KBL Round 31 (Regular Season): Wonju DB lose to Suwon KT

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Top ranked Wonju DB (31-10) recorded its tenth loss in Busan on Friday night. Visitors were edged by second ranked Sonicboom (26-13) 79-76. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Wonju DB. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. American power forward Paris Bass (207-1995, college: Detroit) fired 24 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. The former international center Yoongi Ha (203-1999) chipped in 15 points and 6 rebounds. The former international forward SangJae Kang (202-1994) produced 23 points and 6 rebounds for lost side. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Sonicboom have a solid series of four victories in a row. Suwon KT maintains second place with 26-13 record having seven points less than leader Wonju DB. Wonju DB at the other side still keeps top position with ten games lost. Suwon KT are looking forward to face Anyang (#8) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Wonju DB will play against Sono SG (#9) and is hoping to win this game.
Very important is a road loss of third ranked Sakers (25-15) against sixth ranked Egis (20-17) on Thursday night. Visiting Sakers were crushed by Egis in Jeonju 90-69. Worth to mention a great performance of American Alize Johnson (206-1996, college: Missouri St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 14 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Ung Heo contributed with 23 points for the winners. Kwan-hee Lee answered with 25 points for LG Sakers. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. KCC Egis maintains sixth place with 20-17 record. LG Sakers lost third consecutive game. They keep the third position with 15 games lost. KCC Egis will play against higher ranked Mobis Phoebus (#5) in Ulsan in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. LG Sakers will play on the road against KoGas in Inchon and hope to get back on the winning track.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Changwon. First ranked Wonju DB faced 3rd placed Sakers. Guests from Wonju (31-10) defeated host Sakers (25-15) 83-79. It was a great evening for SangJae Kang who led his team to a victory scoring 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. At the losing side Justin Gutang responded with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Sakers' coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Wonju DB have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain first place with 31-10 record. LG Sakers lost third consecutive game. They keep the third position with 15 games lost. Wonju DB will meet at home Sono SG (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. LG Sakers will play against KoGas (#7) in Inchon and hope to secure a win.

Other games of round 31 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
bottom-ranked Seoul Thunders were defeated by KoGas in Inchon 85-79. KoGas were beaten by Mobis Phoebus at home 79-91. Bottom-ranked Seoul Thunders won against Sono SG on the opponent's court 99-89.



KoGas - Seoul Thunders 85-79

There was no surprise in Inchon where 10th ranked Samsung Thunders (9-31) were defeated by seventh ranked KoGas (16-24) 85-79 on Tuesday. It was a great evening for Canadian Andrew Nicholson (206-1989, college: St.Bonaventure) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 29 points and 10 rebounds. The former international forward Dae-Heon Lee (198-1992) helped adding 17 points and 8 rebounds. At the losing side Jamaican center Kofi Cockburn (213-1999, college: Illinois) responded with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists and the former international Junghyun Lee (190-1999) scored 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. KoGas maintains seventh place with 16-24 record. Loser Samsung Thunders stay dead last with 31 lost games. KoGas will meet at home higher ranked LG Sakers (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Seoul Thunders' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Seoul Seoul Knights.
Top scorers:
Seoul Thunders: K.Cockburn 28+8reb+6ast, J.Lee 14+5reb+5ast, I.Lane 10+1reb, D.Lee 6+2reb+3ast, S.Dong-Hyuk 5+2reb, S.Choi 5+2reb+1ast
KoGas: A.Nicholson 29+10reb+1ast, N.Kim 18+3reb+2ast, D.Lee 17+8reb+2ast, S.Seung-Min 8+4reb+2ast, S.Belangel 7+3reb+3ast, B.Cha 2+5reb+4ast

LG Sakers - Wonju DB 79-83

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Changwon. First ranked Wonju DB faced 3rd placed Sakers. Guests from Wonju (31-10) defeated host Sakers (25-15) 83-79. It was a great evening for the former international forward SangJae Kang (202-1994) who led his team to a victory scoring 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. American power forward Dedric Lawson (206-1997, college: Kansas) helped adding 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. At the losing side naturalized American guard Justin Gutang (191-1997, college: Skyline JC) responded with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists and Spanish-Colombian power forward Juan Tello-Palacios (206-1985) scored 16 points and 8 rebounds. Four LG Sakers players scored in double figures. Sakers' coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Wonju DB have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain first place with 31-10 record. LG Sakers lost third consecutive game. They keep the third position with 15 games lost. Wonju DB will meet at home Sono SG (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. LG Sakers will play against KoGas (#7) in Inchon and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
LG Sakers: J.Tello-Palacios 16+8reb+1ast, J.Gutang 15+7reb+4ast, S.Yugi 10+3reb+1ast, H.Yang 10+1ast, J.Ibarra 10+5reb+3ast, H.Jeong 8+2reb+2ast
Wonju DB: S.Kang 20+6reb+5ast, D.Lawson 18+7reb+5ast, E.Alvano 13+3reb+5ast, J.Kim 9+4reb+1ast, P.In-Woong 9+3reb, H.Yoo 7

KCC Egis - LG Sakers 90-69

Very important is a road loss of third ranked Sakers (25-15) against sixth ranked Egis (20-17) on Thursday night. Visiting Sakers were crushed by Egis in Jeonju 90-69. Worth to mention a great performance of American Alize Johnson (206-1996, college: Missouri St.) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 14 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. The former international guard Ung Heo (183-1993) contributed with 23 points for the winners. Four Egis players scored in double figures. Kwan-hee Lee answered with 25 points and Spanish-Colombian power forward Juan Tello-Palacios (206-1985) added 10 points and 9 rebounds in the effort for LG Sakers. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. KCC Egis maintains sixth place with 20-17 record. LG Sakers lost third consecutive game. They keep the third position with 15 games lost. KCC Egis will play against higher ranked Mobis Phoebus (#5) in Ulsan in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. LG Sakers will play on the road against KoGas in Inchon and hope to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
LG Sakers: L.Kwan-hee 25+1reb+1ast, J.Tello-Palacios 10+9reb+1ast, J.Ibarra 7+10reb, J.Gutang 6+4reb+3ast, H.Yang 5+4reb+1ast, L.Seung-hoon 5+1reb+2ast
KCC Egis: U.Heo 23+3reb+3ast, K.Song 14+3reb+3ast, A.Johnson 14+13reb+7ast, L.Hohyun 13, C.Jung 10+2reb+2ast, S.Lee 8+4reb+2ast

KoGas - Mobis Phoebus 79-91

No shocking result in a game in Inchon where fifth ranked Mobis Phoebus (21-18) defeated 7th ranked KoGas (16-24) 91-79 on Thursday. Mobis Phoebus dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to KoGas' 40. They outrebounded KoGas 38-22 including a 31-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. It was a great evening for American forward Gaige Prim (203-1999, college: Missouri St.) who led his team to a victory scoring 19 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). International forward Woosuk Lee (196-1999) helped adding 16 points and 5 rebounds. Four Mobis Phoebus players scored in double figures. At the losing side Canadian Andrew Nicholson (206-1989, college: St.Bonaventure) responded with 15 points and 8 rebounds and the former international forward Dae-Heon Lee (198-1992) scored 16 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Mobis Phoebus maintains fifth place with 21-18 record. Loser KoGas keep the seventh position with 24 games lost. Mobis Phoebus will meet at home KCC Egis (#6) in the next round. KoGas will play against LG Sakers and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
KoGas: D.Lee 16+5reb+2ast, A.Nicholson 15+8reb+2ast, N.Kim 10+3reb+3ast, S.Yoo 8+1reb+1ast, S.Seung-Min 8+3reb, S.Belangel 7+1reb+5ast
Mobis Phoebus: G.Prim 19+5reb+2ast, K.Aluma 18+5reb, L.Woosuk 16+5reb+3ast, J.Choi 14+5reb+2ast, O.Miguel 9+5reb+3ast, K.Tae-Wan 6

Sono SG - Seoul Thunders 89-99

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams in Daegu where 9th ranked Skygunners (12-28) were defeated by bottom-ranked Samsung Thunders (9-31) 99-89 on Friday. It was a great evening for Jamaican center Kofi Cockburn (213-1999, college: Illinois) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 35 points (!!!) and 14 rebounds. Swingman Dong-Hyuk Shin (191-2000) helped adding 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field). At the losing side forward Jong-hyun Lee (191-1999) responded with 32 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists and Nigerian-American center Chinanu Onuaku (207-1996, college: Louisville) scored 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Seoul Thunders maintains tenth place with 9-31 record. Sono SG lost fifth consecutive game. They keep the ninth position with 28 games lost. Seoul Thunders' supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will face at home their local rival from Seoul Seoul Knights.
Top scorers:
Sono SG: L.Jong-hyun 32+6reb+9ast, C.Onuaku 25+6reb+4ast, M.Kim 18+9reb+1ast, K.Kim 10+4reb+3ast, P.Jong 2+2reb+1ast, B.Jiwoong 2
Seoul Thunders: K.Cockburn 35+14reb+3ast, S.Dong-Hyuk 16+5reb+2ast, J.Lee 14+2reb+5ast, G.Hong 11+5ast, D.Lee 7+1reb+3ast, C.Minseok 6+1reb+1ast

Suwon KT - Wonju DB 79-76

Top ranked Wonju DB (31-10) recorded its tenth loss in Busan on Friday night. Visitors were edged by second ranked Sonicboom (26-13) 79-76. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Wonju DB. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. American power forward Paris Bass (207-1995, college: Detroit) fired 24 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. The former international center Yoongi Ha (203-1999) chipped in 15 points and 6 rebounds. The former international forward SangJae Kang (202-1994) produced 23 points and 6 rebounds and American power forward Dedric Lawson (206-1997, college: Kansas) added 12 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Four Wonju DB players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Sonicboom have a solid series of four victories in a row. Suwon KT maintains second place with 26-13 record having seven points less than leader Wonju DB. Wonju DB at the other side still keeps top position with ten games lost. Suwon KT are looking forward to face Anyang (#8) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Wonju DB will play against Sono SG (#9) and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Wonju DB: S.Kang 23+6reb+2ast, E.Alvano 17+6reb+4ast, D.Lawson 12+13reb+4ast, J.Kim 12+6reb, P.In-Woong 9+3reb, Y.Kim 3+1reb
Suwon KT: P.Bass 24+9reb+6ast, S.Moon 17+3reb+1ast, Y.Ha 15+6reb+1ast, S.Jeong 7+5reb+5ast, M.Jeonghyeon 6+4reb+3ast, S.Choi 5+6reb+3ast