Shimane wins the defense match and wins A Tokyo for the first time in a row
Shimane Susanoo Magic welcomed Alvark Tokyo, 2nd place in the East, at home in the second round. Shimane’s strong defense stood out winning 66-59, just as they won the first round with a low score of 77-67 against A Tokyo. With this, Shimane has won eight games in a row, and is defending its one game lead in the West.
The first quarter was a 15-15 defensive tie, but after allowing A Tokyo to score with 4 minutes and 47 seconds left in the second quarter, Shimane induced an A Tokyo shooting error and this quarter stopped the run from 0 to zero. Meanwhile, Shimane piled on the points and led by 15 points in the first half.
Despite losing consecutive points at the start of the 3rd quarter, Shimane’s defense rallied again without allowing a score for about 4 and a half minutes. There were some things that didn’t go according to the game plan, such as a foul out of Nika Williams, but Shimane managed to stay ahead until the end and win. As captain Seiya Ando said, “It was a defensive game just like yesterday, but we were able to concentrate throughout the game.”
Tokyo was riding a wave with 10 consecutive wins until this division. Ando looks back on his motivation to meet such a strong team. “In the second game, I tried not to lose tactically, but mentally.
In this game, Ando not only struggled to defend, but also managed to make five 3-point shots, achieving a total of 600 B1 individual shots, and showed success with 17 points. Head Coach Paul Henare also said, “Ando is the captain and leader of this team. If he attacks aggressively, we can achieve good results as a team. And Tokyo is his old home, so I’m glad we were able to get a good result this time.” As he says, expectations and trust in Ando are high.
Ando looking forward to the championship “Always ready to win”
This season, Shimane has played against the Ryukyu Golden Kings, Kawasaki Brave Thunders, Chiba Jets, and Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, all of whom have a high winning percentage in the league they don’t have. Furthermore, this is the first time since the team’s inception that it has achieved consecutive victories against A Tokyo. Regarding his back-to-back wins against A Tokyo, who are expected to advance to the championship, Ando said, “It’s the first time a strong team like A Tokyo won on Saturday and then didn’t come back on Sunday. Looking forward to the championship, it was a good experience. I was aware of the championship,” he said.
For Ando, Tokyo is his old home where he has won two championships. Ando told A Tokyo, “There are many players and staff who were teammates, but I think the color changed with the departure of Luka (Pavicevic) as head coach. I had no sense of it,” and rather than felt particularly about the clash with his old home, he said, “I have my sights set on the championship from the beginning.”
“After two-thirds of the season has been spent, we’re getting to the stage where we have to finish our quality. In the league, there is a difference in the winning rate between the teams that progress to the championship and the teams that do not. I think the most important thing will be how long we can continue to fight for the championship without losing our focus. to go”
Last season we had the bitter experience of being eliminated in the semi-finals of the championship. If he passes in 1st place in the West Region and 2nd or higher among the three areas, it is confirmed that the home court will be held when he advances to the semi-finals of the championship. Also on this day, 4,214 people visited the Matsue City General Gym, the largest number in the club’s history, and the heat was more than usual. There is no doubt that the reinforcement pushes the back on the crowded home court.
Once the offseason opens, the regular season hits its peak in no time. As Ando said, “Always prepare to win the championship,” the fight to secure the best result in the club’s history will be important during this break.
