The game was divided into two halves with a ten-minute break in between.
Divided by the center line, players from both teams stand on opposite sides, while the referee stands in the middle, holding a basketball in one hand.
With a crisp whistle, the ball was tossed high into the air, and both teams jumped simultaneously, reaching out to dribble and vie for possession.
Qin Yufan's center position advantage was fully demonstrated, as he used his superior height and wingspan to seize possession of the ball.
At the start of the match, both sides played relatively conservatively.
Tong Kai got the ball but missed his first shot. Pan Qing then grabbed the ball and passed it directly to Jiang Bin, who, being tall and with long arms, easily scored under the basket.
Pan Qingzhi was full of pride, his whole body radiating smugness.
Shen Miaoyi knew very little about basketball, and she asked Pei Xi with some concern, "Is that tall guy on the other side very good?"
Pei Xi thought for a moment and said, "I guess so. Basketball requires a lot of physical contact, so this kind of physical advantage is quite important."
A hint of worry rose on Shen Miaoyi's face.
Then Pei Xi said, "However, sometimes physical advantages are not the only solution; technique is more important."
As if to confirm her words, on the court, Jiang Cheng received the ball, thought for less than a second, passed it to Pei Zhi who was in an open position, and then quickly slid along the baseline to the other wing position.
When the opposing team saw Pei Zhi with the ball, they quickly came over to defend him closely. However, Pei Zhi had already seen Jiang Cheng switch positions and threw the ball back to him.
Jiang Cheng received the ball steadily. Everything happened too fast. There was a huge open space in front of him, a perfect opportunity.
He acted immediately and without hesitation.
"Swish," a three-pointer goes in.
This series of movements took only a few seconds, and could be described as smooth and perfectly coordinated.
A burst of screams and applause erupted from the audience.
"Well done," Jiang Cheng said as he ran past Pei Zhi.
“Of course.” Pei Zhi raised an eyebrow without any modesty.
Until halfway through the first half, Jiang Cheng and Pei Zhi's performance was outstanding and dazzling, with countless brilliant passes and combinations, making them a true duo on the field.
Both players became reliable scoring options for the school.
Their teamwork is so seamless that anyone who didn't know them would think they were longtime partners.
You can't tell from their usual animosity.
The situation on the court reached a fever pitch. Jiang Bin dribbled into the paint, and Qin Yufan and Shi Chen immediately ran up to form a defensive partnership. When Jiang Bin went for a layup, Qin Yufan reached out to block him, but Jiang Bin suddenly fell to the ground and slid two meters away.
"Whoosh—" The referee blew his whistle, everything came to an abrupt stop, and he made a foul gesture towards Qin Yufan.
"I didn't!" Qin Yufan shouted instinctively, raising his hands.
With his strength, he shouldn't have been able to knock Jiang Bin that far; that bastard must have faked the fall.
He stared intently at Jiang Bin, watching him lie on the ground pretending to be something he was doing.
But the referee is the ultimate authority on the field; once the decision is made, nothing you say matters.
Looking at the situation on the field, Shen Miaoyi said with some doubt, "Pei Xi, I feel like this person's fall is really fake."
Pei Xi nodded. Someone that big shouldn't be able to fall that far with just one touch.
"It must have been a fake fall," she said.
"Huh?" Shen Miaoyi looked surprised. "Why?"
Pei Xi, who watches a lot of sports, has seen this kind of situation many times. She explained softly, "It's a kind of psychological tactic. By deliberately creating a foul, the person who is wrongly accused will feel very unhappy, and if they have a bad mindset, they will make mistakes."
Shen Miaoyi frowned and said sincerely, "How bad."
She originally thought that playing ball was just about following the rules, but she didn't expect there to be so many intricacies involved.
Pei Xi's expression was also somewhat serious. She said, "There's no other way. It's precisely at times like these that we can only endure it."
She had seen these students from No. 5 Middle School play basketball before, and they weren't exactly known for their dirty tricks.
Pei Zhi, however, always adhered to gentlemanly agreements and disdained such underhanded tactics.
That means they have to suffer these losses in silence.
Meanwhile, on the field, Pei Zhi was about to comfort Qin Yufan when Jiang Cheng, who was closest to Qin Yufan, walked up to him.
He patted Qin Yufan on the shoulder and then whispered, "Bear with it."
Although Qin Yufan was impulsive, he wasn't so incapable of distinguishing between what was important and what wasn't urgent. He nodded and replied, "Yes, don't worry."
The players returned to their positions, the referee served, and the game continued.
The Fifth Middle School team made a three-pointer, Qin Yufan grabbed the rebound, and then passed the ball to Shi Chen, who dribbled to the top of the three-point arc.
The person in front of him was guarding him very closely, so he couldn't make a move. After hesitating for a while, he could only pass the ball to Pei Zhi next to him.
Pei Zhi glanced at the timer on the backboard, took a step back, and immediately launched a three-pointer.
With a clang, the ball bounced down, missing the target.
Jiang Cheng saw an opportunity, jumped up, caught the ball just as it fell below the basket, made a layup, and then steadily sent the ball back to the basket.
He swiped past the Nets and scored two points.
The entire process was swift and fluid, the movements smooth and beautiful, and the explosive power made the muscles in his arms bulge clearly visible.
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the stadium once again.
Jiang Cheng, however, remained calm, his face devoid of arrogance, displaying only a chilling seriousness.
"It's too late to send this message, it's time." Pei Zhi ran to his side and whispered.
If a player doesn't shoot within 24 seconds of possession of the ball, it's a violation, which is why he rushed to shoot.
As a result, I didn't win.
Jiang Cheng simply hummed in response, then glanced at him without saying anything more.
Pei Zhi sucked on his cheek, inexplicably feeling that Jiang Cheng was looking down on him.
However, he had no evidence.
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