By REYNALD MAGALLON
LAPU-LAPU CITY — Rhenz Abando and the Anyang Red Boosters failed to defend their title after falling into the hands of the vengeful Seoul SK Knights, 94-75, in the 2024 East Asia Super League semifinals at the Hoops Dome on Friday, March 8 here.
The Red Boosters were only shadows of their old selves who dominated the Knights and won it all during the EASL Champions’ Week last year.
Seoul, this time around, made sure to cut the Korean Basketball champion Anyang down to size behind the monster effort of Jameel Warney who posted a double-double of 36 points and 14 rebounds – including the big hits down the stretch that fended off the Red Boosters.
Seoul started taking control of the contest in the second quarter when they clamped down on the defensive end and limited Anyang to just 14 points.
That had been the case for the next three quarters and while the Red Boosters showed semblance of fight particularly in the final frame, the effort went futile as Warney continued to do the damage inside the paint.
Jaehyun Oh fired 20 points while Youngjun An chipped in 13 points. Seoul’s other import in Leon Williams also had a double-double of 11 points and 12 boards.
Abando, who was playing through a back injury, only had 11 points, three rebounds and a block while it was import Robert Carter Jr. who paced Anyang with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Over at the other pairing, The smallest man on the court made the biggest plays down the stretch as Yuki Togashi took over in the endgame to lead Chiba Jets past New Taipei Kings, 92-84.
Togashi presided over a 13-2 finishing kick for the Jets in the final three minutes to set up an interesting clash with Seoul SK Kings on Sunday.
The pint-sized Togashi, who was also the captain of the Japanese national team that qualified to the 2024 Paris Olympics, exploded for 28 points – none more crucial than the last five that sparked the pivotal run.
The 5-foot-6 playmaker first drilled a booming triple that tied the contest 82-all before scoring on a tough layup against towering defenders two possessions later to give Chiba a five-point cushion 87-82.
He also dished out five assists including the last one that found a wide open John Mooney off a roll to deliver the dagger layup, 89-84, with 46 seconds left.
