LAPU-LAPU CITY — Chiba withstood Seoul SK, 72-69, to sweep its way to the 2023-24 East Asia Super League (EASL) championship, Sunday night.
Yuki Togashi canned both of his charities with 13.3 seconds left, before the Jets turned to their defense to prevent the Knights from tying up the game.
They then went on to win their second league title after the inaugural Super 8 in 2017.
The star guard finished with 22 points and seven assists in yet another rousing performance that earned him EASL Final Four MVP honors.
He actually received ‘M-V-P!’ chants during the aforementioned trip to the line from the appreciative crowd that filled up the Hoops Dome here.
And they were truly deserved ever since he starred in their semis win over New Taipei last Friday.
“Yuki took over in the end, and that has been the story of our season so far,” said Chiba head coach John Patrick. “We couldn’t be prouder, we couldn’t be happier. Also very glad to do this in Cebu. Great environment here.”
John Mooney produced 16 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists, while Ira Brown supplied 12.
The frontcourt tandem helped out in the clutch to help the B.League side ultimately bag home the USD 1 million top prize.
Jameel Warney led Seoul SK with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists as he tried to strap the team on his back, especially in the closing minutes, in an attempt to pull off a massive upset against their unbeaten counterparts.
Warney put the Knights up, 62-60, following a three-point play conversion with 4:44 remaining.
However, that proved to be their last time in the lead as Togashi nailed a booming go-ahead three-pointer only 13 seconds later.
Xavier Cooks and Mooney would keep their foes at a distance through their solid two-man play, yet the opposition just couldn’t fall. Anyoung Jun drilled a triple of his own to cut the gap to just a point, 70-69, with 1:14 to go.
Chiba, though, would lock them up and force a 24-second shot clock violation on the other end. Seoul SK was left with no choice but to foul Togashi to freeze the clock, and the latter made them pay by calmly sinking his shots.
The Korean Basketball League representatives could no longer convert, and the Japanese side eventually erupted in celebration as they completed an eight-game sweep of the league’s first home-and-away season.
“Hats off to the players. They deserve the championship. We somehow went undefeated, and tonight was another dramatic, difficult game, and we worked our best on defense,” said the American bench tactician.
An had 18 points while Leon Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Knights, which settled for the USD 500,000 runner-up prize.
Meanwhile, Anyang Jung Kwan Jang salvaged a third-place finish after surviving New Taipei, 78-76, in a thrilling prelude to the championship bout.
The Red Boosters almost ran out of luck when their once 12-point lead became just two with 33 seconds left and Robert Carter missing a trey.
But they heaved a huge sigh of relief when Yang Chin-min turned the ball over as time expired.
Park Jihoon led the KBL outfit with a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds. Carter made 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Jyeong Heoguen and ex-Converge import Jamil Wilson chipped in 11 points apiece in the win.
Anyang missed the services of star winger Rhenz Abando due to his back injury, but still did enough to fly back home USD 250,000 richer.
Kenny Manigault, on the other hand, had 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead New Taipei, who once again missed star guard Jeremy Lin.
Yang and former NBA player Austin Daye made 15 points each, while Hayden Blankley supplied 13 points and seven rebounds in the defeat.
The Scores:
Final:
Chiba 72 – Togashi 24, Mooney 16, Brown 12, Cooks 6, Kanechika 5, Ogawa 5, Hara 4, Arao 0, Nishimura 0.
Seoul SK 69 – Warney 22, An 18, Williams 15, Oh 9, Chanyong 3, Choi 2, Heo 0.
Quarterscores: 21-16, 37-34, 51-54, 72-69.
Third place game:
Anyang JKJ 78 – Park 29, Carter 18, Jeong 11, Wilson 11, Bae 5, Choi 4, Jung 0, Kim 0, Lee 0.
New Taipei 76 – Manigault 18, Yang 15, Daye 15, Blankley 13, Davis 8, Lin 6, Lee 1, Wang 0, Su 0, Hung 0.
Quarterscores: 18-13; 44-33; 64-57; 78-76.
