Don't look at the 2nd place! LG defeated KCC 9772 and recaptured second place

Mar 30, 2025

Don't look at the 2nd place! LG defeated KCC 9772 and recaptured second place



Changwon LG ran away again in a fierce second place fight.

LG beat Busan KCC 97-72 in an away game held at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on the 30th.

LG, which recorded 32 wins and 19 losses avoiding consecutive losses, defeated Suwon KT (31 wins and 19 losses) by half a game to regain its second place alone.




Before the game, the atmosphere of the two teams was sharply divided. KCC didn't have much motivation. Two days ago, key power Choi Joon-yong and Song Kyo-chang are still out of injury, while they were confirmed to be eliminated from the round of 6 after losing the match against Daegu Korea Gas Corporation. Even the players' morale has fallen to the bottom.

KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin, who was not aware of this situation, had no choice but to put hope on the players' mindsets. "If you lose your spirit and confidence, the central point disappears, but you have to have a sense of goal for your fans." KCC, who is in the second of the last four home games of the season, could not afford to lose again to LG, which has lost five consecutive matches this season.

On the other hand, LG had a lot of reasons to want to win. It has become even more urgent in the competition for second place, where the right to go straight to the semifinals is at stake. Two days ago, instead of losing by one point to Seoul SK, which confirmed its regular league championship, second-place rival Suwon KT won four consecutive games, tying for second place. LG manager Cho Sang-hyun, who has deliberately refrained from mentioning '2nd place' because he was afraid that the players would be burdened, said, `I certainly want to go straight to the semifinal playoff on this day. Therefore, I feel even more sorry for the game (against SK) on the 28th." Moreover, it was imperative to add one more win on its own because it was 2 wins and 4 losses inferior to KT in the season's opponent.




Don't look at the 2nd place! LG defeated KCC 9772 and recaptured second place
This conflicting atmosphere was revealed on the court. KCC was disappointed that it could not use six-man Kim Dong-hyun of fighting spirit for a long time. Coach Jeon started Kim Dong-hyun to prevent the ace Yoo Ki-sang, who has recently been on the rise in his performance in LG. When Kim Dong-hyun matched up the game award, it was KCC who held out well, tying it tightly with no goals. However, 23.8 seconds before the end of the first quarter, KCC's defensive organization rapidly collapsed as Kim Dong-hyun was replaced by Heo Woong after being caught in foul trouble (three fouls).

KCC's loss came early. Instead of giving up as many as nine points for about four minutes after the start of the second quarter, it ended up being scoreless, quickly widening the gap by 15 points (16-31). LG, which finished the first half by keeping this score gap, firmly won the game with Yoo Ki-sang's consecutive 3-pointers, which put pressure on the opponent's defense early in the third quarter.

To make matters worse, KCC met a major bad news. Caddy Lahren, the only one-option foreign player in the team who served as the main scorer, was sent off for accumulated technical fouls (2), 2:12 before the end of the third quarter. Lahren was annoyed when the game didn't go well, or he committed the same dirty trick, throwing the ball at the opponent after being stopped for a normal foul.




Don't look at the 2nd place! LG defeated KCC 9772 and recaptured second place
Lahren's exit was stimulating. Donovan Smith, who was replaced, worked hard late inside and outside to fill KCC's vulnerable offense. However, the gap between the scores was too wide for KCC.

As KCC chased, LG often ran away, so the gap was hardly narrowed. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Heo Woong's outer shot exploded one after another, but Yoo Ki-sang sprayed cold water with a three-point shot, forcing him to suffer endlessly. Heo Woong, who played his second game since returning from injury, worked hard with 20 points, but it was not enough to recover his early leaning momentum.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.