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‘First time ever for a No. 5 team,’ KCC catches No. 1 DB in regular season to advance to championship game

April 22, 2024 No Comments

Busan KCC defeated Wonju DB, the No. 1 team in the regular season, to advance to the championship game for the first time as the No. 5 team in the regular season.

KCC defeated DB 80-63 at home in the fourth round of the 2023-2024 Jungkwanjang Professional Basketball League quarterfinals playoffs (PO) at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on Nov. 21.

With a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-five best-of-three PO, KCC advanced to the championship game for the third time in three years and the 11th time in its history since the 2020-2021 season (runner-up). Notably, KCC also became the first team from the fifth-ranked team in the regular season to reach the championship.

KCC, dubbed the “Super Team” for its spectacular lineup of Heo Woong, Choi Jun-yong, Ragan-ah, Song Kyo-chang, and Lee Seung-hyun, defeated Seoul SK in three straight games in the best-of-six PO, and swept the regular season’s No. 1 DB 스포츠토토존 in the best-of-four PO.

With the victory, KCC head coach Jeon Chang-jin surpassed 50 career PO wins (43). Jeon is second on the all-time wins list behind former Ulsan Hyundai Mobis coach Yoo Jae-hak (58 wins and 50 losses).

KCC will play for its sixth championship in 13 years and first since the 2010-2011 season in the championship match on Nov. 27.

The other best-of-four PO, which will determine KCC’s opponent, is still in progress, with regular-season runner-up Changwon LG leading third-place Suwon KT by two games to one heading into Game 4 on Dec. 22.

DB advanced directly to the best-of-four PO with a solid performance from Lee Sun Albano and Didrik Lawson, who were named the regular season’s domestic and international Most Valuable Player (MVP), as well as Kang Sang-jae and Kim Jong-kyu, but ended the season without reaching the championship game.

The first quarter belonged to KCC’s Laguna. After blocking DB Kim Young-hyun’s two-point attempt with 1:44 left in the quarter when KCC led 17-15, Lagunia widened the gap with a jump shot and then roared back with a block of Kim Jong-kyu’s shot with 42.5 seconds left.

Lagana’s block also came on Dedrick Lawson’s three-point attempt just before the end of the first quarter, giving KCC a 21-15 lead.

In the second quarter, Alize DeShawn Johnson, who came in for Lagana midway through the period, was hot. Johnson scored 10 points, more than half of her team-high 17 points in the second quarter, including back-to-back three-pointers to make it 29-24 with 4:25 left in the quarter and 32-26 with 3:48 left, to help KCC take a 38-32 lead into halftime.

After DB was held scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half, KCC scored 10 unanswered points, including three-pointers from Ragan and Choi, to take a 48-32 lead.

At the end of the third quarter, KCC led 55-44. DB, which had been held to eight and seven points by the regular season’s domestic and international MVPs Lee Sun Albano and Dedrick Lawson, respectively, through the third quarter, found itself in a more difficult situation when one of its pillars, Kim Jong-kyu, fouled out with five fouls with over eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Lawson and Albano’s outside shooting started to fizzle out, but KCC, led by Heo Woong’s performance, refused to lose momentum and drove a wedge with a three-pointer from Lagana that made it 75-61 with 1:36 left in regulation.

Lagunia finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds, including three 3-pointers, to record his first double-double in all four PO games and added six blocked shots on the night to lead the way to the championship.

Song Kyo-chang and Heo Woong added 14 points, while Choi Jun-yong and Johnson chipped in 10 points each to round out the ‘Super Team’.

At DB, Lawson had 16 points and eight rebounds, while Albano added 14 points and five rebounds.

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‘Lawson 35-point explosion’ Wonju DB defeats KT…Pajuk’s opening 4-game winning streak continues

October 31, 2023 No Comments

Wonju DB is on a scary early-season roll.

Led by head coach Kim Joo-sung, the DB won 91-84 against Suwon KT in the regular season of the 2023-2024 Jeonggwanjang Professional Basketball League at the Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30. The team has won four straight games since the start of the season to take sole possession of the lead.

Once again, foreign player Dedrick Lawson shined. Lawson scored a game-high 35 points to lead DB to victory. He also added eight rebounds and four assists. Lee Sun Albano also played the role of field commander with 19 points and six assists. 토토 Captain Kang Sang-jae also chipped in with 10 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

DB, with Albano, Choi Seung-wook, Park In-woong, Kang Sang-jae, and Lawson in the starting lineup, struggled with KT’s outside shooting early on. However, Lawson’s buzzer-beating three-pointer ended the first quarter with a one-point deficit, 27-28. After Lawson’s free throws at the beginning of the second quarter, DB took the lead for good, and then Lawson and Kang Sang-jae scored to extend the lead. At the end of the second quarter, a three-pointer by Choi Seung-wook and a basket by Shin Min-soo ended the first half with a 54-48 lead.

In the third quarter, DB used strong defense to hold KT to just 13 points in the quarter and scored 25 points in between to take a 79-61, 18-point lead into the fourth quarter. But KT, one of the favorites to win the title, would not go down without a fight. After holding DB scoreless for the first 3:36 of the fourth quarter, Ha Yoon-ki and Paris Bass scored back-to-back baskets to pull within one point, 82-83, with 7:43 left in the quarter. Facing an upset, DB got a break with a free throw and a two-pointer from Lawson, and with 42 seconds left in regulation, Lawson hit the game-winning three-pointer.

Along with Lawson’s dominance in clutch time, the rebuilt ‘DB Acid’ also proved to be a force to be reckoned with. With a total of six blocked shots, including three by Kim Jong-kyu, DB showed the fear of DB Acid to KT, who only managed one.

With the win, DB, which went undefeated in four games, maintained its sole lead atop the standings with a one-game lead over the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis. DB will look to extend their opening five-game winning streak against Daegu KOGAS on March 3.

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“If the team could only play spring basketball…” captain Kang wishes.

October 31, 2023 No Comments

Can this season’s captain, Kang Sang-jae (28, 200 cm), lead the team to the playoffs?

Wonju DB Kang Sang-jae recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the team’s 91-84 victory over Suwon KT of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association at the 온라인카지노 Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena on Tuesday.

In the postgame interview, Kang said, “We lost to KT in the last cup tournament (on Dec. 12), and after that game, the coach emphasized the importance of training hard and being focused and determined. Before we came out today, we talked to each other about the tough loss (in the Cup), so we tried to play a gritty game, and I think it worked out well.” He shared his thoughts on the victory.

After taking the lead (54-48) at the end of the first half, DB dominated the third quarter with a 25-13 run. However, KT took the lead in the fourth quarter and found themselves trailing 83-82. In this situation, the captain strongly reprimanded the team.

Kang Sang-jae said, “We talked about it in game time and in the locker room, but even if the first five players foul out, we have to play without being pushed back. I reprimanded them because I know that basketball is a battle of moods and it’s not easy. We have to prepare well so we don’t have games like that in the future.”

As mentioned earlier, the DB captain this season is Kang Sang-jae. The player himself felt the weight of the captaincy. “It’s a very important season for the team and for me personally, and I have a desire to do well because the coach has given me the role of captain. I’m just the middle of the team, but I’m grateful that my older brothers and juniors are following me well.”

A ‘big season’ he says. There is an urgency to make the playoffs. The Wonju DBs have missed the playoffs for three seasons, five to be exact. In the 2019-2020 season, the league ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the team was unable to make the playoffs despite finishing in first place.

That’s why players and fans alike are eagerly anticipating spring basketball. “I don’t have any personal goals for this season, and if the team can play spring basketball, I think it will be positive for me personally. Right now, I’m just looking at the team,” said Kang Sang-jae.