At A Glance
- 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.
Changwon's Carl Tamayo (LG Sakers)
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 game, the 24-year-old Tamayo remained lethal and uncorked 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, as it aims 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 and 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.