The Korean Futures League team, which lost both Korea-Japan matches, lost, but still fought well
Jul 09, 2025
|
Unfortunately, the Korean team lost all of the matches against Korea and Japan, which took place in two consecutive games.
WKBL Samsung Life Insurance and KB Stars failed to advance to the final after losing to Japan's Haneda Bikis and Japanese University Selection (JUBF) in the first and second games of the '2025 TicketLink WKBL Futures League' held at Sajik Indoor Gymnasium in Busan on the 9th. As a result, the Japanese professional team and the Ama team will face off in the final match held at the same venue on the 10th.
Both teams in South Korea did not take the lead due to physical problems in the second half of the game due to limited player resources with only seven players, but they showed a grit that did not give up until the end. In particular, it was evident that he played harder to be recognized as a backup player to replace the main players in the upcoming 2025-2026 season.
In particular, the two-game KB Stars and Japanese university selection matches were more intense because players of similar ages faced off. Unlike Korea, Japan has up to 70% of players who graduate from college and sign contracts with professional teams, so the level of college students is quite high.
The game was quite interesting. The Japanese university selection focused on reducing the power of KB Stars, which has absolutely insufficient players, with a thorough rotation strategy that allows 11 of the 12 registered players to play at least 8 minutes and up to 24 minutes.
In addition, KB lost to Tokyo Haneda in the 1st and 2nd place match of the preliminary round held the previous day, losing 30 to 69, due to a passive play pressed by the opponent's tall center from the beginning. However, it was different on this day. No matter how many second-tier players they are, the psychological part of defending the pride of the Korean professional team also had a significant impact.
After the start of the first quarter, he was tied to scoreless for about four minutes and was dragged to 0-10, but guard Seongsu-yeon began to open the door with rain as he actively changed his attack. Lee Yeo-myung, who is relatively familiar with his opponents as a Korean-Japanese, joined the team, and three Six Men players, including Yang Ji-soo, Lee Yoon-mi and Lee Chae-eun, who were quite impressive in the regular league and playoffs when their main players were injured last season, diligently dug under the opponent's basket. In the meantime, as the gap narrowed, the gear tied 46-46 with about two minutes left in the third quarter.
However, Japanese university starters, who have accumulated physical strength through rotation, have simultaneously targeted the inside and outside by showing their skills to freely use double clutches in addition to their unique basic skills. In particular, when the guards sprayed the ball to the outside after using fast passes and speed, Sato Koko, Sasaki Lin and Takaki Minami took turns and scored a three-run shot to secure a 75-71 victory and headed to the final.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Haneda beat Samsung Life Insurance 70 to 62 in the previous one, winning all five games including the preliminary round. Tokyo Haneda, who was somewhat shaken by Samsung Life Insurance's strong defense and was chased by up to three points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, secured the victory based on 1m85 tall center Aibe Chikamso's control under the basket. Samsung Life Insurance also succeeded eight 3-pointers at the last minute with little rotation resources, and in particular, Lim Kyu-ri scored 11 points, proving a clear competitive edge among Sixmen. Japanese player Hamanishi, who was selected in the Asian quarter, is also expected to form a high-quality guard with Jo Su-ah by adding 13 points with five assists and a bold under-the-goal breakthrough.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
