"Even if that No. 7 goes to the bathroom, you keep your eyes on him. Understand?"
The No. 15 Middle School head coach shouted at Zhang Mingxuan.
Zhang Mingxuan nodded firmly, looking confident. "Don't worry, Coach. Leave him to me!"
So when they took the court again, Zhang Mingxuan stuck to Zhang Yu like glue.
He was stronger and a little taller than Zhang Yu. In theory, if he kept a close eye on him, Zhang Yu shouldn't have been able to do much.
But they had underestimated the tactical discipline of Huali Basketball School.
As Zhang Yu moved around, he kept looking for screens.
Whenever Huali Basketball School's players saw him coming, they would step across his path and set a screen.
Sometimes they even used a double screen.
And Zhang Yu was already pretty quick, so Zhang Mingxuan couldn't keep up with him.
During this stretch, Zhang Yu took four shots and made two.
That was on offense.
Back on defense, all five Huali players fought like one, throwing everything they had into stopping their opponents. That brought the other team's efficiency down a little.
As the two sides traded momentum, the lead quickly shrank to nine points.
The opposing coach had no choice but to call another timeout.
"Double-team him! Understand? Zhang Mingxuan guards him first. The rest of you double-team whenever you get the chance. As soon as he gets the ball, the two closest players go after him. I don't care if you leave someone else open—just make sure he gets double-teamed!"
Meanwhile, Huali Basketball School's head coach turned to Zhang Yu and said:
"Zhang Yu, they're sure to double-team you from now on. As soon as they do, pass the ball out. Actually, the moment you see them starting to double-team, pass it out.