BASKETBALL/Pilots defeat Golden Kings, clinch historic EASL final berth

Taipei, March 8 (CNA) The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots have secured Taiwan's first-ever spot in the East Asia Super League (EASL) championship game with a 71-64 comeback victory over Japan's Ryukyu Golden Kings on Friday.

In what the EASL official website described as an "upset," Pilots forward Lu Chun-hsiang (盧峻翔) asserted his stardom in Macao by scoring a game-high 24 points, with four players in both teams reaching double figures.

The win also marked the first time a Taiwanese franchise has defeated a Japanese team in the EASL Final Four.

"I was moved to tears just now because we all played so hard, fought together, and were able to win," said Lu, who led the EASL with three Fans' MVP of the Month awards this season.

As usual, Lu credited his teammates, saying, "You could see that all of us played all-out on the court, as if it were our last game."

Although the Pilots had once led by 16 points, the game went down to the wire in the final six minutes when Ryuichi Kishimoto sank a step-back three-pointer to put the Golden Kings ahead 60-58.

However, the Pilots responded with a 9-0 run over the next five minutes, overcoming a 20-6 deficit in offensive rebounds that saw the Golden Kings have 22 more field goal attempts.

Lu dedicated the win to Pilots' fans, saying their support at Studio City made him feel like he was "playing on home court even when it wasn't."

The Pilots will seek revenge on Sunday against the Hiroshima Dragonflies, aiming for the US$1 million EASL championship prize.

The Dragonflies had defeated the Pilots twice in the group stage and earlier on Friday held off the New Taipei Kings 81-65, setting up a third-place playoff between the Kings and the Golden Kings.

Asked about the Pilots' struggles against Hiroshima, Lu said he and his teammates always approach challenges with a positive mindset and are not preoccupied with being Taiwan's last hope for an EASL title.

"As for whether we're No. 1 or not, I'll let the public talk the talk," he said.