Yang Dong-gil of Coway Blue Wheels led the victory in the second round of the championship match. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Hyo-kyung
Coway Blue Wheels defeated Jeju Samdasoo in the second round of the Wheelchair Basketball League Championship. The long-awaited championship cup goes to the winner of the third game.
Coway won 66-58 in the second game of the 2024 KWBL Wheelchair Basketball League championship match (2 wins out of 3) held at the Gwangju Citizens Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 23rd. Coway, which lost the first game 54-58, took the series record to 1 win and 1 loss. Game 3 will be held at the same place at 2pm on the 24th.
Jeju and Coway are prestigious wheelchair basketball teams that have each won the championship four times. Jeju Samdasoo had the upper hand with 2 wins and 1 loss, but the two teams faced off tightly in the regular season. In the first game, Jeju Samdasoo won 58-54, but it was fierce.
The second game of the 2024 Wheelchair Basketball League championship game between Coway Blue Wheels and Jeju Samdasoo held at the Gwangju Citizens Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 23rd. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Hyo-kyung
On this day, a fierce battle of defense and defense continued in the first quarter of Gyeonggi Province. The two teams, comprised of former and current national team players, continued their close battle within 2 to 4 points. Coway, expertly managed by Oh Dong-seok, finished the first quarter ahead 16-14, led by Yang Yong-gil, who recorded 6 points and 2 rebounds.
Samdasoo succeeded in turning the tables early in the second quarter. Rensi hit a middle shot and then scored on a fast break to take the lead 18-16. Coway did not back down easily. Following Kwak Jun-seong’s score after receiving Oh Dong-seok’s pass, Yang Dong-gil fouled the opponent and scored a bonus one-shot under the goal to make it 27-22. Coway finished the second quarter ahead by 5 points, 33-28, by blocking Jeju Samdasoo’s final attack.
The second game of the 2024 Wheelchair Basketball League championship game between Coway Blue Wheels and Jeju Samdasoo held at the Gwangju Citizens Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 23rd. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Hyo-kyung
Jeju Samdasoo played active defense at the beginning of the third quarter, but Coway played it calmly. Kim Sang-yeol almost received a U-foul, but as a result of the video review, it was recognized as a personal foul and the critical moment was overcome. Yang Dong-gil, who received Oh Dong-seok’s sharp pass, once again earned an additional free throw due to a foul, increasing the lead to 47-38. Oh Dong-seok made a 50-40, 10-point difference by scoring a bonus one-shot after breaking through directly. In the end, Coway ended the third quarter with a 52-44 lead.
Jeju prevented Chokai from scoring with strong defense. And Yang Dong-gil made a quick pass to Oh Dong-seok twice, creating a 1-on-1 quick break. As Yang Dong-gil and Kim Ho-yong’s concentrated defense succeeded, Jeju Samdasoo eventually shook off Coway’s final chase.
The second game of the 2024 Wheelchair Basketball League championship game between Coway Blue Wheels and Jeju Samdasoo held at the Gwangju Citizens Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 23rd. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Hyo-kyung
Yang Dong-gil played well with 22 points, 21 rebounds, and 7 assists. Oh Dong-seok also recorded 15 points and 7 assists. Jeju recorded more than 30 points in two consecutive games, following the first game (34 points), with Chokai scoring 30 points, but they were unable to overcome the critical point.
Yang Dong-gil said, “Today I went out with a desperate determination. After the game yesterday, the coaching staff and the players had an honest talk. I tried to sacrifice more for the team. Since I was doing well, my brothers helped me.” He said, “I felt good from the time I warmed up before the game. My first shot didn’t go, but I threw it confidently and three shots in a row went in.”
Regarding the fast break with Oh Dong-seok, he said, “We played basketball together for nearly 10 years. We understand even if we don’t say anything. The moment you catch the ball, if you look ahead, you’re running without any hesitation. All you have to do is throw.” Coway, who suffered an upset loss in the previous day’s game, concentrated on defending Chokai. Yang Dong-gil explained, “I focused on stopping Chokai with Kim Ho-yong.” Coway also had a fierce battle that went all the way to the third round of the playoffs. Yang Dong-gil was confident of winning the third game, saying, “It is physically difficult, but there is no problem.”
The second game of the 2024 Wheelchair Basketball League championship game between Coway Blue Wheels and Jeju Samdasoo held at the Gwangju Citizens Gymnasium in Gyeonggi-do on the 23rd. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Hyo-kyung
The wheelchair basketball league was launched in 2015 and celebrated its 10th anniversary this season. In the first year, four teams participated, including Jeju Samdasoo, Seoul City Hall (predecessor of Coway), Goyang Holt, and Daegu Metropolitan City Hall, and Suwon Mugunghwa Electronics joined in 2016 and Chuncheon Tigers joined in 2019, creating a six-team system. This year, 7 new players joined.
In particular, the performance of foreign players stood out this year. Japanese national team member Renshi Chokai has joined Jeju Samdasoo. Rensi, a silver medalist at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games, utilized his fast speed to help the team win the regular season together with ace Kim Dong-hyun. Chuncheon Tigers also added strength from Thailand’s Aekassim Jeon-rin.
