The second quarter finally comnced. The crowd erupted into cheers once more, especially on the side of the Dolphins, as the players took their positions on the court.
On Shizi's side, it seed like the cheers only ca from Shang and a handful of the first-year students who ca.
"Aren't we going to cheer for them?" Wang asked.
Aang held out his hand and shook his head. "Until our boss cos to play, then we're not going to cheer."
The other Angs nodded in agreent.
Kai observed the players on the court and noted that the atmosphere was more intense than before. If, during the first quarter, the Dolphins appeared like they weren't taking the ga seriously, then it appeared like they were now hungry for victory.
As expected, the Dolphins employed the man-to-man defense for this quarter once again.
So, as the Dongs made their first offensive move, the Dolphins tightened their defense, making it difficult for the Dogs to find an opening.
However, learning from their mistakes, the Shizi players stayed calm. Instead of forcing shots, they focused on precise passing—especially to their Captain, Yuze.
Kun passed the ball to Yuze, and he quickly made a move. Chuyi wasn't able to keep up with him anymore because of his speed.
With a quick dribble, Yuze drove toward the basket, his eyes locked on the hoop. The other Dolphins tried to intercept, but Yuze was too quick, maneuvering past them with ease.
With a swift layup, Yuze scored, adding two points to the Shizi Dogs' tally. The crowd sighed in disappointnt as the Dogs took the lead once more.
"That Yuze guy is honestly a problem."
"It's a good thing he's going to graduate next year."
"I think he can be recruited in the amateur league already!"
Praises were heard left and right. However, Yuze wasn't done yet.
He knew that to maintain their lead, he had to keep the pressure on. As the Dolphins attempted to make a play, Yuze signaled to his teammates, urging them to keep the ball moving.
The Dogs obeyed, passing the ball to Yuze at any given chance. With each pass, Yuze advanced toward the Dolphins' basket and made it in.
25-19.
And just like that, they had now incurred a 6-point gap against the Daxue Dolphins.
"He's a monster," Kai muttered.
Lina was able to hear him, so she chuckled.
"I know," she said. "It sotis makes wonder how the team will be without Yuze."
"We'll undoubtedly lose," one of the bench players said.
The comnt made Kai's eyebrows furrow.
At that point, Kai finally realized why Shizi was called 'Yuze's team.' At first, he didn't believe in it because it would discredit the rest of the players.
However, he was seeing it first-hand today. With the absence of Shang, it beca even more obvious.
Shizi was Yuze's team…and without him, it would crumble.
"I don't think that's a good thing at all," Kai muttered, his gaze focused on Yuze.
As the shot clock ticked down, Yuze found himself with the ball once again. With a defender closing in, he made a split-second decision and took the shot. The ball sailed through the air, arcing towards the hoop.
Swish!
The crowd, once disappointed, was now amazed by what the player had displayed.
He did four consecutive shots that all went in!
Chuyi clicked his tongue as he watched his back, finding it ridiculous how he couldn't guard him no matter how hard he tried. However, a small smirk erged from his face when he realized that this was all part of his bigger plan.
"That's right," Chuyi whispered.
"Fall into my trap."
As the ga progressed, Kai couldn't shake off his concern. From the sidelines, he watched as Yuze continued to shoulder the scoring burden for the Shizi dogs.
While it was effective in the short term, Kai couldn't help but wonder about the long-term implications of relying solely on one player for scoring.
The other Shizi players were relegated to defensive roles, which they were doing quite well since the Dolphins' shooting decreased compared to the first quarter.
However, even then, the Dolphins didn't give up. Shanlong and Jade were determined to level the points. So, they countered Yuze's shots with their teamwork, and the score now teetered like a see-saw.
34-28.
36-30.
38-30.
40-32.
Yuze clicked his tongue in frustration as he watched the scoreboard. Despite his efforts, the score remained at an eight-point gap.
In order for him to feel more secure, he wanted the team to have a two-digit gap before the second half of the ga comnced.
"I think he's getting tired!"
"Definitely, he's been running around nonstop."
"At the end of the day, monsters still have their own limitations."
Yuze, feeling breathless, passed the ball to Zeren. However, the Dolphins' defense sward him and overwheld him with pressure, causing Zeren's shot to go astray.
But just when it seed like the ball was going to bounce off, Yuze sprinted across the court with lightning speed. Then, he leaped into the air, capitalizing on his tall height.
Yuze caught the ball mid-air and executed a flawless alley-oop that left the people in awe.
The crowd gasped in surprise as the Dogs extended their lead to ten points.
"Holy crap," Suzy muttered as she stared at Yuze. "He's actually really good."
It was no secret that Yuze was the basketball team's saving grace, but for Suzy, who hadn't watched their ga before, it seed like Yuze was actually very underrated.
However, amidst their celebration, a mont of concern flashed across Kai's face as he noticed Yuze limping. It was only for a few steps, so most people weren't even able to notice this.
For a mont, it seed like Yuze might be injured, but he quickly shook it off, jogging as if nothing happened.
As the ga resud after Yuze's impressive alley-oop, the Dolphins refused to back down.
With determination burning in their eyes, they intensified their offensive efforts.
Shanlong and Jade led the charge for the Dolphins. With a swift pass from Shanlong to Jade, the Dolphins executed a flawless play, scoring a basket and reverting the gap to just eight points.
Yuze bit his lip in frustration as the buzzer for the second quarter sounded. Although they managed to keep the gap, it still wasn't the ten-point gap that he had set his mind on.
Kai tapped Lina's shoulder, who appeared to be elated since the Dogs were able to surpass the Dolphins.
"Is Yuze going to play in the third quarter?" he asked.
"I believe so," Lina said. "He told a while back that he'll be playing in all the quarters."
"Hmm," Kai ambiguously humd.
anwhile, on the court, before Yuze could walk to their side of the bench, Chuyi suddenly held onto his hand.
Yuze frowned as he turned around to et his eyes.
"What do you want?" he coldly asked.
"Nothing, really," Chuyi smirked, appearing unfazed by the gap between their teams.
"I just want to ask one question," he said, letting go of Yuze and walking to his side so he was closer to Yuze's ear.
"How long do you think you can save your team with that bad ankle?"
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