BNK Sum to face Woori Won in WKBL Championship

Basketball

Published: 15 Mar. 2023, 16:16 Updated: 15 Mar. 2023, 17:38

BNK Sum to face Woori Won in WKBL Championship

Busan BNK Sum players celebrate after winning the second leg of the playoffs against Yongin Samsung Life Blue Minx at Yongin Gymnasium in Yongin, Gyeonggi on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

The 2022-23 WKBL Championship is set with the Busan BNK Sum earning the second spot in the final on Tuesday after Asan Woori Bank Woori Won qualified a day earlier.

The championship is the final stage of the WKBL in which two winners from the four-team playoffs compete to be crowned as overall champions.

The playoffs start with two semifinal series played across three games, with the teams grabbing two wins advancing to the final.

The Asan Woori Bank Woori Won reached the championship after recording a two game winning-streak against the Incheon Shinhan Bank S-Birds on Monday, while Busan BNK Sum also landed in the final after managing their second victory against the Yongin Samsung Life Blue Minx on Tuesday.

BNK, who finished runners-up in the regular season, beat the Blue Minx 66-56 in the first game and 81-70 in the second. They were especially formidable in the second match, as they ended the game without losing a lead once.

The BNK’s An Hye-ji, who scored 15 points in the second game, said during a post-match interview, “I have many people to thank for, but I will speak about them after I finish everything. I will focus to work harder.”

This year’s championship is crucial for both finalists, as it is the Woori Won’s chance to be crowned as champions after missing out on a technicality in the 2019-20 season. They were recognized as the technical winners of the championship, despite not playing, because they were league leaders right before the season was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BNK, on the other hand, are playing in the championship for the first time since they were re-founded as a new club in 2019. They used to be called the Incheon Kumho Life Falcons in the early 2000s and won the championship title once in 2004.

With the BNK advancing to the championship, the Busan side’s head coach Park Jung-eun became the first ever female coach to reach the final stage.

The Woori Won were dominant in their two games against the S-Birds.

The Asan side grabbed their first victory on Saturday with ease as they beat the S-Birds 65-51, before managing a 70-58 win again on Monday.

The Woori Won’s Kim Dan-bi, who won the MVP award for the regular season, proved that she deserves the award by scoring 23 in the first and 14 in the second match.

Kim’s teammate Go A-ra also shone in the second leg, scoring 18 points total.

Asan Woori Bank Woori Won's Go A-ra, second from left, passes the ball during the second leg of the playoffs against the Incheon Shinhan Bank S-Birds at Incheon Dowon Gymnasium in Incheon on Monday. [NEWS1]

“I hope my soon-to-be husband and I both do well and win the championship,” Go said after the game, referring to fiancé Bae Byung-jun of the KBL’s Anyang KGC.

The championship will be played across five games. The third leg is scheduled on March 23, but depending on the third game’s results, the championship could last to a fifth leg on March 27.

The Woori won and the BNK are facing off in the first leg at Yi Sun-sin Icerink Gymnasium in Asan, South Chungcheong on Sunday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]