Last Year’s Tail-ender Tong Yang Claims Dramatic Victory

Tong Yang Orions has reached the top of the professional basketball regular league for the first time in 6 seasons since its establishment.

In the 2001-2002 Anycall Professional Basketball regular league match with KCC Egis, which was held at Jeonju indoor stadium on the 3rd, Tong Yang won by 81-75 confirming the championship title. The team’s key players were Jun Hee-Chul (18 pts.) and Kim Byeong-Chul (16 pts.).

There were two ways for Tong Yang, which became `magic no.1` on the previous day as the second runner-up SK Knights lost to SBS Stars, to confirm the title in the regular league. Regardless of the day’s results, SK Knights’ defeat would have automatically confirmed its title. However, Tong Yang’s victory was more dramatic, as it was gained by its own strength.

Tong Yang’s quest for the title began quite vividly. KCC was already tired from the previous day’s match with Samsung Thunders, which it almost lost but won, and Tong Yang ran ahead in the first quarter, by 22-17. Crisis came in the fourth quarter, as it allowed the tie of 68-68 just 2 minutes 39 seconds before the whistle and the game ran into an extension.

It was Tong Yang’s Kim Seung-Hyun (13 pts. 8 assists), however, who made the finalizing three-pointer that widened the score gap into 78-73 just 1 minute before the end. KCC Egis failed to break the maximum consecutive victory record of the professional basketball set by Hyundai Gullivers and SK Knights (11 consecutive victories) by only 1 victory lacking from its 10 consecutive wins.

SK Knights was suffering from 5 straight defeats, but finally escaped by defeating Mobis Automons by 85-81.

Also in Changwon, LG Sakers confirmed its advancement to the final 6 playoffs regardless of other games’ results, as it defeated SBS by 111-87. LG’s Michael Maddox (25 pts.) and Carl Boyds (24 pts.) led the offense, and all of the 5 starting members marked double-digit scores.

Korea Tender Prumi, of which the coaching staff returned on the court, defeated SK Bigs by 86-85, and Sambo Xers crushed Samsung Thunders by 80-69 dramatically escaping the last place in 73 days.

Sang-Ho Kim hyangsan@donga.com · Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com