KBL Round 26 (Regular Season): #1 LG Sakers are defeated by Suwon KT

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most surprising game was a loss of top-ranked Sakers (20-8) in Busan on Sunday night. Visitors were edged by sixth ranked Sonicboom (15-14) 76-75. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Sakers. American forward Derrick Williams (203-1991, college: Arizona) scored 21 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import center Isaiah Hicks (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) chipped in 14 points during the contest. Sonicboom's coach Se-Woong Park used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Egyptian center Assem Marei (206-1992, college: MSU) responded with a triple-double by scoring 19 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. Sonicboom have a solid four-game winning streak. Suwon KT maintains sixth position with 15-14 record. Defending champion LG Sakers still keep top place with eight games lost. Suwon KT are looking forward to face higher ranked Wonju DB (#3) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. LG Sakers will play against Seoul Thunders and are hoping to win this game.
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Anyang (19-10) against fifth ranked Knights (16-12) on Saturday night. Visiting Anyang was defeated by Knights in a tough game in Seoul 74-78. American center Jameel Warney (203-1994, college: Stony Brook) notched a double-double by scoring 25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the effort and Youngjun An supported him with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Even 30 points and 8 rebounds by American power forward Johnny OBryant III (207-1993, college: LSU, agency: Slash Sports) did not help to save the game for Anyang. Anyang's coach Seung-Ki Kim tried various players' combinations and tested in total twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Seoul Knights moved-up to fourth place, which they share with KCC Egis. Anyang at the other side keeps the second position with ten games lost. Seoul Knights will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Anyang will play at home against Mobis Phoebus and hopes to get back on the winning track.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Anyang. Second ranked host Anyang (19-10) defeated 4th ranked Egis (16-12) 76-68. The best player for the winners was Johnny OBryant III who scored 19 points and 8 rebounds. Anyang's coach Seung-Ki Kim used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Shawn Long produced a double-double by scoring 21 points and 18 rebounds for the guests. Anyang maintains second position with 19-10 record behind leader LG Sakers. KCC Egis lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the fourth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Seoul Knights. Anyang will meet at home Mobis Phoebus (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. KCC Egis will play against Mobis Phoebus (#9) in Ulsan and hope to secure a win.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 26: Suwon KT won against Sono SG on the opponent's court 76-64. Mobis Phoebus unfortunately lost to Daegu in a home game 77-79. Wonju DB managed to beat Seoul Thunders on the road 83-76.



Sono SG - Suwon KT 64-76

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 7th ranked Skygunners' (10-18) home loss to sixth ranked Sonicboom (15-14) 64-76 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was American center Isaiah Hicks (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) who scored 19 points and 6 rebounds. Sungwook Kang chipped in 17 points. American power forward Nathan Knight (208-1997, college: William & Mary) produced 18 points and 9 rebounds and Filipino Kevin Quiambao (193-2001) added 17 points respectively for the hosts. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Sonicboom have a solid four-game winning streak. Suwon KT maintains sixth position with 15-14 record. Loser Skygunners keeps the seventh place with 18 games lost. Suwon KT will meet higher ranked Wonju DB (#3) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Sono SG will play against Daegu (#8) in Incheon and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Suwon KT: H.Isaiah 19+6reb+1ast, S.Kang 17+2reb+3ast, H.Han 10+3reb, W.Derrick 9+2reb+2ast, M.Jeonghyeon 7+3reb+1ast, Y.Ha 6+4reb+1ast
Sono SG: N.Knight 18+9reb+3ast, K.Quiambao 17+3reb+2ast, C.Seung-Wook 8+4reb+1ast, H.Gyeong-Gi 7+1ast, J.Johnson 4+6reb, L.Jae-Do 4+1reb+3ast

Mobis Phoebus - Daegu 77-79

We could consider it a predictable result in the game between close teams in Ulsan where tenth ranked Daegu (9-19) edged 9th ranked Mobis Phoebus (9-19) 79-77 on Saturday. The best player for the winners was Filipino guard Samjosef Belangel (177-1999) who scored 32 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line). The former international forward Ricardo Ratliffe (203-1989, college: Missouri) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points and 13 rebounds. American center Isaiah Hicks (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) produced 20 points and 7 assists and his fellow American import center Rayshaun Hammonds (206-1998, college: Georgia) added 18 points and 6 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Daegu moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Mobis Phoebus and Seoul Thunders. Daegu will meet at home higher ranked Sono SG (#7) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Mobis Phoebus will play against the league's second-placed Anyang and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Daegu: B.Samjosef 32+5reb+6ast, R.Ricardo 16+13reb+1ast, J.Shin 8+5reb+3ast, S.Shin 7+3reb+1ast, J.Choi 5, S.Jeong 5+1reb+4ast
Mobis Phoebus: S.Myeong-jin 20+2reb+7ast, R.Hammonds 18+6reb+2ast, K.Geon-ha 10+3ast, J.Han-Jin 9+6reb+3ast, H.Ji-Hoon 6+3reb, C.Kang-Mim 6+1reb

Seoul Knights - Anyang 78-74

Very important is a road loss of second ranked Anyang (19-10) against fifth ranked Knights (16-12) on Saturday night. Visiting Anyang was defeated by Knights in a tough game in Seoul 74-78. Seoul Knights made 20-of-26 charity shots (76.9 percent) during the game. Anyang was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. American center Jameel Warney (203-1994, college: Stony Brook) notched a double-double by scoring 25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead the effort and Youngjun An supported him with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Even 30 points and 8 rebounds by American power forward Johnny OBryant III (207-1993, college: LSU, agency: Slash Sports) did not help to save the game for Anyang. The other his fellow American import import center Isaiah Hicks (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) added 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for the guests. Anyang's coach Seung-Ki Kim tried various players' combinations and tested in total twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Seoul Knights moved-up to fourth place, which they share with KCC Egis. Anyang at the other side keeps the second position with ten games lost. Seoul Knights will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Anyang will play at home against Mobis Phoebus and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Seoul Knights: W.Jameel 25+10reb+1ast, N.Kim 18+1reb+5ast, Y.An 11+8reb+8ast, H.Kim 8+4reb, B.Choi 6+1reb+1ast, J.Oh 4+2reb
Anyang: J.O'Bryant III 30+8reb+3ast, B.Junhyeong 13+3reb+2ast, P.Jihoon 10+5reb+4ast, R.Abando 7+5reb, J.Seonghyen 6+1ast, P.Jeong-woong 2

Seoul Thunders - Wonju DB 76-83

Not a big story in a game in Seoul where 8th ranked Samsung Thunders (9-19) were defeated by third ranked Wonju DB (18-10) 83-76 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was American guard Ethan Alvano (185-1996, college: CSUSM) who had a double-double by scoring 17 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. The other American import center Henry Ellenson (208-1997, college: Marquette) chipped in 21 points and 5 rebounds. Alvano is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Four Wonju DB players scored in double figures. Turkish power forward Kerem Kanter (208-1995, college: Xavier) produced 18 points and 9 rebounds and Canadian Andrew Nicholson (206-1989, college: St.Bonaventure) added 17 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Wonju DB have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 18-10 record having just two points less than leader LG Sakers. Seoul Thunders lost seventh consecutive game. They dropped to the bottom place with 19 games lost. They share the position with Mobis Phoebus and Daegu. Wonju DB will meet at home Suwon KT (#6) in the next round. Seoul Thunders will play against the league's leader LG Sakers (#1) in Changwon and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Wonju DB: E.Henry 21+5reb+3ast, A.Ethan 17+7reb+10ast, Y.Lee 13+1reb+1ast, J.Hyo-Geun 13+9reb+3ast, S.Kang 6+6reb+2ast, Y.Lee 5+2reb
Seoul Thunders: K.Kanter 18+9reb, A.Nicholson 17+7reb+1ast, P.Seungjae 11+4reb+2ast, L.Kwan-hee 8+4reb+3ast, L.Dong-eon 5+4reb, S.Dong-Hyuk 5+1reb+3ast

Suwon KT - LG Sakers 76-75

The most surprising game was a loss of top-ranked Sakers (20-8) in Busan on Sunday night. Visitors were edged by sixth ranked Sonicboom (15-14) 76-75. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Sakers. American forward Derrick Williams (203-1991, college: Arizona) scored 21 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import center Isaiah Hicks (206-1994, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) chipped in 14 points during the contest. Sonicboom's coach Se-Woong Park used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Egyptian center Assem Marei (206-1992, college: MSU) responded with a triple-double by scoring 19 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists and scored 21 points. Sonicboom have a solid four-game winning streak. Suwon KT maintains sixth position with 15-14 record. Defending champion LG Sakers still keep top place with eight games lost. Suwon KT are looking forward to face higher ranked Wonju DB (#3) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. LG Sakers will play against Seoul Thunders and are hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Suwon KT: W.Derrick 21+5reb+2ast, H.Isaiah 14+3reb, M.Jeonghyeon 12+2reb, P.Jun-Young 7+4reb, J.Cagulangan 6+2reb+5ast, S.Kang 4+2reb+1ast
LG Sakers: T.Carl 21+2reb+2ast, A.Marei 19+21reb+10ast, Y.Junseok 11+2reb+2ast, J.In-Deok 8+1reb+2ast, Y.Hongseok 5+6reb+1ast, Y.Ki-sang 3+1reb+2ast

Anyang - KCC Egis 76-68

The game between Top Four teams took place in Anyang. Second ranked host Anyang (19-10) defeated 4th ranked Egis (16-12) 76-68. Anyang made 17-of-20 free shots (85.0 percent) during the game. Strangely KCC Egis outrebounded Anyang 41-29 including 16 on the offensive glass. The best player for the winners was American power forward Johnny OBryant III (207-1993, college: LSU, agency: Slash Sports) who scored 19 points and 8 rebounds. Yuhyeon Moon chipped in 9 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. Anyang's coach Seung-Ki Kim used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Shawn Long (208-1993, college: Louisiana, agency: Pensack Sports) produced a double-double by scoring 21 points and 18 rebounds and the other his fellow American import import center Henry Ellenson (208-1997, college: Marquette) added 17 points and 9 rebounds (was perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line) respectively for the guests. Anyang maintains second position with 19-10 record behind leader LG Sakers. KCC Egis lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the fourth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Seoul Knights. Anyang will meet at home Mobis Phoebus (#9) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. KCC Egis will play against Mobis Phoebus (#9) in Ulsan and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Anyang: O.Johnny 19+8reb+1ast, Y.Moon 9+5reb+7ast, J.Park 9+2reb+1ast, K.Kim 7+3reb, J.Byeon 7+3reb+2ast, J.Park 6+2reb+1ast
KCC Egis: S.Long 21+18reb+2ast, N.William 17+9reb+1ast, H.Hoon 16+4reb+6ast, C.Jing-Wang 5+1ast, J.Jae-Sok 4+4reb+2ast, Y.Ki-Chan 2+4reb+1ast