3 points, bam, bam, bam! And the winning point. Explosive 31 points. the god of game basketball. A big twist like a KCC lie. He beat Meralco to report his first win of the tournament
Dec 18, 2024
|
KCC won 72-68 against Meralco Boltz of the Philippines in the fourth Group B preliminary match of the EASL (East Asian Super League) held at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan on the 18th with Hur Woong (31 points).
KCC, which recorded its first win after three consecutive losses, will maintain the possibility of a semifinal tournament, which will be given up to second place in the group, depending on the results of the remaining two home games. Meralco is two wins and two losses.
In the last showdown, KCC suffered a painful come-from-behind loss to Meralco Boltz by 80-81, one point. At that time, there was a bad news of DeYonte Burton and Leon Williams' exit from the 5th foul, and they lost by allowing as many as 22 rebounds to ace big man Akil Mitchell.
DeYonte Burton, Leon Williams and Lee Seung-hyun were put forward, and Hur Woong and Lee Ho-hyun's two guards were put forward.
Meralco was joined by ace Akil Mitchell, Brandon Bates, David Kennedy, Norman Black, and Christopher Newman, a former captain of the Philippines national team.
▶ First half
It was a tight race. There are Williams and Lee Seung-hyun, but KCC had a hard time cracking down on rebounds from the beginning. He had a good overall height, including Mitchell, and he also complied with his ability to participate in the rebound.
However, KCC confronted Burton by breaking through the bottom of the goal. It was a low-scoring game. 7-7 with Burton's mid jumper with 2:50 left in the first quarter.
However, Meralco took a series of rebounds and attacked. In addition, he tried to match-up hunting and post-up to KCC small guards. The fieldwork between the two teams was not good. KCC, in particular, showed a frustrating appearance on the outside as three-point open chances were missed repeatedly. Meralco broke through Kennedy's consecutive under-the-goal breakthrough, and KCC's three-run ball thrown by Choi Joon-yong in the 24-second attack limit passed through the rim. Turnaround as Burton's last step back three runs through the rim. 13-12, 1 point lead to end the first quarter.
Starts with a mid jumper on the second quarter button. However, Meralco had a seasoned Newsom. He broke through Epistola with good defense, broke through under the basket, and made a bonus free throw.
In addition, Kennedy scored an open three-point goal after digging under the basket. On the other hand, KCC's offensive efficiency is still low due to Meralco's pressure defense, which has a good height for each position, and 20-17, Meralco's lead.
Meralco said ace Mitchell's hook shot was inaccurate. However, Kennedy made confident breakthroughs against KCC Lee Seung-hyun and Choi Jun-yong. He carried the attack hard by scoring four points in a row. 24-17, 7-point lead by Meralco.
Meralco's rise was cut with a button breakthrough. Burton's early offense, Choi Jun-yong's layup shot by an exquisite pass passed through the rim. They chased by three points. Meralco stubbornly chooses to attack under the basket. However, Mitchell's attack under the basket on the day was not efficient. KCC's quick attack that caught the offensive rebound. Huh Woong's three-run shot went off.
Meralco persistently aimed under the KCC goal with a double post by putting not only Mitchell of 2m3 but also Cuame, a tall big man of 2m10, but rather KCC countered with an early offense after the rebound. In addition, two free throws by Huong from Meralco's technical foul. In the end, he succeeded in turning the tables 26-24.
However, Meralco got Mitchell back on the bench for a normal matchup. Rios' three-point turnaround. Then, a dramatic tie when he hit a three-point half-line with a buzzer at the end of the second quarter. End of the first half 31-31.
In KCC, Burton scored 14 points and Hur Woong scored 8 points. The 3-point shooting success rate was the worst at 19%, but the defense was solid. In addition, he accumulated his physical strength through active rotation and laid a foothold for the best 5 players to be used as matchmakers. Meralco was powerful with Kennedy scoring 16 points. However, the double post failed, and ace Akil Mitchell was sluggish with just one point. From KCC's point of view, it was not a bad first half.
|
Choi Jun-yong blocked Kennedy's breakthrough. It was a good start. Mid jumper success after the button received a unique screen.
It was on the rise, but Burton's three-point, Lee Ho-hyun's floater missed. In the end, Meralco's counteroffensive. Mitchell's under-the-goal breakthrough, and Kennedy's three-pointer in a row to turn the tables again.
A close race ensued.
Meralco's Mitchell, who was sluggish with one point in the first half, successively scored a heavy under-the-goal breakthrough. KCC responds with an early offense. KCC put Leon Williams in the team.
Williams played just eight minutes in the first half. It was the bench's intention to make use of the game.
KCC gave Burton a break with three minutes left in the third quarter. However, Meralco's attack efficiency was also not good. Handoff pass error in mid range. It was connected to the swift air of the hum. In the end, the third quarter ended with 51-50, KCC holding the lead.
In the fourth quarter, Meralco hit two mid-jumper shots by pattern. I succeeded in turning the tables. On the other hand, KCC's attack efficiency still decreased.
Meralco prepared for Burton's breakthrough movement, and when Burton's attack was blocked, other players without shot creation skills were busy shooting tough shots. On the other hand, Meralco steadily targeted Mitchell and Cuame under the basket. In the end, Meralco widened the lead to 62-51, 11 points.
KCC switched to regional defense to make up for its underdogs, but the situation did not improve. Meralco penetrated the KCC area defense with Kennedy's mid-jumper and under-the-goal breakthrough. However, KCC was not confident. They started chasing after 3-pointers in three consecutive shots. 68-64, a four-point chase. The time left is 1 minute 57 seconds. Meralco's Operation Time. And a failure in the ensuing attack.
KCC had a chance to attack, but Burton's shot was blocked, breaking the chase flow. But there was still a chance. In the end, after receiving Heo Woong's screen, he scored another three-point game. 1 point difference,
sfryu@sportschosun.com
