At that moment, the courtside clock showed fewer than thirty seconds left in the first half. The scoreboard read Ryonan 37, Meipeng Industrial High School 41. The gap had narrowed to four points.
Anxiety and frustration were written all over the Mingpeng Industrial players' faces.
Every one of them was running with all his or her might, yet they felt trapped in an invisible cage.
No matter how they struggled, Ryonan anticipated their attacks with precision, while its passing tore their defense apart with ease. They simply could not escape Ryonan's control.
On the bench, Ye Ben Lisan was so anxious that he stamped his feet, his fists clenched at his sides, his nails almost digging into his palms.
Watching his team struggle on the court, he knew the first half was about to end. Calling a timeout now would be pointless.
A few dozen seconds were nowhere near enough to adjust their tactics. Yet he could do nothing but watch, and that helplessness left him painfully frustrated.
Over the next half minute, Mingpeng Industrial fought desperately. Takeuchi Yusi tried to drive through, while Morishige Hiroshi established position under the basket and called for Fukuda Kentai to find an opening for a pass.
But Ryonan's defense was an impenetrable wall. Chi Tong anticipated their driving lanes, Sendoh disrupted their passes, and even their shots faced the threat of Yu Zhu's blocks.
Ryonan, by contrast, transitioned seamlessly between offense and defense under Chi Tong's control of the tempo. Every cut and every pass came at exactly the right moment.
With fourteen seconds remaining, Mingpeng Industrial launched its final attack. Takeuchi Yusi tried to pass to Shan Anche on the wing, but Chi Tong had already read her intentions. The instant she passed, he darted forward and stole the ball with a