Goyang Carrot, led by coach Kim Seung-gi, was defeated by Anyang KGC Ginseng Corporation by 56 points in the first round of the playoffs in the quarterfinals.
Carrot was rather encouraged despite the complete defeat. The players did their best in a situation where salaries were delayed due to the club’s severe financial difficulties. It is Carrot who beat Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, the top seed, in the 6th round playoff that was held earlier after a close match in the 5th game. The opponent in the quarterfinals is the regular league champion. ‘Impressed’ Carrot received applause just for her challenge.
However, like director Kim Seung-gi’s promise to “just not die”, Carrot showed amazing potential. They won the second match in Anyang and returned the series record to 1 win and 1 loss.
The momentum continued on the afternoon of the 17th with the 2022-2023 SKT A-Dot Pro Basketball Quarterfinal Playoff Game 3, which was moved to the Goyang Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do, the home of the Carrot club.
Carrot fired four 3-pointers within three minutes of the start of the first quarter. Starting with Kim Jin-yu, Lee Jung-hyeon and Choi Hyun-min burst into 3-pointers, and Lee Jung-hyun put another 3-point shot into the rim.
Then Kim Sang-sik, director of KGC Ginseng Corporation, came up with an extreme prescription. Byun Jun-hyung, Bae Byung-jun, Moon Seong-gon, Oh Se-geun, and Omari Spellman were all replaced and backup players were put in. Still, Carrot’s momentum was not broken. Signboard shooter Jeon Seong-hyeon’s 3-point shot made the score widen to 15-0.스포츠토토
While KGC Ginseng Corporation opened its first fire with Daryl Monroe’s goal, Carrot scored with Choi Hyun-min’s two 3-pointers. All of the first 7 successful field goals were 3 points. Carrot finished the first quarter with a 23-11 lead, signaling the possibility of a surprise production for two consecutive games.
However, the potential of the regular league champion was also formidable.
Head coach Kim Sang-shik put the five starting players back in the second quarter. And started a physical battle with all-out pressure defense. KGC Ginseng Corporation, which went straight to the quarterfinals, had a clear physical advantage over Carrot, who had a bloody battle in the 5th round of the 6th round with a relatively thin layer of players. It was a strong winning move that made use of strengths and dug into the opponent’s anxiety factors.
Byun Jun-hyeong fired consecutive 3-point shots, and veteran big man Oh Se-geun took control of the net. Kgc Ginseng Corporation showed off its power to overturn the final score in the 2nd quarter. Carrot finished the first half after Didric Lawson’s 3-pointer brought the score back to 44-42.
However, the rise of KGC Ginseng Corporation was not broken. KGC Ginseng Corporation took the lead by overwhelming Carrot 27-16 for 10 minutes in the third quarter. Oh Se-geun led the team’s attack with his seasoned scoring ability and passing sense, and Byun Jun-hyung scored 12 points in the third quarter alone.
Carrot, who was on a forced march, was clearly tired. But it stuck to the end. Kgc Ginseng Corporation was also tired. After the start of the 4th quarter, he only scored 3 points in 8 minutes. Carrot was chased 72-70.
Even if he allowed a comeback, it was a goalless poverty to say. Moon Seong-gon saved the team. He grabbed 4 offensive rebounds in the 4th quarter alone. As a result, KGC Ginseng Corporation was able to pass the time by reducing the number of attacks of the opponent. And Moon Seong-gon succeeded in a field goal that opened the score to 74-70 two minutes before the end.
Carrot lost her strength. Lee Jung-hyeon and Lawson, the main characters of the carrot storm, both made the mistake of spilling the ball. It is exhausting. Lawson missed both free throws 1 minute and 25 seconds before the end.
Oh Se-geun received an exquisite bounce pass from Byun Jun-hyung 1 minute and 5 seconds before the end and fired a bottom shot. KGC Ginseng Corporation sighed, leading 76-70.
In the end, KGC Ginseng Corporation overcame Carrot’s strong pursuit and won 76-72, leading the series with 2 wins and 1 loss. Now, if you win only one game out of the remaining two games, you will advance to the championship game for the second year in a row.
Byun Jun-hyeong was active with 26 points and 3 assists, and Oh Se-geun recorded 15 points and 11 rebounds. Oh Se-geun, who is somewhat slow on his feet, had trouble with Carrot’s outskirts offensive, but instead boasted an overwhelming presence in the attack and created a match-up advantage. He also filled the void of the sluggish Spellman with 5 points and a field goal success rate of 17%.
In an interview with SPOTV after the game, Byun Jun-hyung said, “I played a tough game. I’m happy to win.” “I tried to lead the attack because there was no solution on the attack side. So, you can look forward to the next match.”
Lawson struggled with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Lee Jung-hyun recorded 17 points and 8 assists.