Spring has truly sprung in Changwon.
The Changwon LG won a 94-70, 24-point home victory over the Anyang Jungkwanjang in the sixth round of the 2023-24 Jungkwanjang Professional Basketball League at Changwon Indoor Gymnasium on Monday.
The win was LG’s eighth consecutive victory, its first in nine years since the 2014-15 season, and moved them to within two games of third-place Suwon KT for sole possession of second place.
LG coach Cho Sang-hyun said, “We’ve won eight in a row in nine years. It’s not my achievement. The motivation of the players is clear. I’m very grateful to them for continuing the good flow. We had a rough patch in January and February when we didn’t have (Asem) Marei, but we handled it well,” he said, adding, “We will try to continue to show good form. Of course, there were times during the match today when I got angry with the players. There were things I didn’t like and I wanted them to be motivated. Our team colors have to come out well. We will have a video meeting to keep our team colors and prepare for the playoffs.”
Following the last game against DB Wonju, Yang Hong-seok’s playing time was less than 20 minutes. Coach Cho Sang-hyun said, “Like the DB game, he was not in good shape today, so we put in (Jung) Hee-jae and played a defense-oriented game. I hope (Yang) Hong-seok feels good about himself. I can’t use him if he can’t compete. Hee-jae and (Jung) Induk are doing a good job right now. I hope Hong Seok feels well and comes alive like he did in the second round. I will use him in the upcoming matches. I hope he shows well. Hong Seok-i is a player who needs to grow like (Yang) Jun-seok and (Yu) Ki-sang.”
LG currently holds a two-game lead over KT with four games remaining. Barring any upsets, a direct playoff berth in the top four is within reach, provided they don’t suddenly lose back-to-back games.
Coach Cho Sang-hyun said, “With SK’s loss today, the gap seems to have widened a bit more. In the end, it’s a race against KT. We have four games left. We will prepare for the playoffs in this 토토 direction, keeping our team colors. We’ll go all the way to the end rather than losing by two games. Marei’s fitness management was also disappointing today, and we will work on these areas.”
LG made a whopping 17 three-pointers on the night. However, not many of them came from the transition game.
“Our three-pointers can only come when we take advantage of the opportunities derived from Marei,” said Cho. It’s hard to get them in 5-on-5 situations. We need more 3-pointers in transition. It was frustrating in the first half, but in the second half, (Lee) Jae Do and Indu did a great job, and the 3-pointers came. That’s why we won the game.”
“Indui is always ready to go. Sometimes he starts, sometimes he doesn’t. But I love that he’s always there. He can be a joker and a game-changer,” he said.