After Huang Rixin sank that three-pointer, Mingde Middle School went back to their half-court offense, playing it by the book.
They used their center's height advantage to pass the ball under the basket, where he scored an easy two-pointer.
When play returned to the other end, Huali launched another fast break.
Their opponents were paying close attention to getting back on defense, so Huali still couldn't score on the break. But Guan Guan passed the ball to Huang Rixin, who was wide open on the left wing.
After catching the ball, Huang Rixin didn't make a single adjustment. He rose and shot again.
The basketball seemed to be guided by a homing signal, dropping straight through the center of the hoop.
Another three-pointer!
The lead was down to two!
That three-pointer gave the opposing head coach, Pan Hongtao, a start. Could they be doing it again, scoring only when it mattered, just like before?
He wanted to call a timeout and talk to his players, but he'd already used all his regular timeouts. He wouldn't get another until the final two minutes.
So they had no choice but to keep playing.
Mingde's five players really had incredible grit. Even though they were exhausted, they patiently moved the ball around until they found an opening on the left wing.
Then their power forward, Zhang Wenlong, drove under the basket and scored on a layup, stretching the lead back to four.
When play returned to the other end, Huali immediately launched a fast break.
Pan Hongtao prayed silently.
Just over 40 seconds until we're inside the final two minutes. I hope they don't make another three in that time.
Huali had launched a fast break, but Mingde showed plenty of grit too. Though they were running out of energy, they gritted their