Lincoln High School's opponent in the semifinals was Duncanville High School.
This was a strong school, and their starting guard had recently been ranked as a five-star Point Guard by Rivals, placing 19th overall.
Standing 1.9 meters tall and weighing 90kg, he was considered a "Tank Point Guard" in the High School League. Furthermore, he possessed first-class athletic ability. His only flaw was an unstable shot and an extremely awkward shooting motion.
Although there are many strange "Shooting Packages" in the NBA...
Hmm... everyone would immediately think of Shawn Marion.
That's right, this Tank Point Guard had the same Shooting Package as Shawn Marion, but the difference was, Marion was accurate.
Of course, even though the opponent was a fast tank-type Point Guard, Link was a heavy tank with a shot.
The venue for this game was a University Gymnasium in Texas. Compared to a high school gymnasium which could hold a few hundred people, this University Gymnasium could accommodate a full 4,120 people.
This was also a groundbreaking first in the Texas High School League.
Tickets for front-row fans had been hyped up to 600 dollars each.
Friends who experienced the "Sino-US accounting" in their previous lives know that 600 dollars is no small sum for ordinary people.
In addition...
This semifinal was also broadcast live by three mainstream media outlets: ABC, ESPN2 Channel, and FOX Sports.
In the stands, many fans held up banners—
"Drove 70m, Just to See Link!"
"Link, You Are the True Number One High Schooler in the World!"
"Link, You Are the Chosen One!!!"
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...
In the locker room, or to be precise, the home locker room of the University Gymnasium.
Coach Leonard was giving a pre-game pep talk.
Lincoln High School and Duncanville High School theoretically both had the qualifications for the home locker room with better conditions, but there was no helping it, Link was the financial backer. The ticket revenue and live broadcast income he brought, although not going into his personal pocket, subsidized the local organizers.
Before the game started, some fans spotted Sophia Clarke also at the venue.
"Miss Clarke, if Link scores 50+ in tonight's game, will you really give him your first kiss?"
"Miss Clarke, you're so beautiful, do you really still have your first kiss?"
"Miss Clarke, you can't go back on your word."
Sophia Clarke wrinkled her prominent nose and said unhappily, "Of course my first kiss is still here, but he can't get 50 points tonight, haha, he won't even get 30 points! You know, the opponent is the famous Duncanville High School!!!"
Although Clarke's tone was somewhat arrogant when talking about Link, it could be heard from her words that even as an anti-fan, Sophia had to admit that Link had the ability to casually score 20+ points.
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...
After the game began, the opponent's five-star Point Guard immediately started pressuring Link, attempting to force a dribbling turnover through close-range pressing, while also accelerating his physical exertion.
Compared to his time at the ABCD Training Camp, Link could now face close-range defense more easily, even being able to quickly activate and shake off opponents the moment their Center of gravity was unbalanced. After all, Link now not only possessed First Step Master (Bronze) but also had his Explosive Acceleration attribute increased to 40. Although not excellent, it was decent enough in the High School League.
Link, after getting past his opponent, created a 5-on-4 situation, which is a Point Guard's favorite "man advantage."
Link could drive straight into the paint, or after attracting help defense and rotations, deliver an assist. Of course, a pull-up jump shot halfway through his drive was also a good option.
"Wow..."
"Link, once again broke through into the paint, but this time he didn't choose to shoot. Instead, with a no-look Passing, he assisted Chris Bosh, who was in a Ghost Position Under the Basket."
"Alright... the two who connected are roaring on the court again."
"Although this is the first time FOX Sports has broadcast their game, I must say, I've fallen deeply in love with this court commander."
"Compared to players his age, he is effortlessly dominant on the court, perfectly delivering a Dimensionality Reduction Strike to his opponents!"
The FOX Sports commentator, with his extremely penetrating voice and exaggerated tone, enthusiastically praised Link.
Throughout the first half, Link achieved near triple-double statistics.
16 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, while also delivering 3 Steals and 1 Standing Block.
Uh...
This Standing Block was achieved by Link using "hand-check" and raised-hand defense, waiting for the opposing Point Guard to actively approach him.
But in reality, this was a manifestation of Link's "Defensive Positioning" and "Court Spatial Awareness"!!!
Additionally, Link led his team to a 53-39 lead, a 14-point advantage in just the first half.
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During halftime.
The focus of these live broadcast media was also Link.
And Chris Bosh, the 2nd-ranked five-star interior player nationwide, was like a junior follower next to Link.
"Although Link's game tonight is very exciting, his scoring isn't high tonight, only 16 points in the first half. You know, the beautiful Miss Sophia said he needs to score more than 50 points to get her first kiss."
"Haha, maybe Link is still new to romance and a bit shy."
The ABC commentator couldn't help but tease Link in the live broadcast.
Sophia's looks and figure were very much to Link's taste, but not rushing to score in the first half was his duty as the team's Point Guard. Also... the exposure of this game was very high today, and overly selfish shots would affect Link's draft prospects.
As the game entered the second half, the opposing team's defensive encirclement of Link became even more "insane."
As soon as Link and Bosh set a screen, they immediately executed a "Double Team."
The opposing Center and Link's direct defender double-teamed Link on the perimeter. The tall Link had a natural advantage in breaking Double Teams; being tall, with a wide field of vision and long arms, Passing interference was reduced, making it less likely for opponents to touch the ball.
Bosh, rolling to the basket, encountered Duncanville High School's "Defensive Collapse." Bosh's shooting touch tonight was not as good as usual, which caused Lincoln High School's scoring efficiency to drop.
However, the score difference not only did not narrow but continued to widen, though the rate of expansion slowed down.
This stalemate lasted only 3 minutes before Link broke through it.
The way to break through was simple: through Off-Ball Movement, he directly moved to the Elbow on the weak side to demand the ball. After receiving the ball, if Link encountered a Double Team, the open teammate would cut to the basket. The closer to the basket, the higher the shooting percentage; this is an immutable law of basketball.
However, Duncanville High School did not Double Team Link, as their coach believed that Link had some one-on-one ability, but it wasn't strong.
Simply put, they thought Link's 1-on-1 couldn't kill them.
This is also a common method for dealing with typical ball-dominant players: let you isolate and cut off your connection with teammates.