By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
While defending champion Dongbu Promy cruised to two victories, the KCC Egis lost its second game in a row during weekend basketball action.
The two squared up in a high-stake match Saturday and the Promy claimed a 79-56 home victory against the league's tallest team.
The well-organized Promy, overcame the height difference and forced Egis into 22 errors.
Though the Egis manager Huh Jae threw former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Ha Seung-jin onto the court in a bid to alter the game, he earned only three rebounds in nine minutes. The Korean No.1 center Seo Jang-hoon produced only six points.
For the Promy, the 2007-2008 season's Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kim Joo-sung led his team to victory with 17 points, four rebounds and five assists.
The Egis, which was knocked off top spot in the Korea Basketball League (KBO) standings after the defeat, lost again in a road game against the Ulsan Mobis Sunday.
The Mobis, which had lost 11 straight games at home since last season, won its third in a row by defeating the Egis 90-84.
The Mobis import Odartey Blankson aided his team's victory by shooting 28 points, the highest in the game.
Though Choo Seung-gyun, the most consistent player in the league, shot 27 points, his shining performance was overshadowed by the defeat.
Weaknesses in the Egis ranks were brutally exposed. As they concentrated on height, they lost their speed and couldn't find a way to get the synergy effect of Ha. During the offence the Mobis maximized speed using three guards, and when Ha got the ball near the rim, they defended by conceding fouls, forcing him into free throws - a shooting distance with which he struggles.
The Mobis now share second in the standings with the Egis, with both holding a 5-3 record.
Elsewhere, a battle is raging for the middle position in the standings.
The ET Black Slamer and the LG Sakers share fourth in the standings with a 4-3 record, while the Daegu Orions and the Samsung Thunders are ranked sixth with a 4-4.
No. 1 points machine Ricardo Powell, who recorded the highest score this season with 44 points, led the Slamer to an overtime win over the Knights in Incheon Thursday.
The Samsung Thunders notched their first victory on the road Sunday with a 91-68 scoreline against the Black Slamer.
Terrence Leather of the Thunders, who earned 30 points with nine rebounds, continued a recent record by scoring over 30 points four games in a row.
The KTF MagicWings recorded a first victory of the season over the Orions in Daegu Wednesday.
With six MagicWings players earning more than 10 points, they had a 107-91 victory.
While the MagicWings guard Shin Ki-sung managed 11 points and nine assists, the Orions' speedy guard Kim Seung-hyun, who was just back from injury, produced only six points and seven assists.
The MagicWings, however, failed to record another victory. The records of Shin Ki-sung, who is ranked 19th in KBO history having earned 5,000 points, and Lee Eun-ho, who got 1,000 rebounds putting him at 46th, are the only consolations to the MagicWings.