TEHRAN, Iran – Following a thrilling 89-85 comeback victory over rival China on Friday night at the Azadi Basketball Hall, Korea got the sweetest of paybacks, earning the first ticket to the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2022 Final. 

The victory featured several heroes, with Lee Juyeong, Kang Sungwook, and Lee Chae Hyung particularly shining in the last round to assist their team secure their first-ever victory over their East Asian counterparts in the U18 match.

But more significantly, it will be the Koreans’ first trip to the Asian U18 Final in ten years, or since they had to settle for a silver medal in the 2012 competition against the Chinese in agonizing fashion, 91-93, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 

Lee Juyeong led the winners with a personal tournament-high 29 points, along with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. 

They fought back from 19 points behind to Kang’s 26 points, none greater than the game-winning three-pointer with 2:35 left that Lee assisted on and gave them the advantage for good, 84-82.

Lee Chae Hyung contributed 10 points, but it was his defense—he recorded 10 of his team’s 18 steals—that made the difference. He had previously accomplished this feat against India in the Group Phase.

In the victory, the 1.87 M (6’2″) guard also added 6 rebounds and 6 assists, putting on yet another strong exhibition of his versatility. 

Yun Kichan scored 14 points for Korea, who finished one of the most thrilling Semi-Final games in recent memory with a 9-4 run. 

The Koreans, who have won the Asian U18 tournaments three times, will now watch to see who will defeat Japan and Lebanon in Sunday’s Final. 

Liu Lijia led China in the heartbreaking defeat with 19 points. Hansen Yang finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three assists.

With 15 points, Liu Jinyu. For the inexperienced Team Dragon, who made a total of 25 errors in the breakdown, Ma Mingkun had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Wang Haoran chipped in with 11 points as well.

Scores at the end of the match

Korea with 93 points

Top player – Gun Ra with 25 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

China with 81 points

Top player – Minghui Sun with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks

Scores per quarter

19-19, 26-24, 14-22, 22-28 in favor of Korea.

Game win goes to Korea.