He remembered trying to contain Chi Tong moments earlier. He had been right on top of him, yet Chi Tong had shaken him off with the slightest turn.
By the time he reacted, Chi Tong had already put considerable distance between them. The helplessness of being unable to stop his opponent no matter how hard he tried washed over him like a tide, making him doubt his defensive ability for the first time.
Zhu Xingda drew a deep breath, his chest heaving. He forced down his agitation and turned to look at the electronic scoreboard.
Nearly ten minutes remained in the game. The twelve-point gap stretched between Ryonan and Aiwa Academy like a bottomless chasm.
Normally, a twelve-point deficit meant little to Aiwa Academy, a team that excelled at playing from behind. In past games, they had faced even larger deficits in the closing moments and pulled off stunning comebacks through sheer determination. But their situation now was completely different.
Ryonan's defense was an iron wall, and Chi Tong and Sendoh's teamwork was flawless. They had nearly shut down every scoring option Aiwa Academy had. This could not continue.
Zhu Xingda's gaze gradually hardened, and his voice carried an unmistakable resolve.
"There are still nearly ten minutes left. We still have time. If we want to turn this around, we have to separate those two first and cut off their connection. Otherwise, we'll never have a chance."
His gaze swept over Sendoh and Chi Tong nearby as he quickly worked out a new strategy.
Then he turned slightly and gave Nakajima Tsugito and Lei Tianzhenglun beside him a meaningful look, directing them to stick to Sendō and Chi Tong respectively. They could not let those two work together again!
Nakajima Tsugito and Lei Tianzhenglun immediately understood, then split up.
Nakajima