“We are mentally prepared. We will be able to play a good game in Bucheon.”
Cheongju KB Stars defeated Bucheon Hana OneQ 62-52 in the second round of the Woori Bank Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball Playoffs at Cheongju Gymnasium on Nov. 11. The team, which has won both the first and second rounds of the playoffs based on a best-of-five, best-of-three system, has a 100 percent (8-of-8) record in the championship game.
Park Ji-soo (196 cm, C) had a dominant performance with 17 points, 22 rebounds, five assists, and one blocked shot in 30 minutes and 39 seconds. She single-handedly pulled down nearly as many rebounds as the entire Hana OneQ.
It was Park Ji-su who saved the KB Stars from the brink after they suffered from poor field goal shooting. At crucial moments, he produced points with his individual skills.
After the game, Park said, “I said before the game that I wanted to show a better performance than in Game 1, but I couldn’t do that. We need to reflect on the fact that we gave our opponents a chance to catch up. Still, it’s good that we won. In the playoffs, it’s important to win, no matter what,” he said.
“My body was too heavy from the time I prepared for Game 1. It was heavy on the day of the first game. My hamstring was up. I was supposed to carry my opponent, but I was wobbling. I even got pushed out by my opponent. If I was lighter, I would have played better. Normally, if I don’t feel good in one match, I feel good in the next, but today was different. I didn’t have my shooting touch from practice. I tried to refrain from shooting, but I threw a lot (laughs). Next time I will catch it quickly,” he added.
Park Ji-soo left the court in the second quarter with an ankle injury. Fortunately, she returned to the court in the third quarter.
“My ankle is fine for now (laughs). My ankle hurts suddenly when I get hurt. I know that after 10 minutes or so, it will recover. I couldn’t play backcourt. I signaled to the bench. I’ve sprained it so often. So, it’s actually okay. I lay there for about two minutes and then they taped it up. I tried to walk right away, but the pain was too much. I could feel it all the way to my 토토사이트 toes. I couldn’t play the second quarter. After I recovered, I took the tape off. In the locker room, I re-taped it. I checked it again on the court,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the KB Stars are struggling with a three-point slump. Park Ji-soo is watching from under the basket.
“It’s okay if the outside shot doesn’t go in. On the contrary, it’s harder when they don’t go in. You have to get back into position. It’s easier to get a rebound than to settle down. If it doesn’t go in, it’s better to throw it with confidence. If you keep throwing it, it will eventually go in,” he said, adding, “It’s hard for everyone to balance. The breaks were long. There’s definitely a break effect. It’s not just us, it’s all four teams in the playoffs. We’re definitely not playing well. However, I’m not too worried about it.”
“We played really well in Cheongju against Hana OneQ. We were counting on that, too. We were complacent, thinking, ‘We just need to be careful in Bucheon. We played a difficult game at home. We were mentally prepared. We can play well in Bucheon. I’ll make up my mind. We will be strong,” he concluded the press conference.
