“This will be my most memorable championship.”
The Asan Woori WON defeated the Cheongju KBank Stars 78-72 in Game 4 of the Woori Bank Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball Championship on Tuesday at the Asan Yi Sunshin Gymnasium. With a 3-1 record in the championship, Woori WON won its second consecutive title and 12th overall.
Woori Bank cruised to the championship with a sweep in Game 1 at home. They were swept by KB Stars in Game 2, but showed their mettle at home in Asan. They took Game 3 to take a two-game lead, and then took Game 4 to stand on top.
Kim Dan-bi had 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Park Ji-hyun had 25 points and Park Hye-jin had 14 points and eight rebounds.
“I think it’s the first time we’ve won a championship that wasn’t a consolation title,” said Woori Bank head coach Lee Sat-woo, who won his eighth title at the helm. “I don’t think there was any pressure. I thought it would be okay to come in second and play a good game, but I thought it would be worth it to play the first game. They say that the first championship is the most memorable, but I think this year’s championship is the best and I’m happy about it,” he said.
“We had a lot of injuries at the beginning of the season, so it was difficult to operate, but the players handled it well. Today, they showed a lot of heart. I think it was a championship game where they showed something.”
“I think the hard part is the same for everyone. It’s hard for everyone. Until we were 2-1 up, I had doubts that we could win the championship.” “Before today’s game, I told the team not to take useless shots or perform any tricks. I told us to play a good game, not just win. In fact, I was wondering if we could win today, but the players scored for us in every key moment.”
“I think we were able to win because the players worked out a lot this year and kept up with their training. We also let them play in the playoffs against Samsung Life in anticipation of the championship game. I think they did a good job with their vaccinations. We played a lot of tight matches, so I think it helped us in the championship match.”
He also expressed his gratitude to his players. ”Two years ago, when we were knocked out by KB Stars, I told them to bring Kim Dan-bi, but last year, Park Ji-soo was injured, so I thought we didn’t play the best-of-three series, so I thought this year would be the best-of-three series,” he said. “It was hard because Yoo Seung-hee was injured before the start of the season, and Lee Myung-kwan and Na Yoon-jung came up to replace him and supported us well.”
“At the beginning of the season, I didn’t think I could leave the championship and have a good season, but it came together as I played. We couldn’t focus on KB Stars during the regular season. But we were prepared,” he said, adding, “The players did a great job. Kim Dan-bi came last year and couldn’t adapt, but this year I realized she’s a really good player. Kim Dan-bi played all four games for us.”
“Park Hye-jin might not have played this year, but Yoo Seung-hee got injured and we called her up on short notice. So she was injured. (Park) Hye-jin was not feeling well, but it was good to see her play the third and fourth games. I thought I didn’t teach her exercises in vain. I’m grateful that she came back safely and won the championship match.”
As for Choi Yi Sam and Lee Myung Kwan, he said, “Choi Yi Sam also did a good job from the playoffs to the championship match. I think we won the third game because of Lee Myung-kwan. He was so good. In the playoffs, it was Na Yoon-jung who won the first game. Every player struggled. I think they played with their souls. I saw what these players can do. I’m grateful to them. I’m grateful to all the players.”