Anyang KGC to face SK Knights in KBL championship

The 2022-23 KBL championship matchup is set with league winners Anyang KGC facing the Seoul SK Knights.

Anyang KGC players celebrate after beating the Goyang Carrot Jumpers 89-61 in the fourth leg of the 2022-23 KBL playoffs at Goyang Gymnasium in Goyang, Gyeonggi on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The 2022-23 KBL championship matchup is set with league winners Anyang KGC facing the Seoul SK Knights.

KGC beat the Goyang Carrot Jumpers 89-61 at Goyang Gymnasium in Goyang, Gyeonggi in the playoffs on Wednesday, advancing to the championship for the third season in a row with a 3-1 series score.

KGC, who advanced to the second playoff after earning this season’s league title with a wire-to-wire run, showed exactly why they are the strongest team this season with a dominant performance against the Jumpers, who reached the playoff after finishing fifth in the league and beating Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus with a 3-2 series score in the first round.

The league winners dominated Wednesday’s game from the beginning, as they grabbed the first quarter with a big lead, 28-11.

They rode that momentum and extended their lead in the second quarter to 47-26.

KGC did not stop there and continued to overwhelm the Jumpers in the third quarter, 78-48, before locking in a comfortable 89-61 win in the fourth quarter.

KGC will now compete against the Seoul SK Knights in the championship to be crowned champion. The matchup marks the second time in a row the two teams have faced each other in the championship.

The Knights were the ultimate champions last season with a 4-1 series score in the seven-game championship.

Both the Knights and KGC have won the championship three times.

The Knights have won it in 2000, 2018 and 2022, while KGC have earned the title in 2012, 2017 and 2021.

The first leg of the championship series will take place at Anyang Gymnasium in Anyang, Gyeonggi on Tuesday.

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