Kang Yu-rim's 20 points fire Samsung Life into WKBL championship finals

Yoolim Kang (175-F-1997) Yu-rim delivered the biggest performance of her career when it mattered most, pouring in 20 points including four three-pointers to lead Samsung Life Blueminx to a 58-53 victory over Bucheon Hana Bank in Game 4 of the BNK Financial 2025-2026 WKBL semifinal playoff at Yongin Gymnasium on Tuesday, clinching the series 3-1 and booking the franchise's spot in the championship finals. The 29-year-old guard added four rebounds and three steals in a complete two-way effort that sealed Samsung Life's upset of second-seeded Hana Bank. After the final buzzer, Yoolim Kang was visibly emotional in her broadcast interview — tears flowing as the magnitude of reaching her first-ever championship finals sank in. "We never gave up. We fought to the very end," Yoolim Kang said. "We came together as one team, one heart, and that's why we won." Asked about her tears, Yoolim Kang smiled. "During the regular season, reporters would ask me about my shooting struggles, and I remembered those difficult days. This is also my first championship finals, so I think all those emotions just came together." Yoolim Kang's breakthrough has been a story of rediscovered confidence. After a regular season plagued by shooting woes and self-doubt, she found her form at the perfect time. "I just shot with confidence, and it worked," she explained. "In Game 1, I took a lot of shots but they wouldn't fall. I've finally learned in my heart that you have to keep shooting whether they go in or not. During the regular season I would shrink under pressure, but now I don't feel that at all." Samsung Life's reward for dispatching Hana Bank is a championship finals date with top-seeded Cheongju KB Stars — a formidable opponent that finished first in the regular season and swept Woori Bank 3-0 in the other semifinal while setting a playoff record with 17 three-pointers in their clinching game. Yoolim Kang was candid about the challenge ahead. "Obviously we have to prepare for Ji-Su Park (195-C-1998), but honestly it's not just one or two players you have to worry about on that team," she said. "We need to seriously shore up our defense. And when our offense doesn't click, we lose — Game 1 of this series proved that. Our defense was fine but we couldn't score. We need to think hard about how to generate offense." But the underdog label doesn't faze Samsung Life's playoff hero. "Everyone expects KB to win the championship," Yoolim Kang said with a defiant edge. "Everyone predicted Hana Bank would advance from this series too, and we flipped that. We're going to create another fun result. Our team has players who are scary when they get going. The coach believes in us, and we're going to play with everything we've got." The WKBL championship finals between KB Stars and Samsung Life Blueminx are expected to begin later this week.