Jeonggwanjang escaped a tough losing streak.
The Anyang Jungkwanjang defeated the Goyang Sono 92-87 in a regular-season game of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball League on Wednesday at the Anyang Jungkwanjang Arena.
With the win, the ninth-ranked team snapped a 10-game losing streak and improved to 14-31 on the season, and also snapped a four-game losing streak against Sono this season.
Things were not looking good for Chung before this game. They had lost seven games in a row twice this season and were chased by last-place Seoul Samsung in the fifth round, having lost a season-high 10 straight games and 16 straight away from home.
Head coach Kim Sang-sik was anxious in his pre-match interview. “I talked to the team. We’re in a rebuilding situation and we have to do our best for the rest of the year, but for development purposes, we’re going to give running time to players who haven’t played (during the season). It’s important to do your best in the game, but the top six is far away. We emphasize defense and rebounding. We’re going to nag them about what they’re not doing and add to it,” he said, explaining how he plans to run the rest of the season.
In the midst of all of this, Jung faced Sono, who had lost four straight games against them this season, and Lens Abando (188 cm, F) made his return from a back injury.
Unlike the previous match, Jung Kwanjang showed a lot of fight on the court, from Park Ji-hoon up front to Robert Carter Jr. as the No. 1 foreign player. Despite missing Chinanu Onuaku (206 cm, C) and Kim Ji-hoo (188 cm, G), the SONO outrebounded the team (35-33) and out-shot them (51%-44%).
Especially in the fourth quarter, Chung Kwan-jang was down 90-87 after Onuaku’s dunk with 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter when head coach Kim Sang-sik received a technical foul for protesting a call, allowing SONO to make free throws. It was reminiscent of his previous game against Sono, where he lost the momentum at the end of the fourth quarter.
However, Jeong kept his cool and composure to preserve the lead, and Lee Jong-hyun blocked a Lee Jung-hyun three-pointer with eight seconds left in the game to secure the win.
The offense came alive for Kwanjang as six players scored in double figures, including Carter with 19 points, and they also outrebounded SONO (16-14) in second-chance points. It was reminiscent 토토사이트 of the five-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, but Jung’s movements were different from those during the losing streak.
The victory is a good example of how Chung should spend the remaining six rounds. With the playoffs all but out of reach, Chung is looking ahead to the East Asian Super League (EASL) quarterfinals against Seoul SK. Needing to be selective and focused, Chung will need to use a combination of starters and bench resources to close out the season.
He needs to reduce the fatigue of his starters, who have worked hard to reach the sixth round, and take care of Bae Byeong-joon (188 cm, F), Abando, and Kim Kyung-won (198 cm, C), who suffered from injuries during the season, and use the time to develop rookies such as Ko Chan-hyuk (184 cm, G) and Na Sung-ho (189 cm, F).
It remains to be seen whether the defending champions will be able to overcome the nightmare of the fifth round and rebound in the sixth round to finish the season.