It’s not the same. They’ve been together for years, and they know what they’re doing just by looking at each other. With a new ace in the hole to lead the team…. They’ve been through the motions, and they’ve entered a new era.
Led by ace Kim Hyung-joon (25 points, four rebounds, four assists, two three-pointers), the Bank of Korea defeated Samsung Life 56-47 in Group B of the EVISU SPORTS Bae 2023 The K Workplace Basketball League (www.kbasket.kr) at a gymnasium in Seoul’s Gwanak-gu neighbourhood on Monday, thanks to evenly matched performances from Kim Gun (11 points, five rebounds, three steals, two three-pointers), Oh Se-yoon (seven points, 12 rebounds) and Nam Ki-hoon (eight points, five rebounds) to win their second straight game after two straight losses.메이저놀이터
With Kim Hyung-joon establishing himself as the ace of the new era, Kim Gun, Oh Se-yoon, and Nam Ki-hoon did everything they were asked to do inside and out. Kim Soo-han, making his comeback from injury, shot poorly from the field due to a lack of game sense, but he did the little things to help his team win. Lim Sung-woon (6 rebounds), Choi Young-woo (1 point, 4 rebounds), Lim Jong-soo, and Kim Min-jae also gave their all to ease the pressure on their teammates’ shoulders.
For Samsung Life, big man Oh Se-hoon (14 points, 14 rebounds) defended the glass alongside Choi Jae-ho (7 points, 10 rebounds), Jo In-ho (5 points, 6 rebounds) and Hwang Sang-moon (6 rebounds), while Kim Jung-gon (13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) supported his teammates inside and out. While eldest brother Shin Yun-seok encouraged his teammates from the bench, Nam Ki-seok (2 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) ran the show and Lee Jae-gil (6 points, 9 rebounds) contributed.
It was a tightly contested game from the start. Samsung Life was led by Oh Se-hoon, with Choi Jong-ho, Lee Jae-gil, and Kim Jung-gon digging relentlessly under the basket, especially Oh Se-hoon. He defended well under the basket and actively participated in scoring, leading the team. Nam Ki-seok passed the ball to his teammates to help them score.
Ki-hoon Nam and Oh Se-yoon defended the goal, while Kim Soo-han was active and supported his teammates. Kim Hyung-jun scored six points in the first quarter alone, scoring from all areas of the floor, including midrange and penetration.
In the second quarter, the BOK came out firing. They showed their power from outside the three-point line. Kim Hyung-jun hit two three-pointers, and Kim Geon also hit a three-pointer to spread the floor as much as possible. Nam Ki-hoon and Oh Se-yoon battled for rebounds alongside Lim Sung-woon, while Kim Soo-han kept up with his teammates’ movements and passed the ball around.
Instead of giving Nam Ki-seok a break, Samsung Life opted for Kim Jung-gon to take the lead. Lee Jae-gil, Choi Jong-ho, Jo In-ho, and Hwang Sang-woon took turns digging under the basket. Choi Jong-ho, Lee Jae-gil, and Kim Jung-gon added to the momentum with a focused effort, converting five of their six free throws in the second quarter.
The tense atmosphere swung in favour of Bank of Korea in the third quarter. The team’s strong defence and fast-break offence, which was the driving force behind their victory in Division 3 of the 2018 edition, came into play. Oh Se-yoon, Nam Ki-hoon, Lim Sung-woon, and Choi Young-woo collected rebounds. Kim Soo-han and Kim Gun drove to the other end of the floor and converted.
What made the third quarter shine for Bank of Korea was that they were able to take advantage of the fact that their main man, Kim Hyung-jun, was in foul trouble early in the third quarter. They remembered what they did best and put it into practice. Kim stuck his neck out for his teammates and encouraged them. Kim Gun and Nam Ki-hoon spearheaded the offence, combining for 11 points in the third quarter alone, which opened up the gap.
Samsung Life bounced back in the fourth quarter after a rough third quarter. They took to the court with renewed vigour, with Oh taking the lead. He drove into the gaps and scored points and actively participated in the fast break. Kim Jung-gon, Lee Jae-gil, and Jo In-ho also joined him in the offence, while Choi Jong-ho worked hard to keep his teammates on their shoulders.
However, with momentum on their side, BOK did not go away easily. Oh Se-yoon picked up his fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter and left the court, but Nam Ki-hoon, Lim Sung-woon, Lim Jong-soo, and Kim Min-jae filled the void. In addition, Kim Hyung-jun led the team’s offence with nine points in the fourth quarter alone. Samsung Life made a last-ditch effort with back-to-back points from Jo In-ho and Oh Se-hoon, but there was too little time to make up the gap.
Meanwhile, the EVISU SPORTS (https://www.evisusports.com/) MATCH MVP of the game went to Kookmin Bank’s Kim Gun, who scored 11 points, five rebounds and three steals, including two three-pointers, to lead his team to victory, including eight points in the decisive second half. “We prepared a lot beforehand, so I think it led to a good result. We had a messy first half, but in the second half, our man-to-man defence worked well and our fast breaks worked well,” he said of the victory.
The decisive game of the day was the third quarter. Bank of Korea went on a run and widened the gap. He said, “Our usual plays worked well. We saw that they had a good three-point shooter, so we played man-to-man defence, but we got caught in a 2-2 play. In the third quarter, our defensive calls went well, and we were able to pull away because they were getting tired.”
Most importantly, they set the tone even though Kim Hyung-joon left the court due to foul trouble. “That was the decisive moment. Of course, (Kim) Hyung-joon is a great centre. But we’ve been playing together for five or six years, and we had a lot of good plays. And with (Nam) Ki-hoon and (Oh) Se-yoon scoring for us under the basket, it gave us a lot of confidence and helped us play well.”
Korea Bank was the last team to complete their qualifying schedule. “It was a bit of a mess at the beginning, so both the content and the result were not good. In fact, we didn’t have much preparation because it had been a long time since we played in a tournament,” he recalled, adding, “The more we played, the better we seemed to be working together. I can see the organisation that I showed in the past. I think we’re getting better and better.”