The three substitutes weren't as good as the starters. On top of that, they'd spent the whole time on the sidelines watching Huali play at a blistering pace, zipping up and down the court, so they'd prepared themselves for a fast-paced game.
Then their opponents suddenly slowed things down as soon as they came on, nearly throwing them off balance.
Most of all, Huali's defense was downright insane. Every player clung to them like sticky candy, refusing to let go.
The more even-tempered Yuying players could handle it, but the hotheaded ones grew impatient under that kind of pressure.
When people got impatient, their movements grew rough.
And once they started getting rough, the referees were bound to catch it and call fouls.
By the end of the first quarter, Huali was only two points behind.
Yuying Middle School still led by two, but things weren't looking good for them.
After all, Huali specialized in basketball, while basketball was just a hobby for them.
They'd surrendered an eight-point lead, going from ten points ahead to just two, in only half a quarter.
If things kept going like this, they'd be in trouble.
During the break between quarters, Coach Shi kept encouraging his players and explaining how to deal with their opponents' relentless defense.
But even though he explained everything clearly, the high school players' execution was nowhere near that of professionals.
A few players hadn't taken in a word. Whenever they saw Huali hounding them like mad dogs, they panicked. Once they panicked, their hands and feet stopped working properly, and then they made mistakes.
After only three minutes of the second quarter, Coach Shi couldn't take it anymore.
Huali's starting lineup was limited by their height and not very good at defense, so they'd matched Yuying's offense with their