"They ran so hard they had to be told to hold back"... Sonok's first-ever championship series appearance → Coach Son Chang-hwan praised [Goyang on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Goyang Sonok has advanced to the championship series for the first time in the franchise's history. Coach Son Chang-hwan passed the ball to his players.

On the 27th, Sonok defeated LG Sakers in a home game at Goyang Sonok Arena during the third match of the 2025-2026 LG Electronics Pro Basketball Quarterfinal Playoffs, winning 90-80. Having already secured the first two matches, Sonok completed a clean sweep with a 3-0 record through the third game, surpassing the regular-season top-ranked LG to reach their dream stage.

Sonok also recorded a 3-0 victory against Seoul SK in the previous quarterfinal playoffs. They continued their six-game winning streak in the playoffs by defeating LG with three consecutive wins.

This is the second time a fifth-ranked regular-season team has advanced to the championship series. In the 2023-2024 season, KCC also advanced and went on to win the championship. Sonok now dreams of following the same scenario.

After the game, Coach Son Chang-hwan said, "The players performed exceptionally well. I told them to push forward from the start, but they ran so hard that I had to tell them to hold back. I am grateful to the players who gave their all. It is an honor for me."

On this day, Sonok's ace Lee Jung-hyun scored a team-high 17 points. In particular, he hit a decisive three-point shot late in the fourth quarter when the opponent was closing in. Kevin Kamboa also contributed 17 points, including three three-pointers, while veteran Lee Jae-do anchored the team with 14 points. Additionally, Lee Geun-jun and Kang Ji-hoon made surprising contributions with 12 points each.

In particular, Lee Geun-jun played a decisive role in securing early momentum for the team by hitting four three-pointers in the first half alone—three in the first quarter and one in the second.

Coach Son Chang-hwan praised, "Lee Geun-jun has great potential, but he is still young and needs to build his muscles. I had been keeping him with the team for a while, but he didn't get much playing time because Choi Seung-wook and Kim Jin-yu were performing well. When Choi Seung-wook got injured, it became Lee Geun-jun's opportunity."

Having advanced to the championship series, Sonok will face either second-ranked Anyang Jeonggwanjang or sixth-ranked Busan KCC. Both Jeonggwanjang and KCC are currently tied 1-1 in the quarterfinal playoffs. From Sonok's perspective, this provides ample preparation time. However, Coach Son Chang-hwan cautioned against complacency, stating, "I believe both teams are superior to us. We are the challengers."

Regarding the possibility of winning the championship with a perfect playoff record, he added, "That would be wonderful. However, we had time to prepare for the LG game, but now we are facing teams that have already played through the quarterfinal playoffs. One is a super team (KCC), and the other finished second in the regular season. They are not easy opponents."

Meanwhile, Jo Sang-hyun, the head coach of last season's champion team who failed to win two consecutive titles, said, "With the regular-season championship, fans' expectations must have been very high. I sincerely apologize. We had no season as difficult as this one during the off-season. Still, the players worked hard to defend the championship. Even though we couldn't prepare as much as in other seasons, we achieved the result of finishing first in the regular season, and I am grateful for that. I believe the playoff results reflect my own shortcomings."

He further promised, "We will return as a strong team through the pain of cutting our bones."

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*This content was translated by AI.