Pilots set sights on future success after loss to Dragonflies in EASL final

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots coach Iurgi Caminos expressed his determination to capture the 2025-26 East Asia Super League (EASL) championship following his team's 72-68 defeat against the Hiroshima Dragonflies in Macao on Sunday.

"I want to be back here and bring the trophy to Taiwan," Caminos said at the post-game news conference, congratulating the Dragonflies on their title victory.

Despite the loss, the Pilots' runner-up finish marked the furthest advancement of any Taiwan-based team in the EASL, a league designed to showcase top professional clubs from across East Asia.

This season's final marked the third encounter between the Pilots and the Dragonflies. The Japanese B.LEAGUE powerhouse had previously triumphed twice, finishing atop Group A with a 4-1 record.

Sunday's game unfolded similarly, with the Dragonflies maintaining control for most of the night.

Although Hiroshima extended the lead to 13 points about three minutes into the third quarter, the Pilots pulled off an 18-7 run to enter the final quarter trailing by just one possession at 51-49.

The championship seemed within the Pilots' reach when Treveon Graham's three-pointer gave them a 68-67 lead with 1 minute and 18 seconds remaining, but three turnovers in the final 30 seconds, including two by star forward Lu Chun-hsiang (盧峻翔), cost them the game.

Following the first turnover, which saw Dwayne Evans reclaim the lead for the Dragonflies with 25 seconds left, Ryu Watanabe stole the rock from Lu for a game-deciding layup in the latter's attempt to push to the frontcourt, making it 72-68 with less than a second before the final buzzer.

Evans finished with a double-double, leading the Dragonflies with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Lu, who scored a game-high 20 points, covered much of his head with a towel after the game. He acknowledged that he was "somewhat sad" after the loss, which he described as "the toughest game I've ever played."

Despite the disappointment, the 27-year-old forward expressed his gratitude for the EASL journey and said he was confident about the future.

"All the moments that revealed my shortcomings are what I'm going to feed on, and I hope to do it better next time when the team needs me down the stretch," Lu remarked.

In another match on Sunday, the New Taipei Kings, champions of the PLG's 2023-24 season in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL), secured third place with an 84-80 comeback victory over the Ryukyu Golden Kings.

Su Shih-hsuan (蘇士軒) secured the game-winning shot off a pass from Jeremy Lin (林書豪), giving the Kings an 82-80 lead with just 13 seconds remaining.

Under EASL regulations, the Dragonflies, Pilots, and Kings received prize money of US$1 million, US$500,000, and US$250,000, respectively.