Park Ji-hoon (28, 184 cm) struggled against Jeon Sung-hyun and Lee Jung-hyun, but came up short.
Anyang Jungkwanjang lost 82-84 in their first-round matchup against Goyang Sono of the 2023-2024 Jungkwanjang Pro Basketball at Anyang Gymnasium on Thursday. After falling behind to Sono’s momentum in the first half, the Jangjang showed great focus in the second half to pull away, but fell to their knees just before the end of the game after conceding a layup to Diyonte Davis.
Going into Sono, Chung was most concerned about Jeon Sung-hyun and Lee Jung-hyun. Both have clear strengths in offense, especially Lee, who has recently opened his eyes to assists and is coming off two straight double-doubles.
Before the game, head coach Kim Sang-sik said, “The players we need to block well are (Jeon) Sung-hyun and (Lee) Jung-hyun. I’m going to leave Sung-hyun to (Bae) Byung-joon and Jung-hyun to (Park) Ji-hoon. I’m actually more scared of Jung Hyun-i. He’s an accurate shooter, and he can play the two-man game well. We need to stop them to have a good game.”
The ominous prediction was not wrong. Chung struggled early in the game against Sono’s offense led by Jeon Sung-hyun and Lee Jung-hyun. They gave up a combined 21 points in the first quarter alone. In the second quarter, he also lost to Han Ho-bin and Choi Hyun-min, and went into halftime trailing 45-54.
It was a tough situation, but Jeonggwanjang had Park Ji-hoon. Park Ji-hoon was in great shape from the start and was responsible for 10 points in the first quarter alone, including two three-pointers, against Jeon Sung-hyun and Lee Jung-hyun. He continued to spearhead the offense in the second quarter, scoring back-to-back points. If it wasn’t for Park, the gap between Jung and Sono would have been even bigger.
Park’s performance continued in the second half. He set up his teammates’ chances and assisted Darryl Monroe, Lens Abando, and Kim Kyung-won in the first half. He also grabbed two offensive rebounds with his aggressive play. After Jeon Sung-hyun and Lee Jeong-hyun faltered, Jung Kwan-jang managed to pull away in the third quarter, 70-69.
In the fourth quarter, Park continued to accumulate points, rebounds, and assists. But he wasn’t smiling. He lost the lead to Davis with 12 seconds left in the game, making it 82-83. On the final possession, Park used his quick feet to drive to the basket, but his shot came back off the rim, and Jeong Kwan-jang lost 82-84. After failing to score, Park Ji-hoon’s expression was filled with despair. 보스토토 도메인
On the day, Park struggled with 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in 33 minutes and 15 seconds of play. His points and assists were the most on the team. He led Jeong Kwan-jang against Jeon Sung-hyun and Lee Jung-hyun, but fell just short.
After failing to win back-to-back games, Jung Kwan-jang dropped to sixth place in the standings with two points, but Park Ji-hoon’s ace performance was a big win. If he continues to play like this, he will definitely have a smile on his face in their next matchup.