With about 30 seconds left in the game, the Cheongju Gymnasium was filled with cheers from fans who were anticipating a victory. As Park Ji-soo, 25, aka “Dae-dlebo” of Cheongju KB, walked to the bench with just a few seconds left in the game, a small smile began to appear on his face. Then the buzzer sounded and Park, along with his teammates and fans, 텍사스홀덤사이트 celebrated the victory they had so longed for – a “Happy Valentine’s Day.
KB, which was embarrassed last season, has returned with Park Ji-soo. KB won the 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball League regular season home game against Busan BNK 68-60 on Thursday at Cheongju Gymnasium. Riding a 13-game winning streak to improve to 24-2 on the season, KB cleanly erased the magic number “1” from its title and claimed the top spot in the regular season for the second time in two seasons and the fifth time in its history since the 2021-2022 season. If KB loses all four of its remaining games and second-place Asan Wooribank (19-6) wins all five of its remaining games, the standings will be tied at 24-6, but KB already has a 4-1 advantage in the head-to-head matchup, so the standings will not change.
KB took control of the first quarter with a 21-13 lead, led by ace Park Ji-soo (13 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists), as players scored evenly with strong focus. They picked up the pace in the second quarter and opened up a double-digit lead, 39-28, to take control of the game. BNK’s comeback in the third quarter, led by Jin An (20 points, 12 rebounds), cut the deficit to 52-47, but the team regrouped in the fourth quarter, led by Heo Ye-eun (11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists), and closed the gap to 11 points, 67-56, on a three-pointer by Kang Yiul (10 points) with 3:53 left in the game.
KB, which won the 2021-2022 season as the overall champions, plummeted to the bottom last season after Park Ji-soo left due to panic disorder. Although Park returned midway through the season, he was later ruled out with a finger injury, and the team ended the season in fifth place.
KB is back in the hunt for the title this season with Park returning to form. After overcoming his panic disorder, Park has been even more dominant this season, to the point where Woori Bank head coach Lee Sat-woo said he was “unbeatable”. His scoring, rebounding, and assists averaged over five per game for the first time since his debut, and his occasional three-pointers have become more accurate, returning him to his “complete” form. Based on this performance, he swept the Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards from rounds one through five. KB enjoyed early victory after a season-long high, including a four-game winning streak after a one-game loss to rival Woori Bank behind Park Ji-su’s steady play.