'First-ever 6th-place championship triumph' KCC defeats Sono for 7th title overall, tying Hyundai Mobis for most championships [Goyang On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Busan KCC Egis defeated Goyang Sono Skygunners, etching an unprecedented record in KBL history and claiming the 2025-2026 season championship. With their first playoff title as the 6th-seeded team in the regular season, KCC joined Ulsan Hyundai Mobis as co-leaders with seven championships.

On the 13th, Busan KCC defeated Goyang Sono 76-68 in Game 5 of the '2025-2026 LG Electronics KBL' Championship Series (best-of-seven) held at Goyang Sono Arena in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The team never surrendered the lead to Sono for even a single second throughout the game.

With this victory, KCC secured the playoff championship trophy with a series record of four wins and one loss. Simultaneously, KCC wrote new history as the first 6th-seeded team to win the championship in the 29th-year history of the KBL. While there have been many 'upset' challenges from lower-seeded teams, this marks the first time since the inception of professional basketball in 1997 that a 6th-seeded team has captured the championship.

KCC also seized the initiative from the start. Immediately after the game began, KCC unleashed a solid defense and fluid passing, scoring nine consecutive points to launch a 9-0 run. Sono remained scoreless for about four minutes after the tip-off, clearly showing signs of panic.

KCC extended their lead to 14-5 at one point in the second quarter, then deployed a balanced scoring attack both inside and outside the arc to close the first quarter with a 25-12 score, firmly taking early control. Heo Hoon scored seven points in the first quarter alone, displaying remarkable power.

KCC's momentum did not wane in the second quarter. Although Sono attempted to close the gap with two three-pointers from Im Dong-seop, they were repeatedly blocked by KCC's height and intense defensive pressure, struggling to find any offensive rhythm.

KCC capitalized on Sono's turnovers with fast breaks, further widening the score gap. When the buzzer sounded to end the first half, the scoreboard read 42-23. Sono struggled with an empty offense, managing only 23 points in the first half. While Sono Knight failed to score, Sean Long dominated the paint with eight points and four rebounds in the second quarter alone.

KCC's dominance continued into the early third quarter. After scoring six consecutive points to pull away, Sono mounted a fierce comeback. Knight poured in 14 points in the third quarter, igniting the chase. KCC could not stop Knight, and the gap narrowed from 25 points to 15 points as the third quarter ended with the score at 56-41.

However, KCC successfully repelled Sono's comeback in the early fourth quarter. Most decisively, Heo Woong's 3-point shot with 5 minutes and 42 seconds remaining proved to be the turning point. Although Sono narrowed the gap to nine points, it was not enough. With 1 minute and 35 seconds left, Song Gyo-chang's 2-point shot sank through the rim, extinguishing the immediate threat and securing the victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.