He tasted victory for the first time since transitioning from club basketball to elite basketball.
Yongsanjoong defeated Hwimunjung 69-63 in overtime in the boys’ secondary final of the 2024 Federation Championships in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on Monday. Yongsangjoong ended Hwimunjoong’s three-game winning streak and claimed its first title of the season.
Long Yongzhong’s first title of the season came from behind. After starting the final quarter with a 40-50 deficit, Long Yong-joong was able to close the gap and eventually tie the game at 58-58 in overtime. At the center of the 11-5 run in overtime was reigning Secondary Player of the Year Park Tae-joon, but sophomore Lee Seung-min, who held Whimun ace 안전 토토사이트 Park Bum-yoon to single-digit scoring.
Lee finished with eight points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals in the final.
“In April, we lost to Whimun in the finals of the Association Championship and finished runner-up,” said Lee. I expected this final to be a tough game as well. I wanted to win last time, but it didn’t go my way, so I sharpened my knives for this final. Everyone on the team fought hard, and although we fell short at the beginning, we were able to focus on rebounding and defense and play well. Even though we went into overtime, I felt more like I wanted to win than I felt like it was hard. It feels good to win,” he said.
He also talked about his match against Park Bum-yoon of Korea. Park is a player who consistently scores double digits in every game, whether inside or outside. However, in the final, he only managed nine points (20 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks).
“He’s a strong player and he’s very active in rebounding. Even if I got open on defense, there was help defense behind me, so I tried to defend confidently.” “I’ve known him since I played club basketball, but I didn’t expect him to be as good as he is now. It was refreshing to be able to play a good game against him in the final.”
As Lee Seung-min said, they started playing club basketball at Samsung in Bundang. When they moved on to middle school, they all switched to elite basketball.
“When I played club basketball in elementary school, I remember winning a lot of games easily,” says Lee. But when I came to middle school, I played elite basketball and won my first championship, which was really difficult and hard. It feels better and is more valuable,” he explains.
Meanwhile, after the awards ceremony, Yongsangjoong traveled by train from Gimcheon to Seoul.
“Before the final, my teammates vowed to play hard and without regret, and we all talked on the train about how hard it was to win the title. My brother (Yongsang-go Lee Seung-joon) also congratulated me on the win, saying, ‘How did you beat Huhmun-joong? With this victory, I think not only I but all of my teammates will be able to continue to do well in the future. I want to win more titles in the future by working hard.”
After winning the championship, Yong-joong will next compete in the Seoul Boys’ Championships. In addition to Yong, Hwimun Joong, Hongdae Boojoong, Yang Jeongjoong, Dandae Boojoong, and Myeongji Joong participated in the preliminary round. Yong Yong-joong will start his first match against Dandae Boo-joong on the 20th, and the men’s final will be held on the 22nd. It will be interesting to see if Yong Yong-joong can continue the trend and have the last laugh in the Seoul representative selection.