By MARK REY MONTEJO
Carl Tamayo and the Changwon LG Sakers mauled the Seoul SK Knights, 80-63, to inch closer to clinching the Korean Basketball League (KBL) crown on Friday, May 9.
Playing in his fourth straight 30-minute plus game, the 24-year-old Tamayo remained lethal, tallying 18 points, six rebounds and one steal to fuel the Sakers to a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven finals series.
Changwon guns for a sweep of the series on Sunday, May 11.
They are aiming for its first-ever KBL title. The closest it got to the crown was in 2001 and 2014 following runner-up finishes to the Swuong Samsung Thunders (now KT Sonicboom) and the Ulsan Mobis Phoebus, respectively.
A title win for the Sakers would also make Tamayo as the second Filipino cager to win a championship after Rhenz Abando, who was part of the title-winning Anyang JKK Red Boosters in 2023.
Meanwhile, Assem Marei spearheaded Changwon with his third double-double performance after pumping in 20 points apart from grabbing 16 rebounds on top of four assists and four blocks. Yang Jun-Seok added 14 points.
Jameel Warney had 18 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort for the SK Knights, even as Juan Gomez de Liaño was limited to just two points in 15 minutes of play after a career-high 19 points in Game 2.
