Kye Sung-go captain Oh Ji-seok vowed to win the second half of the season.
Gyeongsung High School got off to a fresh start in the second half of the 2024 Korean Basketball Weekend League with a 110-78 victory over Sangsan Electronics High School in Zone D of the Central Region at the Cheongju Sinheung High School Gymnasium on June 22.
Leading up to the first game of the Weekend League, Kye Sung Go had a busy schedule as they were invited to represent Korea in the HBL International Tournament in Taiwan from June 17-21. The team had to compete against Australia, China, and Taiwan without a single day off, 토토 and had to overcome the home-advantage and the combative physicality of their opponents.
After the tournament ended, the team returned to Korea on an early morning flight and traveled to Cheongju for the weekend league. The grueling schedule could have taken a toll on their bodies, but all of the Gyeongsungo players were unconcerned and enjoyed their first victory with a light-hearted attitude.
In particular, captain Oh Ji-seok, who started in the starting lineup, was tirelessly directing and counseling the team to improve their performance.
He supported Yang Jong-yoon, who scored 15 points in the first quarter alone, and led the team to victory with a strong performance on both the offensive and defensive ends. In addition, the team’s tight pressing defense forced Sangsan E-Go to take over the offensive possession, which they converted into fast breaks for easy scores.
After the game, Oji-seok said, “We were able to win because all the players worked hard in a tough schedule. Now, I think Gyeongsungo has only one thing left to do, which is to climb higher and higher,” he vowed.
Gyeongsungo is currently one of the strongest teams in Korea, consistently breaking into the top four. They’re also a team that doesn’t lose easily against any team. However, after participating in the HBL tournament in Taiwan, Oh’s mindset changed.
The team went 1-2 in the tournament.
“I thought I was competitive in Korea, but I realized that I was lacking in many areas. We need to work harder while competing systematically, both personally and nationally,” he said.
“I thought the weekend league would be tough today because of the tight schedule, but I thought positively because if we overcome this, we will grow to the next level,” he added.
Against Sangsan E-Go, Gyeongsung Go’s main offensive option was finishing after a quick transition situation. Sometimes it took as little as three seconds for him to score after a rebound. Even from the bench, the coach kept ordering his players to run counterattacks and early offense.
“In the first half, we were complacent and missed a lot of passes in important situations,” said Oh. In the second half, we want to turn those into outnumbered situations and high-probability situations to finish safely. I think that’s why we picked up the pace.”
Gyeongsung-go has been consistently mentioned as a top-four contender, but has been unable to get over the hump to reach the top.
In the first tournament of 2024, the Spring Federation Championships, they were defeated in the semifinals, and in the Federation Championships, they were also defeated in the semifinals, and in the Federation Championships, they were defeated in the final against Kyungbok Go, their semifinal opponent in the Federation Championships. As the team continued to fall short, captain Oji-seok ended the interview by expressing his determination to win the title in the second half.
“Our goal for the second half is to win, of course. I hope to win the championship and play basketball happily with my teammates,” he said.