Chapter 110: I'll Handle It Myself

Ma Jingtao turned his head and asked Wang Mingkang, "Should we switch defense?"

Wang Mingkang pondered for a moment. In the previous match, Ming Han had mostly been used as a catch-and-shoot player. It was clear that among the starting five, his tactical role was relatively minor.

"No need. I'll help you lock down his passing," Wang Mingkang said confidently, trusting his reaction speed.

Qiang Ge was gasping heavily nearby, feeling frustrated with his performance today—only 3 shots made out of 14 attempts, scoring just 7 points, a significant drop from his usual level.

In the battle for the strongest center in the middle school division, he was completely outmatched.

After the inbound pass, Ming Han took control of the ball.

Facing Ma Jingtao, who was nearly ten centimeters shorter, he showed great confidence, crossing over and taking a step to break through.

Wang Mingkang immediately stepped in to help defend. His positioning was clever—he blocked Ming Han’s drive path while preventing a potential combination play between Ming Han and Ning Qiang.

This was his defensive strategy as the playmaker: allow the opponent to take long-range shots but never let him successfully connect with teammates.

What was even smarter was when Wang Mingkang confirmed Ming Han had already begun his shooting motion, he lunged forward to contest the shot. This was based on experience; when a playmaker decides to shoot mid-air, it’s difficult for him to observe teammates.

But this didn’t apply to Ming Han! Wang Mingkang had underestimated him. Ming Han oddly tapped the ball to the side, making it seem like a fumble.

A figure cut in from the outside, perfectly intercepting the passing lane.

He caught the ball and smoothly executed a floater.

"Beautiful!"

The teammate who connected with Ming Han was Yu Hang—a tacit understanding unique to them.

As Yu Hang cut in, Lin Wei and Lin Shan set a double screen for him. This was the essence of the Jinhua team’s basketball.

Wang Mingkang squinted at Ming Han—this must be Jinhua’s greatest trump card!

The renowned “Venus and Morning Star” duo on the internet couldn’t possibly remain quiet for an entire game.

"Interesting!"

There was still over a quarter left, and Yizhong held an eleven-point lead.

In student competitions, that kind of gap was not easy to overcome.

Ma Jingtao dribbled provocatively at Ming Han. "Believe me, your outcome won’t be any different from last year!"

Last year, Jinhua was utterly crushed by Yizhong without any chance to fight back.

Today, Ming Han seemed to have seen through this kid. Though his shooting was weak, his breakthrough and dribbling skills were undeniable. But that mouth—truly annoying!

Ming Han mentally reviewed everyone he knew; probably only Da Xu could hold his own in a trash talk battle with this guy.

"Hey, buddy, scared just because the coach said a few words? Dare to one-on-one?"

Seeing Ming Han’s disdainful glance, Ma Jingtao’s anger flared. "You rookie who’s only played a year dare challenge me?"

With a deceptive move, he leaned on Ming Han, lowering his shoulder to drive through, ignoring Wang Mingkang, who was waiting low for a pass.

Seeing Ma Jingtao's play, Wang Mingkang had no choice but to step out of the paint to create space.

This played right into Ming Han’s hands as he stuck closely to Ma Jingtao.

Ma Jingtao broke through to the basket but hadn’t fully shaken off Ming Han; he attempted a hook layup.

Ming Han had studied this move from Ma Jingtao in previous games. Even if guarded, Ma Jingtao rarely passed but preferred to change angles with a hook shot.

At the moment Ma Jingtao released the ball, Ming Han slammed it down fiercely.

"Nice block!"

Ma Jingtao’s face darkened; he had suffered a heavy loss.

Wang Mingkang’s emotions surged. "Play the set plays!"

Ming Han glanced at the gym clock. "Oh! Eleven minutes left, plenty of time!"

Indeed.

Every Jinhua player felt a surge of hope. Though each had more playing time than Ming Han, in earlier games, they seemed close to giving up.

But Ming Han told them that the remaining time was enough.

As the fourth quarter began, Jinhua launched a counterattack.

Qiang Ge had figured out Wang Mingkang’s defensive style. He started acting as a low-post pivot, while the other four players ran endless cuts.

For example, Yu Hang lurked near the left three-point line, ready to sprint, with a forward immediately setting a screen.

Yu Hang used the screen to shake off his defender and cut sharply to the basket, receiving a pass from Qiang Ge for a score.

This was team movement. The smoother the ball moved, the harder the team was to defend.

Riding this momentum, Jinhua began narrowing the score gap.

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Yu Hang faked out his defender, stopped abruptly, and missed a jump shot. Qiang Ge leapt high to snatch the offensive rebound.

At that moment, he radiated an air of dominance.

"Damn, this is the Qiang Ge I know—unstoppable!"

Qiang Ge powered through Wang Mingkang’s defense for a strong finish. The referee called a shooting foul on Wang Mingkang.

The entire arena erupted in cheers as the score was finally tied.

"Jinhua will win..."

It was a thrilling moment; Jinhua had seized control of the game's rhythm.

Meanwhile, Yizhong’s recent offensive attempts faltered; Wang Mingkang missed two mid-range shots in a row.

"Last three minutes, last fight."

After Yizhong’s failed possession, Lin Wei led a fast break. This was his most threatening move in any game.

However, as he surged toward the paint, he dribbled the ball out to Ming Han at the three-point line.

This was rare—Lin Wei rarely looked for teammates when deciding to go solo.

At this critical moment, whether to shoot the three-pointer was a question that required careful thought.

Ming Han didn’t hesitate; he fired immediately.

Swish...

Jinhua took the lead by three points.

"How cool!"

Ming Han calmly turned and began organizing the defense.

Yu Hang looked at Ming Han and realized he no longer stood in his shadow. The disciple he had personally trained now subtly outshone him.

Yu Hang was trying to become a leader, guiding his teammates forward.

From then on, the entire crowd witnessed the most intense defense. Both teams found it increasingly difficult to get clear shots.

With one minute left, Wang Mingkang scored on a put-back—the only time either team scored after Ming Han’s three-pointer.

The game had reached a fever pitch; no one knew who would emerge victorious.

The crowd chanted their school’s name, the atmosphere electrifying.

Lin Wei inbounded; Yu Hang dribbled past half court and immediately bounced a pass to Ming Han beyond the three-point line.

It was as if everyone naturally regarded him as the tactical core.

Ming Han controlled the clock. Lin Wei and Lin Shan came to set a double screen.

Ming Han drove in, closely followed by Yizhong’s small forward.

Wang Mingkang hesitated. If he left to help defend, no one could predict where Ming Han’s next pass would go.

This was Ming Han’s current threat—he was both a scorer and a passer. Most importantly, his passing intentions were inscrutable.

"Will he pass to Ning Qiang or Yu Hang?" Wang Mingkang mulled over all possibilities.

Ming Han had already penetrated deep. He was originally going for a right-handed layup, but seeing the defender close in, he switched to his left hand and lightly floated the ball in.

Ming Han chose to attack himself without hesitation, while Wang Mingkang still stood frozen, trying to read his passing thoughts.

"Damn it, he didn’t follow the script!"

Wang Mingkang never expected someone so steady would choose to drive strong.

He wanted to shout angrily: "You’re the point guard! Can you pass? Do you know how to pass? Do you have any team spirit?"

That shot gave Jinhua complete control over the game’s tempo.