I was a top student in America.

After the timeout ended, Lane Polytechnic made a decisive change in their lineup.

They cut off Li Ao's receiving routes, blocked him from the weak side in advance, and even deployed heavy forces at the top of the arc.

The opposing team's star point guard didn't hold back and immediately began to closely guard him throughout the entire court.

But this strict defense only exposed the gaps in their defenses.

With the help of [abstract thinking], the arena in front of Li Ao was like a tactical board spread out, and the originally chaotic positioning was automatically broken down into clear geometric lines in his mind.

Instead of immediately reaching out for the ball, he slid to the corner, drawing the point guard out of his defensive position.

Immediately after, using Tayshaun's screen, he quickly circled out to the flank, and a feint with his eyes threw the help defender off balance.

The defense was instantly torn apart by this off-ball movement, and the ball was smoothly passed to Jaylen, who comfortably made a layup.

Although the play wasn't recorded as an assist by Li Ao, Coach Durant on the sidelines excitedly slapped his thigh and yelled onto the court, "Yes! Play it like that!"

In the front row of the stands, Principal Smith stopped his casual conversation with Mrs. Paterson about the math competition.

Although he was a basketball novice, he could see that Ryan Polytechnic's defense was focused entirely on Li Ao, while the rest of Wyndham's team was completely outmaneuvered.

"Was that play just now because Leo lured the defender away?" Principal Smith asked, turning his head.

Mrs. Paterson remained silent and turned to look at Mr. Brown on the other side.

Mr. Brown spread his hands: "Don't look at me, I'm just a math teacher. But Leo seems to be quite good at solving geometry problems on the court too."

Coach Holland stood with a grim face in front of the Lane Polytechnic bench.

He thought that cutting off the ball's receiving routes would paralyze Wyndham's attack, but Li Ao's off-the-ball play still managed to tear the defense apart.

"Stop staring at the ball! Go find someone!" Holland roared at the players on the field.

The point guard, panting heavily, nodded vigorously as he returned to defense.

After several rounds, his pre-match contempt had completely vanished.

He finally realized that what was most torturous about Li Ao was not his shooting, but his ability to read the game as if he had a panoramic view.

He can shut down one tactic and then precisely target their weak point in defense.

That feeling of being a step behind in everything left this star point guard extremely frustrated.

Of course, Wyndham's journey in the tournament was far from smooth sailing.

As a regular in the tournament, Lane Institute of Technology's roster depth and competitive intensity are clearly a level above.

Taking advantage of their rotation, they took the lead in the second quarter and repeatedly attacked the paint in the third quarter, keeping Wyndham's defense on its toes.

Fortunately, with Li Ao anchoring the offense, Wyndham's formation remained intact.

His opponents were wary of his shooting, so he simply roamed around the three-point line using screens, feeding his teammates open shots.

Even when faced with a fierce double team, he can rely on his muscle control to withstand the impact, maintain his balance, and then pass the ball to TySean in the paint.

After three quarters, Li Ao's stats weren't particularly impressive, but those in the know could see the underlying strategy.

Whenever Windham went through a scoring drought, it was he who stepped up to stabilize the situation.

Coach Durant on the sidelines was completely engrossed in watching.

He knew Li Ao had high basketball IQ and accurate shooting, but the core strength this kid showed today was simply bizarre.

His movements remain unchanged even under intense pressure, and his lower body is as stable as a rock when landing after catching a dangerous ball.

Faced with close marking, he no longer relied on brute force to pull and drag, but instead cleverly shifted half a step away from the defender's force, just enough to trap the opponent behind him.

These details may seem insignificant, but in actual combat they severely test body control and intuition; you simply cannot achieve this effect through training alone.

"Haven't played a real game in half a month, how come this kid's skills have improved again?" Durant couldn't help but mutter.

The teaching assistant leaned over and chimed in, "Coach, hasn't he been focusing entirely on the math competition these past two weeks?"

Durant opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

This is the most discouraging thing—people spend their days immersed in a sea of ​​questions to cope with exams, and can even improve themselves by playing a game of ball. What are those kids who train hard in the gym every day supposed to think?

Principal Smith was also a little dazed at this moment.

He was still basking in the joy of the child's perfect score on the USAMO and being selected for the national summer camp, and in the blink of an eye, the child had taken on a leading role on the school team in the championship.

If he hadn't been sitting in the stands with his own eyes, he would have seriously wondered if the academic affairs office had mixed up two files with the same name—a top math genius and the school team's outside core player. These completely unrelated personas actually overlapped in the same person.

Mrs. Paterson glanced down at the thin list of participants in her hand, then looked at the running figure on the field.

As a notorious "tightwad" in the school, she had only one thought at the moment: the funds allocated to the math competition group this semester were well spent.

On the other side, Coach Holland scratched his hair in frustration.

He tried several different defensive strategies, but none of them worked.

Double-teaming and pressing allowed Wyndham to score from multiple positions; changing their passing lanes to force Li Ao to the sideline, they were instantly outmaneuvered by the opponent's overall strategic vision.

Holland couldn't help but turn his head to look at Durant in the distance, his eyes full of helplessness.

He finally understood why Wyndham, an ordinary public school, could make it into the tournament; it turned out they had a prodigy on their team who didn't play by the rules at all.

With a narrow two-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, the game devolved into a physical battle.

TySean aggressively attacked the paint to tie the game, but Ryan Polytechnic responded with a baseline cut; Jaylen made a mid-range jumper, and the opposing point guard immediately drew a foul to get to the free throw line.

The score went back and forth, and the roar in the stadium almost lifted the roof off. All the Wyndham students stood up, and the parents' group across the stadium shouted themselves hoarse.

In contrast, Ryan and his group, who were sitting in the center of the stands, were unusually quiet.

They were just there to join in the fun, hoping to have more to talk about at school the next day after watching the game.

Seeing this, none of them could make a joke anymore.

Sam stared intently at the court, unable to resist blurting out a curse: "Are these guys really involved in math competitions like us?"

Jimmy looked somewhat dazed: "Is it possible that his original goal was to become a professional player, and he just happened to get a perfect score on the USAMO exam?"

Ryan also completely put away his usual smile.

He watched as Li Ao skillfully outmaneuvered Ryan Institute of Technology's defense with a few feints, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "Now I understand why Professor Green always praises him."

Matthew, standing to the side, rested his hands on his knees, leaned forward, and stared intently at the field.

Ever since he lost to Li Ao in the state competition, he had been holding back a lot of energy.

But by the fourth quarter, his resentment had long since vanished.

While quick problem-solving can be explained by high intelligence and extensive practice, the instantaneous judgment displayed under such high-pressure competition is a talent of a completely different dimension.

What's most disheartening is that these two completely unrelated talents are inexplicably piled on the same person.

This is no longer jealousy, but a deep sense of powerlessness.

With 30 seconds left in the game, the scoreboard remained firmly tied at 61-61.

Ryan Polytechnic had possession of the ball, and their point guard deliberately slowed down the pace and ran down the clock from the perimeter.

With the 24-second shot clock ticking away, he attempted a strong drive under screen, but Li Ao anticipated his move and blocked his path, forcing him to hastily throw the ball towards the corner.

With a crisp clang, the three-pointer bounced off the rim, and TySean grabbed the crucial rebound.

At this moment, there were only eight seconds left in the game.

Durant had no intention of calling a timeout. He waved his hand and roared at the players on the court, "Push the fast break!"

Tai Shorn understood immediately and made a long pass to Li Ao.

As he dribbled the ball at breakneck speed, everyone thought the shooter was about to make a game-winning three-pointer. As a result, two defenders from Lane Polytechnic reflexively rushed towards the three-point line.

But Li Ao showed no intention of slowing down or stopping the ball.

Upon receiving the ball, he casually shifted his shoulder to the left, grazing the defender's side as he cut into the free-throw line.

Facing the opposing big man who was helping to defend inside, he didn't dodge, but instead took off directly into the air.

In mid-air, he actively sought physical confrontation, using the reaction force from the collision between the two to deftly flick his wrist a second before losing his balance.

The basketball hit the backboard, spun halfway around the rim, and finally fell steadily into the net.

The referee's whistle blew at the same time.

Blocking foul, and-one!

……