Chapter 134: Drawing the Bow to Fell the Hero (Part II)

The spectators had certainly seen shots taken from extraordinary distances before, and quite a few players had personally attempted shots from farther away than Turgen’s. Yet everyone understood the difference between the two choices.

Compared with Turgen’s attempt, most long-range shots people had witnessed in the past were desperate gambles taken near the end of a game, when nothing remained but to leave the outcome to luck. Turgen’s shot, however, had clearly been taken of his own accord. It had been deliberate—and this was only the beginning of the third quarter.

When Turgen fearlessly released the ball from such an absurd distance, Wang Lei made no unusual gesture. He merely raised both hands high, as though waiting for the basketball to drop through the hoop.

And when it did, Wang Lei clasped his hands over his head. He was excited too—but what thrilled him was that Turgen had finally found the most important thing of all: incomparable confidence.

Some fans who had gone outside during halftime to buy refreshments or use the restroom had not yet returned to their seats. But when they heard the thunderous roar from the arena, many hurried back at once, asking those around them what had happened.

“That kid really dared to shoot! He’s got some nerve. He took it two or three meters behind the three-point line—and actually made it! What accuracy! I can tell already: this kid is no ordinary player. Just that three-point shot alone is enough to make him stand out.”

The fans chattered excitedly about what they had just witnessed. It truly had been astonishing. Turgen’s movements were already remarkably fluid, and this time he had prepared so thoroughly that he looked like a general drawing his bow and setting an arrow, sending it soaring straight into the heavens.

That peerless three-pointer gave the Frontier Province Youth Team an eleven-point lead over the Fumin Province Youth Team at the very start of the third quarter. More importantly, Turgen’s shot instantly shattered the confidence Fumin Province had built up during halftime.

Left with no choice, Yue Minghua immediately called a timeout. He had to. His players were visibly stunned, and for young athletes, nothing was more dangerous than having their confidence completely destroyed.

Being forced into a stoppage at the very beginning of the third quarter was undoubtedly a tremendous blow to the Fumin Province Youth Team.

When play resumed after the timeout, Yue Minghua could no longer maintain his usual air of effortless composure. He stood at the sideline, waving his arms and directing his players, still trying to establish a tight defensive system. It had to be said that Yue Minghua remained as stubborn as ever.

But by then, the Frontier Province Youth Team had completely opened up. The basketball philosophy Wang Lei had constantly instilled in them was finally bearing fruit. Every player on the team tried to read the game. They watched their teammates’ movements, watched the opponents’ movements, and then judged what action to take next according to the understanding they shared with their teammates.

Just imagine what kind of offense such a team could produce. No one could decipher the Frontier Province Youth Team’s patterns. Their opponents could only react passively and chase after them, yet even then, the Frontier players continued to deceive them and tear apart their defense.

The lead gradually widened. Once the defense on which Fumin Province had relied for survival lost its effectiveness, the Fumin Province Youth Team was no longer the same team that had forced so many powerful opponents to bow their heads.

Tang Song’s powerful attacks in the paint certainly inflicted considerable damage on the Frontier Province Youth Team’s interior defense. But Wang Lei’s team had never built its entire system around defense. Apart from Hawule, most of their interior players were strong offensively but weak defensively. Even though Tang Song had already scored more than twenty points in the first three quarters, one man alone could not match the Frontier Province Youth Team’s many-pronged attack.

Tang Song played the entire third quarter. After exhausting himself through relentless effort, he managed only to help Fumin Province reduce the deficit to fewer than twenty points late in the quarter, when the Frontier Province Youth Team sent in its substitutes.

By then, most of the fans in the arena had become supporters of the Frontier Province Youth Team. Compared with Fumin Province’s style of play, the Frontier team was plainly more entertaining to watch. Even without thunderous dunks or spectacular blocks, their constantly changing tactics and utterly harmonious teamwork were enough to leave the spectators amazed.

So basketball could be played like this.

When the fourth quarter began, Turgen struck again. Once more, he unleashed an outrageous three-pointer. This time, however, he was even more decisive. He shook off his defender, then jumped while remaining almost pressed against the opposing player. Even after being hit, he kept his shooting form intact. The ball left his hands at a strangely awkward angle, yet the result was once again perfect.

The whistle blew.

A brilliant and exceedingly rare four-point play.

Coach Yue Minghua bit his lip and stood silently at the sideline. At that moment, he desperately wanted to rush over to Wang Lei, grab him by the throat, and demand, “Where the hell did you find a kid like this? Tell me honestly—did you trade your legs for luck?”

Yue Minghua felt that he would not be the only one thinking that after the game. He was certain that many coaches who watched the recording would think the same. Wang Lei had simply been unbelievably lucky—or perhaps he had been unbelievably bold. An ordinary coach, after seeing Turgen’s physical condition and training background, would have abandoned the boy without hesitation.

But who could have known that this sickly boy, who had never received even a single day of professional training, possessed such astonishing talent?

The fourth quarter continued. This time, Yue Minghua bet everything on a tactical adjustment. With his team trailing by twenty points, continuing to focus on defense had lost all meaning. The entire Fumin Province Youth Team began intensifying its offense, but the results were almost nonexistent.

Tang Song’s physical abilities were extraordinary, but he had already expended too much energy during the first three quarters. With Hawule pressing against him from behind, it was no longer easy for him to turn and force his way inside.

Without Tang Song’s aggressive interior play, and with the other players unable to contribute much offensively, the Fumin Province Youth Team grew more and more dispirited as the game went on.

When the game entered its final five minutes, Fumin Province could no longer organize an effective attack, while the Frontier Province Youth Team continued to unleash a powerful offensive barrage.

Wang Lei wisely took his starters out. Fumin Province was already down by twenty-five points. Continuing to press the advantage would have been tantamount to humiliating his old friend, so he replaced his main players and, at the very least, left Yue Minghua some dignity.

When Turgen left the court, he was greeted by a passionate ovation. After a game like this, countless spectators had already been won over by the white-haired young man.

Turgen, in turn, embraced Wang Lei as he came off the court. He truly owed Wang Lei his thanks. Without him, he might still have been the boy sitting in front of a television, envying the people he watched on-screen.

The game ended with the Frontier Province Youth Team defeating the equally surprising Fumin Province Youth Team by an indisputable margin. They had advanced to the semifinals of the youth basketball tournament at this year’s National Games.