KBL Round 17 (Regular Season): LG Sakers edge Suwon KT by three points

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Sixth-ranked Sonicboom (9-10) made lots of trouble for first ranked Sakers (14-5) in Changwon on Sunday. Sakers managed to secure only three-point victory 66-63. However their fans expected much easier game. LG Sakers outrebounded Suwon KT 47-30 including a 19-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was Egyptian center Assem Marei (206-1992, college: MSU) who had a double-double by scoring 20 points and 19 rebounds. chipped in 21 points and 4 assists. American center Isaiah Hicks (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) produced 18 points and 8 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) for the guests. Sonicboom's coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Defending champion maintains first place with 14-5 record. Suwon KT at the other side keeps the sixth position with ten games lost. LG Sakers are looking forward to face Seoul Knights (#5) on the road in the next round. Suwon KT will play against the league's second-placed Anyang and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Important game to mention about took place in Busan. Fourth ranked Egis (11-8) saved a 3-point victory at home edging 3rd placed Knights (10-9) 83-80 on Sunday evening. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Knights. orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points and 8 rebounds. Hoon Heo contributed with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. American center Jameel Warney (203-1994, college: Stony Brook) answered with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 14 rebounds for Seoul Knights. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. KCC Egis moved-up to third place, which they share with Wonju DB. Seoul Knights at the other side dropped to the fifth position with nine games lost. KCC Egis will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Seoul Knights will play at home against the league's leader LG Sakers (#1) and hope to get back on the winning track.
The game in Daegu was also quite interesting. Second ranked Anyang (13-6) played at the court of 7th ranked Skygunners (8-12). Anyang managed to secure a 9-point victory 87-78 on Tuesday. Jihoon Park stepped up and scored 19 points and 7 assists for the winners. Nathan Knight responded with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 14 rebounds. Skygunners' coach let to play eleven players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Anyang have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain second place with 13-6 record behind leader LG Sakers. Loser Skygunners keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. They share it with Seoul Thunders. Anyang will meet Suwon KT (#6) in the next round. Sono SG will have a break next round.

In the last two games of round 17 Sono SG defeated Seoul Thunders in Daegu 75-59. Wonju DB beat Mobis Phoebus at home 82-77.



LG Sakers - Suwon KT 66-63

Sixth-ranked Sonicboom (9-10) made lots of trouble for first ranked Sakers (14-5) in Changwon on Sunday. Sakers managed to secure only three-point victory 66-63. However their fans expected much easier game. LG Sakers outrebounded Suwon KT 47-30 including a 19-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was Egyptian center Assem Marei (206-1992, college: MSU) who had a double-double by scoring 20 points and 19 rebounds. Hongseok Yang chipped in 21 points and 4 assists. American center Isaiah Hicks (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) produced 18 points and 8 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) and Jun-Young Park added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for the guests. Sonicboom's coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Defending champion maintains first place with 14-5 record. Suwon KT at the other side keeps the sixth position with ten games lost. LG Sakers are looking forward to face Seoul Knights (#5) on the road in the next round. Suwon KT will play against the league's second-placed Anyang and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.
Top scorers:
Suwon KT: I.Hicks 18+8reb+1ast, C.JD 11+1reb+3ast, J.Park 10+6reb+4ast, L.Doo-Won 7+1reb, K.Sungwook 6+1reb+3ast, H.Huiwon 6+1reb+1ast
LG Sakers: H.Yang 21+4reb+4ast, M.Assem 20+19reb+2ast, J.Yang 6+3reb, E.Micheal 6+8reb+1ast, W.Yun 6+1reb+3ast, I.Jeong 3+2reb+2ast

Seoul Thunders - Sono SG 59-75

There was a minor upset in Seoul where their close opponent Samsung Thunders (8-12) were defeated by seventh ranked Skygunners (8-12) 75-59 on Sunday. Sono SG outrebounded Seoul Thunders 46-32 including 34 on the defensive glass. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Sono SG made 7 blocks. American power forward Nathan Knight (208-1997, college: William & Mary) stepped up with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 17 rebounds for the winners and Jeong-Hyeon Lee chipped in 16 points and 5 assists. Turkish power forward Kerem Kanter (208-1995, college: Xavier) responded with a double-double by scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds and Justin Gutang scored 12 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Sono SG maintains seventh place with 8-12 record, which they share with Seoul Thunders. Sono SG will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Seoul Thunders will play against Mobis Phoebus (#10) in Ulsan and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Seoul Thunders: K.Kanter 13+10reb+3ast, G.Justin 12+5reb+3ast, L.Weon-Seok 9+6reb, A.Nicholson 6+3reb, L.Gwan-Hee 5+1reb+2ast, S.Dong-Hyuk 3+3reb+1ast
Sono SG: K.Karl 19+3reb, J.Lee 16+4reb+5ast, K.Nathan 16+17reb+3ast, J.Jaylen 8+2reb, J.Hee-Jae 6+7reb+3ast, S.Choi 6+8reb+4ast

KCC Egis - Seoul Knights 83-80

Important game to mention about took place in Busan. Fourth ranked Egis (11-8) saved a 3-point victory at home edging 3rd placed Knights (10-9) 83-80 on Sunday evening. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Knights. Ung Heo orchestrated the victory by scoring 19 points and 8 rebounds. Hoon Heo contributed with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for the winners. American center Jameel Warney (203-1994, college: Stony Brook) answered with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 14 rebounds and Youngjun An added 11 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Seoul Knights. Five KCC Egis and four Seoul Knights players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. KCC Egis moved-up to third place, which they share with Wonju DB. Seoul Knights at the other side dropped to the fifth position with nine games lost. KCC Egis will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Seoul Knights will play at home against the league's leader LG Sakers (#1) and hope to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Seoul Knights: J.Warney 29+14reb+3ast, O.Sek-Eun 11+3reb+1ast, A.Youngjun 11+7reb+3ast, K.Nakhyeon 11+2reb+4ast, K.Taehun 5+1reb, K.Hyung-Bin 5+4reb+1ast
KCC Egis: U.Heo 19+8reb+3ast, H.Heo 15+5reb+8ast, H.Dewan 13+5reb+2ast, K.Donghyun 12+5reb+2ast, J.Jang 11+10reb+2ast, L.Shawn 11+4reb+1ast

Wonju DB - Mobis Phoebus 82-77

No shocking result in a game when fourth ranked Wonju DB (11-8) defeated at home bottom-ranked Mobis Phoebus (6-13) 82-77 on Monday. However just five-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. American guard Ethan Alvano (185-1996, college: CSUSM) stepped up and scored 28 points and 8 assists for the winners and Egyptian forward Essam Mostafa (206-1999, college: MTSU) chipped in 20 points and 13 rebounds. Alvano is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. American center Rayshaun Hammonds (206-1998, college: Georgia) responded with a double-double by scoring 33 points (!!!), 18 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!) and scored 20 points. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Wonju DB moved-up to third place, which they share with KCC Egis. Mobis Phoebus lost sixth consecutive game. They dropped to the bottom position with 13 games lost. They share it with Daegu. Wonju DB will meet Daegu (#9) in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Mobis Phoebus will play against Seoul Thunders and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Mobis Phoebus: R.Hammonds 33+18reb+6ast, S.Myeong-jin 20+3reb+3ast, L.Seounghyun 10+8reb+3ast, P.Moobeen 7+4reb+4ast, C.Kang-Mim 3+2reb+2ast, J.Han-Jin 2+7reb
Wonju DB: A.Ethan 28+3reb+8ast, M.Essam 20+13reb+2ast, J.Hyo-Geun 9+5reb+1ast, S.Kang 8+4reb+1ast, E.Henry 6+4reb+3ast, I.Park 4+6reb

Sono SG - Anyang 78-87

The game in Daegu was also quite interesting. Second ranked Anyang (13-6) played at the court of 7th ranked Skygunners (8-12). Anyang managed to secure a 9-point victory 87-78 on Tuesday. Anyang looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Jihoon Park stepped up and scored 19 points and 7 assists for the winners and Junhyeong Byeon chipped in 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. American power forward Nathan Knight (208-1997, college: William & Mary) responded with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 14 rebounds and Egyptian forward Essam Mostafa (206-1999, college: MTSU) scored 18 points and 6 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Skygunners' coach let to play eleven players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Anyang have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain second place with 13-6 record behind leader LG Sakers. Loser Skygunners keeps the seventh position with 12 games lost. They share it with Seoul Thunders. Anyang will meet Suwon KT (#6) in the next round. Sono SG will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Sono SG: N.Knight 27+14reb+3ast, L.Jeong-Hyeon 18+2reb+6ast, K.Ji Hoon 12+2reb, H.Gyeong-Gi 11, K.Quiambao 4+5reb+4ast, H.Jeong 4+3reb+2ast
Anyang: J.Park 19+3reb+7ast, J.Byeon 18+5reb+5ast, Y.Kim 12+3reb+2ast, W.Bryce 10+3reb+2ast, A.Rhenz 9+3reb+1ast, S.Han 8+7reb+1ast