On the 21st, at the Ridley Middle School Basketball Hall,
Lower Merion faced their third opponent in the divisional game—the defending champions, who had dominated Ridley Middle School in Pennsylvania for the past six years.
Although Lower Merion had defeated Ridley Middle School in a friendly match, Ridley was still a seasoned powerhouse in Pennsylvania. Moreover, Lower Merion was playing away this time, so many media outlets in Philadelphia were quite optimistic that Ridley Middle School would redeem itself.
Speaking of that...
Perhaps it was fate.
Because in Su Feng's previous life, Ridley Middle School failed to defend its title that year.
The number 7 carries meaning.
Still, the opponent was the defending champion, so before the game, Su Feng remained eager for the challenge.
Every morning, the first thing to say is to motivate your opponent.
…
At the Ridley Middle School Basketball Stadium on the 21st, after both teams took the court, Philadelphia's most tenacious competitor, Bryant, stepped into the center circle, ready to jump for Lower Merion.
Lower Merion's starting lineup remained the same: Rasman, Stewart, Su Feng, Kobe, and Swartz.
The only change on Ridley's side compared to the friendly match was a swap in their starting shooting guard.
Today, Ridley's starting five were: Larson, Tinsley, Williamson, Kenny, and Goodman.
During warm-ups, Su Feng noticed Kenny, a shorter player, likely under 180 cm in height, but with an impressive wingspan. He was quick and athletic, though his technique was still rough.
On the court, during the jump ball, Kobe couldn't outmatch the taller Larson, allowing Ridley Middle School to secure possession. Goodman organized their first offensive play.
In their last match, Su Feng had completely shut down Williamson, so today he remained focused on guarding him.
Coach Fernandez of Ridley Middle School had clearly learned from the previous loss, shifting the team's primary offensive strategy to German point guard Goodman.
Outside, Goodman and Larson executed a pick-and-roll. Larson cut down, drawing Kobe's defensive attention. Goodman sized up Swartz and released his shot.
Su Feng pivoted quickly, grabbed the rebound, and passed to Kobe.
Now it was Lower Merion's turn to attack. As Su Feng sprinted to the frontcourt, he suddenly noticed that the small but quick Kenny had thrown himself directly at him.
On the sidelines, Coach Fernandez wore a satisfied expression—he had strategically assigned Kenny to guard Su Feng today.
Last time, Su Feng's deadly long-range shooting had dismantled Ridley Middle School's perimeter defense.
Kenny was short, but with a wingspan exceeding 195 cm and quick movements, he didn't easily lose ground against Su Feng.
On the court, Kenny's intense focus and aggressive defense caught Su Feng's attention—so much so that he jokingly ran to the sidelines, acting as if he wanted to give Coach Fernandez a hug.
"Family! That's strategy!"
"Not too excited—stay calm!"
Feigning composure, Su Feng moved into a low-post position and signaled for the ball.
Kobe, recognizing the height advantage Su Feng had over Kenny, decisively lobbed the ball his way.
It had to be said—this shooting guard named Kenny was an excellent defender.
Although Su Feng had never heard of him in his previous life, he figured Kenny's height likely restricted his development.
Su Feng wasn't particularly strong, so his usual strategy relied on quick turnarounds and fadeaways. As he rotated into his shot, Kenny subtly nudged him—just enough to disrupt his balance.
The slight push wasn't enough for the referee to call a foul, nor did it physically harm Su Feng, but it certainly affected his shot stability.
With fadeaways, even the smallest movement could completely change the result.
Clank!
Su Feng's shot hit iron.
Clank!
Right after the miss, Kobe surged from the middle, soaring over Larson for a putback dunk!
"Nice!"
2–0. In Su Feng's eyes, it was the perfect outcome.
Not only had he collected an iron value, but he also secured a rebound and an assist—Kobe converted the points and grabbed the rebound.
Kobe knew Su Feng too well. The moment he saw Su Feng's fadeaway form break, he prepared to charge in for the offensive rebound.
Never doubt Kobe's dominance in Pennsylvania during high school. In his senior year, he averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game.
Simply put, Kobe was a high school phenom—devastating both inside and outside the paint.
His play stunned the crowd. Ridley Middle School, known for its strong basketball tradition, was familiar with elite talent, but…
Few had ever seen an unstoppable force like Kobe.
Looking back, Ridley Middle School went on the attack. This time, Goodman executed a layup with Swartz—2 to 2.
Swartz couldn't match Goodman's height and weight, and given his recent role as the ultimate team player, Kobe simply patted his shoulder without saying much.
Seeing that Kobe didn't give him a death stare, Swartz felt relieved and resumed his role as the team's reliable utility player.
In the frontcourt, Su Feng once again opted for a low-post position. Swartz, who had "Nash-like vision, Pennsylvania edition," promptly fed the ball to Su Feng.
Having successfully defended Su Feng once, Kenny ramped up his defensive intensity, using his elbow to put pressure on Su Feng's waist.
Kenny's relentless defense almost brought Su Feng to tears.
Uh...
Not out of frustration—Su Feng was so excited, he nearly cried.
This is basketball. Can a game without physical confrontation or defensive grit even be called basketball?
Basketball is all about toughness.
Otherwise, how could Su Feng prove his "way of steel"?
Clank!
Under Kenny's interference, Su Feng's shot missed.
This time, it was Kobe...
He leaped effortlessly, moving like a cherry blossom drifting in the wind, and plucked the rebound right over Larson's head.
Moments later, Kobe jumped again, grabbed the ball, and executed a fluid, waltz-like spin to evade the defense in the paint.
With a delicate touch, 4 to 2!
Although Su Feng didn't directly contribute to the points, after Kobe scored, he still pointed toward Su Feng.
Su Feng understood—Kobe was acknowledging him.
It had to be said: the statistics of this era were far too simplistic. No one even recorded crucial plays like a help board.
(Ah, no shame at all.)
"Su, his wingspan is really long—don't force it," Kobe quickly reminded him as they moved back on defense, realizing Su Feng had misinterpreted his previous advice.
Su Feng nodded and thought: You can't exhaust the wool all in one go.
And as a player with strong team awareness—never a ball hog—Su Feng fully understood his role.
But then...
Something felt off.
No way—the luck stat is maxed out!
For some reason, Su Feng, who had been feeling unstoppable lately, suddenly received a rather strange blessing from the rim.
Bang!
Su Feng missed his next four shots.
Aside from Kenny's defensive interference, one of those shots was a wide-open look.
As everyone knows, the system doesn't recognize intentional bricks, so Su Feng was genuinely taking every shot with full focus—without any deliberate manipulation.
Yet...
"I don't believe this! (Rebound)."
Early in the second quarter, Lower Merion was on the attack again. Receiving Kobe's pass, Su Feng jumped under the basket, aiming for an easy putback.
Clank!
Su Feng: "..."
That made seven consecutive misses!
Watching the system constantly notify him of accumulating iron value, Su Feng, despite his "pained" expression, could barely contain his inner joy—he was seconds away from bursting into laughter.
"No, no—keep it together!" Su Feng struggled to maintain composure.
On the sidelines, despite Ridley Middle School being behind in the score, coach Fernandez couldn't be happier—Kenny had successfully shut down Su Feng.
"Oh? You're the kid who destroyed us last time? Well, tonight, let's see if you can keep that up!"
What Fernandez didn't know was that in Su Feng's personal notebook, he had already marked Fernandez down as "one of his own."
A good man!
"Su, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Relax, don't get discouraged. We're leading comfortably, and I'll keep feeding you passes to help you find your rhythm."
On the court, Kobe could see Su Feng's confidence wavering after missing his first seven shots, so he stepped in to offer reassurance.
Unlike Su Feng, Kobe was absolutely on fire tonight. The game hadn't even reached halftime, yet he had already recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds.
In truth, if Kobe wasn't playing so well, Su Feng wouldn't be pushing himself this hard.
After all, in Su Feng's mind, he still had to be the best.
But...
Looking at Kobe's determined eyes, encouraging him to keep attacking, Su Feng knew he couldn't let his friend down.
"Relax, Kobe—I'm a shooter. I have the mindset of a shooter. Even if I miss my first 7 shots, I'll keep firing!" Su Feng patted his chest and assured Kobe.
Kobe nodded and smiled, relieved.
Back on the court, Ridley Middle School turned the ball over, leading to a fast break for Lower Merion.
Kobe immediately passed to Su Feng, believing that, as his good friend, it was his duty to help Su Feng find his touch again.
But then...
Clank!
Kenny's interference caused yet another miss—and Su Feng could feel the basketball gods teasing him mercilessly.
It was happening.
Su Feng, now 0-for-8, had unknowingly reached the terrifying milestone of "Half-Beast King Realm"!
"Man... if only I could max out 'Beast King Realm' in this game."
Although the box score would be ugly, an occasional off night in high school basketball wasn't a big deal. Su Feng still had plenty of time to fix the numbers later.
Meanwhile, Bryant, ever the supportive teammate, flashed a thumbs-up toward Su Feng:
"That's the spirit—keep shooting. I'll keep passing you the ball!"
Su Feng nodded gratefully.
"I won't give up!"