point guards in basketball, he should focus on organizing and passing… but unfortunately, He Ximeng is not just a point guard…
On this final play, before He Ximeng could even cross half-court, he was met with a full-court press from both Hu Xuefeng and Hu Weidong…
Nanjing Ninth Middle School believed that Zhuji Middle School would be intimidated by such a sudden press.
Full-court presses are indeed very effective in high school basketball!
However, what Nanjing Ninth Middle School didn't anticipate was that Zhuji Middle School was an anomaly.
During the regional qualifiers, Huipu Middle School had used the same tactic against Zhuji Middle School and failed.
Before heading to the Eastern Finals, He Ximeng had also led the entire team in practicing strategies to break full-court presses…
Seeing Nanjing Ninth Middle School surround He Ximeng in their half, Wang Xian and Zhang Zhenpeng immediately ran to provide support.
He Ximeng didn't pass blindly. Instead, he used his skillful ball-handling to weave through the "Double Hu" for a few seconds, creating time for his teammates who were coming to receive the pass. Then, using the gap in the double-team, he jumped and passed to Zhang Zhenpeng!
After catching the ball, Zhang Zhenpeng, facing a double-team from Nanjing Ninth Middle School, didn't stop to dribble. He immediately drove a pass to Yan Hui, who had moved up to the high post for support!
With two quick passes, Zhuji Middle School had effectively dismantled Nanjing Ninth Middle School's half-court pressure. Yan Hui could go back-to-back against Tang Zhengdong in the high post, but Yan Hui didn't force a shot. With the lead, Zhuji Middle School held the initiative! They aimed to waste as much time as possible, and besides, Yan Hui was waiting for He Ximeng's next move…
As expected! He Ximeng's strong ball control and a lob pass foiled Nanjing Ninth Middle School's attempt to steal the ball in their half. They started to panic, their attention focused on the ball. He Ximeng, using the chaos, slipped to Yan Hui's side. They executed a high-post hand-off, and He Ximeng cut into Nanjing Ninth Middle School's paint on the side.
In their effort to implement the full-court press, Nanjing Ninth Middle School's defensive strength was concentrated around the ball. With He Ximeng finding an opening to drive, essentially only Tang Zhengdong was left in the paint…
Tang Zhengdong, guarding the paint alone, was willing to foul to try and block He Ximeng's layup. But Tang Zhengdong underestimated He Ximeng's core strength.
Tang Zhengdong thought his height and strength would allow him to knock He Ximeng flying with his upward lunge. However, he didn't expect that after colliding with He Ximeng in mid-air, He Ximeng, while resisting Tang Zhengdong's foul-inducing downward push with his left hand, would stubbornly toss the ball towards the basket with his right hand as he fell sideways…
The whistle blew, the ball went in, and it was an and-one!
Tang Zhengdong, after committing the foul, was stunned. He had no complaints about the foul because his last move was clearly intended to commit one. His head coach had given the order that if the full-court press failed, they could resort to fouling to send the opponent to the free-throw line… The only thing they needed to be careful about was avoiding flagrant fouls. However, the coach hadn't stressed not to give up a 2+1. Tang Zhengdong didn't need the coach to remind him; the reason he fouled so hard was to disrupt He Ximeng's rhythm and prevent him from scoring…
How did He Ximeng make that shot? He had clearly lost his balance in the air. Why could he still aim for the basket and shoot while airborne?
Unlike Tang Zhengdong, who stood there contemplating life, most of the spectators' attention was focused on He Ximeng, who had fallen heavily to the floor.
Although everyone acknowledged that He Ximeng's shot was arguably one of the most spectacular plays of the Eastern Finals so far this year… if He Ximeng were to get injured because of it, it would be a significant loss for Zhuji Middle School.
It was similar to last year when Nanjing Ninth Middle School, despite defeating Huipu Middle School in the Eastern Finals and winning the divisional championship, lost Hu Weidong to injury, making the victory bittersweet.
And Zhuji Middle School wasn't even in the Eastern Finals yet; this was merely the semi-finals of the Eastern Finals.
On the sidelines, everyone on the Zhuji Middle School bench had stood up, including Zhang Yide, who had been calmly observing.
Zhang Tian'ai even covered her mouth, as her scream during He Ximeng's heavy fall to the floor had been quite piercing…
The players from Zhuji Middle School rushed over, intending to help He Ximeng up. But He Ximeng waved them off, rejecting their kind offers.
Even the referees who came to inquire were dismissed by He Ximeng. He had only one request: "Please give me some space. Let me lie on the floor for a moment to take a deep breath, recover my senses, and check if I'm injured and where."
In the instant he collided with Tang Zhengdong, He Ximeng's mind was solely focused on making the shot, with no thought for how he would land. It was only after he fell like a beached fish onto the floor that He Ximeng felt a pang of fear. That move was too risky… If he had actually gotten injured, it would have been a terrible loss. In the future, if he ever had the chance to play across the ocean, he'd need to ask Iverson for advice on proper landing techniques… Landing directly on his back hurt, and his head was ringing…
Lying on the floor, He Ximeng gazed up at the stadium ceiling, contemplated life for a moment, and then began to bend his legs… Hmm, no pain, so he shouldn't be injured…
He tried to roll over. His back didn't seem to hurt… His elbows were fine…
His wrists were fine too…
Well, it seemed like he was completely fine… He Ximeng pushed himself up with his hands and slowly sat up… No longer "it seemed," he was indeed fine. His body's resilience seemed to have improved. This was good news… If he ever played in that league across the ocean, being injury-prone would render even immense talent useless… He could be shattered by an ill-intentioned opponent in a split second…
Hu Weidong had been closely watching He Ximeng. Seeing him sit up, he walked over immediately.
"I've seen a lot of crazy players, and you're one of the craziest… similar to me…"
"Aren't you worried I'll beat you?"
"This is just the beginning… People like us should aim to defeat all the martial arts masters and have a showdown at the peak of Mount Jin."
He Ximeng suddenly remembered a rumor: the reason Hu Weidong was severely nearsighted was that after basketball practice every day, he would use a flashlight to read Wuxia novels under his covers…