Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In the third quarter, Teacher Qiu let Ji Fang replace me. After the start of the third quarter, we played very passively, mostly on defense with very few offensive opportunities. However, our defense was relatively tight. Zhongqi Senior successfully contained Song Huajing, but in limiting the opponent, we also missed scoring chances ourselves. Throughout the entire third quarter, we only allowed our opponents to score 11 points, which shows how impressive our defensive efficiency was. However, we were not much better off ourselves, managing to score only 1 point. At the end of the third quarter, we led by three points with a score of 61-58. The score still hadn't widened, and it seemed that the suspense would be kept until the last moment. In the fourth quarter, Thunderbolt would definitely give it their all because this was a battle for the top spot, fighting for a chance in the top eight!
The decisive fourth quarter began. Song Huajing and Lu Lei seemed to be really exhausted, bending over with their hands on their knees, gasping for breath. Seeing them like this made me feel a bit regretful. The poor overall strength of Twenty-Four Middle School really held Thunderbolt back significantly; they should be among the top high schools in the city. The opponent initiated the ball with Song Huajing holding it. I noticed a detail: after receiving the ball, he dribbled with his right hand while wiping sweat off his forehead with his left hand. It seemed he was truly worn out. However, once on the court, Song Huajing quickly got back into the game, assisting Center for a layup that was blocked by Zhang Ruizhi. Lu Lei grabbed the rebound and scored with a jumper! Bing Ge passed to Zhongqi Senior, who then passed to me. I drove straight to the basket with Lu Lei and the opposing Shooting Guard defending me. Suddenly, I stopped quickly and faked a shot successfully shaking them off before rising up to shoot. The whistle blew; Lu Lei had committed a foul. I stepped up to the free-throw line, took a deep breath, stared at the hoop for two seconds before shooting—my shot bounced off the rim! A Fei and Zhongqi Senior came over to high-five me, "Relax." Zhongqi Senior whispered in my ear. I glanced at the hoop again and made my second free throw; one out of two attempts. The opposing coach called for a timeout with 10 minutes and 11 seconds remaining.
After returning from the timeout, we initiated play again. Zhongqi Senior received the ball and passed it to me. I took two steps and passed it to A Fei at a 45-degree angle. A Fei caught it and hit a jump shot from three-point range! I ran over to high-five him: "Ai II, you are the answer!" A Fei smiled and ran back to defense as their team clearly changed their strategy to focus on offense after this timeout. The Thunder Combo's coordination remained sharp; with 5 minutes and 5 seconds left in the game and possession of the ball for our opponents, Song Huajing held it outside while Lu Lei moved without the ball near the free-throw line in the paint. Suddenly, Song Huajing passed through Zhongqi Senior's legs into the paint where Lu Lei caught it and jumped up after taking two quick steps; Bing Ge leaped high to defend him but Lu Lei switched from his right hand to his left hand for a quick dunk! At 1.86 meters tall, Lu Lei dunked over Bing Ge who is 1.92 meters tall! With this dunk, Twenty-Four Middle School tied up the score at 71-71! We finally returned to square one; when both players landed, I saw Lu Lei instinctively grip his left arm as if he had pulled something; he moved his strong shoulder around before running back on defense. A Fei looked at this scene with admiration as Teacher Qiu called a timeout: "The power of Thunder Combo is strong but they are isolated; we need to rely on teamwork to break down their defense. Cheng Fei..." Teacher Qiu spoke passionately while I noticed Song Huajing and Lu Lei whispering together—these last few minutes would determine victory!
We returned to play; after entering back onto the court Zhongqi Senior attempted a three-pointer from zero degrees but missed as Bing Ge grabbed the rebound. After jumping up, both their Center and Lu Lei rushed forward to defend Bing Ge who had no chance to shoot so he passed it outside but unfortunately passed too late (after both feet landed) resulting in a traveling violation that gave possession back to our opponents. They initiated play again while controlling tempo tightly; Zhongqi Senior closely followed Song Huajing who couldn't pass out so he sought an opportunity instead—suddenly he made a sharp turn but slipped slightly almost falling down! Zhongqi Senior reacted quickly intercepting him for a fast break layup! Song Huajing's face turned pale as he went to receive an inbound pass clearly feeling that his mistake was unacceptable. He received it and made a long pass to Center whose layup was blocked by Zhang Ruizhi! I received the ball and brought it up court for a three-pointer but missed! Teacher Qiu called another timeout; this defensive battle was intense with just one minute and thirty seconds left on the clock—the score was 78-81—we were trailing by three points.
"In these final moments, success or failure hinges on this one play," Teacher Qiu instructed us: "Cheng Fei you screen for Zhongqi for an outside shot; Xiang Jie you are responsible for feeding inside..." Once again we faced this score but this time it was us trailing by three points instead of Twenty-Four Middle School—we had to fight until the end! We returned to court where our opponents' defense intensified again as our twenty-four seconds of offensive time quickly dwindled without finding scoring opportunities; finally A Fei received the ball but hurriedly shot and missed—luckily Bing Ge grabbed another rebound! Thankfully our twin towers controlled rebounds well throughout as they suppressed our opponents almost entirely! Bing Ge attempted another putback but it bounced twice off the rim without going in; when Bing Ge grabbed another rebound he faced triple coverage from their team—the referee's whistle blew signaling an opposing foul! This foul marked their fifth of this quarter so Bing Ge stepped up to shoot free throws making both attempts! He narrowed our deficit down to just one point! Bing Ge clenched his fist fiercely.
With fifty-two seconds remaining in the game and possession belonging to our opponents neither team called for a timeout; they inbounded from backcourt maintaining control while Teacher Qiu signaled from sidelines not to adopt foul tactics yet—we still had chances left—focus on strengthening defense without fouling! As time nearly expired Lu Lei took a mid-range shot when suddenly A Fei committed a defensive foul—this marked A Fei's fourth foul of this match—was history repeating itself like against Hejiang?! Lu Lei slowly approached free-throw line looking exhausted yet incredibly dedicated; he missed his first attempt shaking his head before steadied himself shooting successfully on his second try leaving thirty-one seconds remaining in game time.
Finally Teacher Qiu called another timeout—I thought Ji Fang and Zhang Jun would come back in but they didn’t—Teacher Qiu kept us five on court.
"Cheng Fei you and Xiang Jie will execute our final attack; Zhongqi is getting fatigued," Teacher Qiu instructed us while A Fei nodded seriously in agreement: "Coach should we go for two or three?" I asked him: "Two," Zhongqi Senior suddenly interjected: "Three is too risky; securing two points is essential—if we can drag it into overtime our chances will increase significantly." Zhongqi Senior took a sip of water: "Why would overtime increase our chances?" I asked confusedly: "Because by then Thunder Combo will be too exhausted." Bing Ge added beside him: "Jie, shortly I'll pass you ball along with Zhongqi so you can execute final attack." A Fei patted my shoulder saying: "I think you two are more suited than me for executing final attack." I replied back: "Just listen to A Fei," Zhongqi Senior stood up saying: "Song Huajing will definitely stick closely onto me while Lu Lei will focus tightly on A Fei—but other players despite lacking individual skills will closely guard inside Yan Bing and Rui Zhi—if necessary Lu Lei may assist defensively leaving your defense vulnerable." So that's how it is! The weight of responsibility felt heavy on my shoulders.
As timeout ended we walked onto court starting last thirty seconds’ showdown—Bing Ge inbounded while Zhongqi Senior controlled ball moving forward wasting time until Song Huajing fouled him unexpectedly missing both free throws! No wonder—the pressure was immense—with twenty-three seconds left now belonging again to opponents’ possession—Song Huajing passed towards their shooting guard who quickly relayed it over towards Lu Lei who charged into paint attempting layup blocked by Bing Ge! I received ball passing back towards Zhongqi Senior who slowly controlled tempo—it was now or never! As time dwindled down under three seconds remaining Zhongqi Senior passed me ball while both shooting guard & Lu Lei rushed over defensively—but they were still too far away—I jumped from free-throw line releasing my shot! Everyone’s eyes were glued onto hoop as trajectory veered away from basket...but miraculously hit backboard going in! Score became 81-81 tying us up!
With just one second remaining opposing team quickly inbounded but there wasn't enough time left—the buzzer sounded signaling end of four quarters—"Ah!" I roared loudly as A Fei rushed over embracing me—this marked my first game-winning shot in basketball career—I was overwhelmed with excitement seeing Thunder Combo slumped on bench eyes closed filled with despair.
"Well played; during overtime Song Huajing & Lu Lei will likely experience significant fatigue leading them towards decreased efficiency," Teacher Qiu addressed us: "Rui Zhi, Zhongqi & Yan Bing can you hold out? After all you've nearly played full game." All three nodded lightly in unison while Thunderbolt's strength peaked during first four quarters—I began worrying about opposing players’ conditions now too.
The referee’s whistle blew as we huddled together shouting “Let’s go!” before gradually stepping onto court—their lineup remained mostly unchanged except swapping one dark-skinned Power Forward while Song Huajing & Lu Lei gradually re-entered—they were both exceptional players.
As match commenced I jumped against Song Huajing winning tip-off sending ball directly into A Fei’s hands who swiftly assisted Zhongqi Senior hitting another three-pointer! After scoring this shot Zhongqi Senior murmured something likely thanking his coach.
Their team initiated play again with Song Huajing charging straight into paint colliding against Bing Ge & Zhongqi Senior forming wall causing him fall down—the whistle blew calling foul against Song Huajing for charging “Huajing!” Lu Lei & other teammates rushed over while A Fei & I anxiously watched—but fearing awkwardness didn’t approach instead witnessing Song Huajing slowly push himself off ground using hands indicating he was fine ready continuing play.
After opposing coach called timeout rushing alongside teammates helping support Song Huajing off-court—I exchanged glances with A Fei then walked towards sidelines: “Looks like one of their key players can’t hold out anymore...sigh! If only Song Huajing & Lu Lei were part of our school we'd have championship potential…” Teacher Qiu sighed.
Before long timeout ended as we returned onto court where indeed Song Huajing persisted playing—we inbounded as Zhongqi Senior held ball visibly fatigued slowing down noticeably after passing it towards me waiting outside opportunity arose while A Fei & I still managed enough energy since hadn’t been substituted during first or second quarters—I fed Bing Ge inside who attempted shot missing rebounded by Lu Lei returning possession back towards opponent’s Point Guard scoring easily!
Their number two player launched fast break scoring effortlessly seeming energized after being inspired by Song Huajing’s performance throughout match—we inbounded again where Zhongqi Senior crossed half-court when suddenly intercepted by rushing Song Huajing stealing possession away!
Though lacking speed upon reaching basket I sprinted forward attempting block yet despite my efforts experienced player like him executed quick release tossing ball upwards—the whistle sounded indicating foul against me as ball bounced twice off rim before falling through net successfully completing +1 play!
Song Huajing approached free-throw line taking deep breath before shooting successfully converting opportunity into additional point gained!
Afterward we regained control maintaining possession though fatigue lowered overall speed drastically—I passed back towards A Fei who returned favor initiating tug-of-war style exchange between us both feeling exhausted knowing only two minutes remained—we fought hard throughout group stage matches unsure what future holds ahead!
A Fei scored jumper within paint area following opponent’s inbound play transitioning possession towards number two player waiting nearby receiving pass from shooting guard suddenly dishing out swift assist towards waiting Lu Lei inside paint area expecting him shoot yet unexpectedly passing instead directly towards open angle where awaiting receiver stood ready launching successful three-pointer!
These two truly were monsters if NBA had youth leagues they'd undoubtedly shine brightest among all prospects available!
With just one minute remaining score stood at 88-90 trailing behind now—it became our turn possessing basketball once more; A Fei surged rightward attempting layup missing entirely causing shooting percentage plummet drastically dropping below thirty percent range compared earlier fifty percent success rate observed earlier during match!
Afterwards opponent’s Center secured rebound swiftly relaying pass toward Lu Lei who advanced frontcourt controlling tempo effectively draining precious seconds away until forced commit foul upon realizing time dwindling down nearing critical threshold allowing opponent’s Point Guard step onto free-throw line needing convert both attempts otherwise game could conclude prematurely leaving us unable recover four-point deficit remaining within limited timeframe available!
Now all eyes focused solely upon Shooting Guard standing poised ready take crucial shots…
Comment 0 Comment Count