The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 88 - 26 King of California_2

Teammates surrounded him in a triple team, yet he still found an opportunity to score a 2+1.

On the sidelines, John-Thompson was so angry that he took down his white towel, waved it, and threw it onto the bench.

Gonzaga’s resilience was beyond his expectations. Faced with Georgetown’s pressing defense, they were chaotic yet unbroken, and their defense was solid. Georgetown always fell just short of leveling the score.

Now, with Gan Guoyang scoring a 2+1, he has once again breathed life into Gonzaga.

Gan Guoyang made the bonus free throw, his first shot and first score of the second half.

His restraint left John-Thompson astonished; his game insight and opportunity seizing surpassed that of the average college basketball player.

At that moment, Ewing got the ball on the offense and attempted to go one-on-one against Gan Guoyang.

But Gan Guoyang blocked Ewing’s turnaround jump shot and took control of the ball, passing it to Stockton.

Stockton made a super long pass that transcended half the court, Anderson quickly moved forward, caught the ball, and scored a layup!

After Gonzaga University’s timeout, a wave of 5 straight points in offense halted Georgetown.

John-Thompson questioned Ewing about why he had forced the shot. Ewing replied that it had been an opportunity, but he failed to seize it.

Ewing’s offensive skills were still too crude. His turnaround jumper relied entirely on his height and wingspan to evade the defense, lacking rhythm and variation. Gan Guoyang had anticipated his move and easily blocked the shot.

The gap widened to seven points, leaving Georgetown with little time.

John-Thompson reminded his players to calm down, avoid any further mistakes, and to forget about the scoreboard, starting with defense.

After the timeout, Georgetown managed to score two points with a mid-range jumper by Jackson.

Then they started to employ fouling tactics, sending Anderson to the free-throw line. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Anderson missed his first shot, and Ewing grabbed the defensive rebound, prompting a quick counterattack by Georgetown.

The intense offense and defense throughout the game had led to a decline in physical stamina, causing issues in Gonzaga’s retreat defense.

Although Gan Guoyang chased desperately, he couldn’t stop Georgetown’s rapid three-man fast break, and Bill Martin scored with a quick dunk!

The lead was quickly cut to three points, and with Georgetown having better stamina, their advantage grew as the game went on.

It wasn’t that Gonzaga didn’t train hard enough, but Georgetown just had more people who could play on court.

Georgetown’s roster of 12 players meant everyone could take to the court, providing the stamina for high-intensity full-court press defense throughout the game.

Gonzaga’s roster, in contrast, had only 10 people, one of whom was really only there to make up numbers and couldn’t handle the intensity of national championship games.

Normally, they had a seven-man rotation, and moreover, Gan Guoyang couldn’t be substituted out; once he was off, the defense would collapse.

As the decisive moments approached, the players would feel increasingly exhausted, their shooting touch would decline, their defensive steps would slow down, and many teams would collapse in the final stages against Georgetown.

Beelman took another timeout, partially to give his players a rest and also to remind them to avoid mistakes at the last moment, to not force plays, and to not give the opponent any chance for a counterattack.

While he said this, the players were all aware of it, but their bodies might not comply.

McPhie made a passing error, and once again Georgetown seized the opportunity for a counterattack.

With a quick transition, Gan Guoyang hurried back on defense but was dragged back by Ewing.

Lightning Williams catches a fast break layup, closing the gap to a single point!

At this point, there were just three minutes left in the game. It was time to decide the winner.

Ewing clung to Gan Guoyang like glue, making every move of his a strenuous push and shove.

Gan Guoyang pushed Ewing away with his hand, saying, "So you’re just a defensive blue-collar, huh? Did you even break 10 points tonight?"

Ewing remained unmoved, sticking close to Gan GuoYang and denying him any opportunity to receive the ball.

"Wait and see, I’ll hit a game-winner over your head, and without your teammates’ help, you can’t guard me."

Gan Guoyang continued, and though Ewing’s expression did not change, he visibly faltered for a moment.

Stockton, having encountered a double-team at half-court, immediately had Gan Guoyang come to his aid, receiving the ball high up.

This time, as soon as Gan Guoyang caught the ball, he made no delay. Not waiting for Stockton to get free or holding the ball for cover, he drove directly from the top of the arc!

His breakthrough was so sudden that Georgetown’s zone defense cracked, and Gan Guoyang pierced through from the right side!

Facing Ewing’s help on defense, Gan Guoyang executed a high-speed move hook shot from outside the right three-second zone, not giving Ewing a chance to interfere.

The ball traced a less than beautiful arc, and since Gan Guoyang’s shot was also hurried, it bounced once off the rim, failing to go in. The ball rebounded off the backboard, spun twice around the rim, and finally dropped through the net.

It’s in!

"A hook shot! Wow! It’s in! Gan hits a moving hook shot! Gan is 10 for 10!"

Seeing the ball go in, Gan Guoyang felt a stone lift from his heart, raising both hands high as he rushed back on defense.

"Ewing tries to make a play down low, but it’s stolen! Gan’s hands are quick! Ewing falls! Gonzaga on the fast break! Stockton to Gan, Gan down the middle, a dunk in the face of two defenders!"

Pauley Pavilion exploded like ignited fuel, with Gan Guoyang taking flight in the fast break, ferociously dunking over two Georgetown players, then careening out of bounds, scattering the baseline photographers like bowling pins.

The roar from the crowd was deafening. Gan Guoyang quickly sprung up from the ground and re-engaged in defense.

The momentum of the game had completely shifted to Gonzaga’s side with Gan’s hook and dunk sealing the deal!

The crowd started chanting "Sonny Gan" as Gan Guohui waved his giant flag furiously, leaving the Georgetown players somewhat dazed.

A miss from the perimeter, Gan Guoyang energetically grabbed the defensive rebound and passed the ball to Stockton.

Stockton was in no hurry now. If they burned the clock, the victory would be theirs.

Georgetown was forced to foul. Stockton’s free throws under crunch time were incredibly steady, nailing both, pushing the lead back to seven points.

The following game play passed in a flurry of timeouts, fouls, and free throws, with Georgetown struggling in vain. Victory was no longer theirs, no longer belonging to the Hoya Paranoia.

As the final buzzer sounded, Gan Guoyang raised his arms high. All Gonzaga players rushed towards him. Pauley Pavilion honored this King of California with the loudest cheers and applause.

With a perfect shooting performance of 11 for 11 from the field, 2 for 2 free throws, scoring 24 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 assists, he demolished Ewing’s Georgetown.

The final score was 54:49.

Gonzaga advanced to the Final Four, continuing their undefeated streak and creating their own history.