Goyang Sono clinched the first semifinal berth in franchise history.
According to News1 on the 16th, Goyang Sono edged Seoul SK 66-65 in Game 3 of the 2025–2026 six-team playoffs at Goyang Sono Arena, completing a 3-0 sweep to reach the semifinals for the first time in club history.
The result felt all the more dramatic because the No. 5 regular-season team won two straight road games against the No. 4 seed before closing the series at home. Sono joined the KBL before the 2023–2024 season and spent its first two years near the bottom of the standings. This season showed little promise through the middle, but a late surge — including a 10-game winning streak — propelled the club into spring basketball and, ultimately, into the semifinals.
A go-ahead play with 4 seconds left
The game itself matched the drama of the run. With 4.3 seconds remaining, Nathan Knight finished at the rim to put Sono ahead 66-65. It was a nail-biter until the final buzzer. Sono had built a double-digit lead earlier, but SK mounted a fierce fourth-quarter comeback; still, Sono held firm down the stretch.
With 1:25 left, SK’s Ahn Young-jun tied the game at 62 with free throws. At 53.4 seconds, Knight was assessed a loose-ball foul and SK briefly led 63-62. Lee Jung-hyun immediately answered with a drive to the basket to make it 64-63, and Knight’s final layup with 4.3 seconds to go flipped the game back in Sono’s favor.
Knight was at the center of the win. After averaging just five points across the first two playoff games, he erupted for 22 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3. He anchored the paint during offensive droughts and delivered in the decisive moments.
Kevin Kembao added 19 points and nine rebounds, drilling three 3-pointers in the first quarter to set the tone early. Regular-season MVP Lee Jung-hyun also provided a steadying presence with 11 points.
Sono came out aggressive from the opening tip. Fueled by a loud home crowd, they combined outside shooting and aggressive defense to take a 22-18 lead after one. In the second quarter, threes from Kang Ji-hoon and Lee Jae-do kept Sono in front, and the teams went to halftime with Sono up 32-30. In the third, Knight — who had carried a heavy defensive load — woke up offensively and swung the momentum fully to Sono, who closed the quarter up 54-45.
But the game wasn’t decided. Ahn Young-jun, who missed Games 1 and 2 with a calf injury, returned and sparked SK’s rally. Jamil Wony finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds to keep SK in it. What had been an 11-point lead for Sono quickly turned into a tight game, and SK pressured Sono hard late. The decisive play, though, belonged to Sono — the same grit they showed all playoffs carried over on the final possession.
'We stirred the hive' — they answered critics with results
The series drew attention off the court as well. Late in the regular season, accusations surfaced that SK manipulated results to avoid KCC and face Sono — a so-called throwing-the-game controversy. If SK had finished fourth they would have faced Sono; finishing third would have matched them with KCC, whose key players were returning. The situation prompted allegations of intentional losses, and the Korean Basketball League fined SK coach Jeon Hee-chul 5,000,000 KRW (approximately 3,750 USD) and issued a warning to the club.
Son Chang-hwan’s pre-playoff remark that he would make people say they “stirred the hive” fed that narrative. Sono answered on the court, sweeping the series in three straight games.
The packed home crowd was a storyline of its own. Sono sold out its first home playoff game in club history, and fans kept a constant roar throughout. When the final buzzer sounded, the arena erupted and players celebrated the club’s first semifinal berth alongside the supporters.
Now Sono faces a much bigger test: No. 1 Changwon LG in the semifinals. LG returned to the top of the standings for the first time in 12 years and has been the most consistent team all season. On paper this looks like a daunting matchup, but Sono has outgrown the simple “dark horse” label. They built momentum with a late 10-game winning streak and swept SK without dropping a game — proof that rankings don’t tell the whole story.
Sono rewrote the club’s history by making its first playoff appearance and advancing to the semifinals. They carried their late-season surge into the postseason and swept SK 3-0. Sono will challenge No. 1 Changwon LG for a spot in the finals starting April 23.
