Wonju DB Promy look to keep win streak alive with tough battles ahead

Basketball

Published: 07 Nov. 2023, 11:37 Updated: 07 Nov. 2023, 17:17

Wonju DB Promy look to keep win streak alive with tough battles ahead

Wonju DB Promy's Dedric Lawson, right, shoots during a KBL game against Busan KCC Egis at Wonju Gymnasium in Wonju, Gangwon on Oct. 29. [YONHAP]

No KBL team has been able to defeat Wonju DB Promy early this season, making the Wonju side the only unbeaten team in the league as of press time Tuesday.

Red Boosters look to continue roll as KBL returns Saturday

Wonju DB Promy will continue a bid to make their six straight wins seven as they face the Seoul Samsung Thunders on Tuesday at Wonju Gymnasium in Wonju, Gangwon. The game was due to take place at 7 p.m. as of press time. It's the first time Wonju DB Promy has managed a six-game winning streak since the 2011-12 season.

The team’s successful run is thanks to key players like power forward Dedric Lawson and shooting guard Ethan Alvano who have led the team’s attack.

Lawson has scored 182 points in six games, making him the second top scorer in the league with 30.3 average points per game, right behind Seoul SK Knights’ Jameel Warney’s 31-point average.

Alvano, on the other hand, has been consistently helping his teammates on the court, having recorded 6.2 average assists per game.

The rest of the players have also done their part well, which head coach Kim Ju-sung acknowledged after the 90-79 win against Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus on Sunday.

As it is only the beginning of the season, however, the Wonju side could cede the top spot.

Wonju DB Promy beat this season’s KBL Cup winners Busan KCC Egis — who seven out of 10 KBL head coaches said are a favorite to win the league — 101-90 on Oct. 28, but the club has yet to prove their potential to win the league title against the likes of Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters.

The Red Boosters are another strong competitor. They won both the league title and championship, as well as the East Asia Super League, last season. But they have not shown the same impressive performance so far, sitting in fifth place alongside last season’s championship runners-up Knights and Suwon KT Sonicboom.

Following their Tuesday game against the Thunders, the Wonju side will then have to play three games against some tough opponents, with a game against the Red Boosters on Friday, the Knights on Sunday and Busan KCC on Nov. 14.

Riding their current momentum through the next week will be crucial for the Wonju side, as they are looking to recreate their old days.

The last time the team won a title was in the 2017-18 season when they won the league title and finished as championship runners-up.

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