“I’m glad we won, but I’m going to have to do a lot of reflection.” Choi Yi-sam breathes a sigh of relief as Woori Bank’s fireman.
Asan Woori Bank earned a 68-65 victory over Incheon Shinhan Bank in the second round of the Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball League at Incheon Dowon Gymnasium on Monday. While Park Ji-hyun and Kim Dan-bi were in hot scoring form, Choi Yi-sam also contributed. Choi finished with 12 points and four rebounds in 32 minutes and 52 seconds of action.
“I’m glad we won, but I think we need to do a lot of reflection,” said Choi Yi-sam after the game.
Before the game, many people expected Woori Bank to win. It was a matchup between league leader Woori Bank and sixth-ranked Shinhan Bank, but Shinhan Bank’s ace Kim Sonia was absent due to flu symptoms. However, Woori Bank came from behind in the fourth quarter to win the game.
“We took the lead early and had a good flow, but as the score got closer, we relaxed a bit and didn’t do our best rebounding and defense. As a result, the opponent rebounded and we had a tough game until the fourth quarter.” It was a point of reflection for Choi.
Woori Bank was especially shaken when veteran Kim Dan-bi fouled out with five minutes left in the game. “After (Kim) went out, I felt a little bit of a crisis (about the loss). Everyone was in a panic, but (Park) Hye-jin held the center and we were able to win,” she said, expressing her gratitude to Park.
With the game down by one point, Choi hit a jumper and an extra free throw to seal the deal. “I just said, ‘Let’s throw it,'” Choi said of the situation. I decided that if the ball came to me, I would throw it. I couldn’t just look at (Park) Ji-hyun or Hye-jin who were handling the ball, so I just threw it. It was a pattern,” she recalled.
The win put Woori Bank in sole possession of first place, but Choi Yi-sam remained vigilant. “On the contrary, I feel anxious because we keep winning so well. When we lose, we feel venomous and think, ‘We can’t lose,’ but with the winning streak, the coach is worried that we’re slacking off. I think we need to concentrate on our defense and offense,” he said.