[MyDaily = Busan reporter Kim Kyung-hyun] Goyang Sono’s Cinderella run is far from over. After a gritty performance, the underdogs finally notched their first Finals win. Lee Jung-hyun called it proof of the progress he’s made this season.
On May 10 at Busan’s Sajik Indoor Gymnasium, Goyang Sono edged KCC 81-80 in Game 4 of the 2025–2026 LG Electronics Pro Basketball Finals (best-of-seven).
The victory was the franchise’s first in a Finals series. Sono reached the Finals for the first time this season but dropped the opening three games and faced the brink of a sweep. Their one-point win in Game 4 keeps the series alive.
Lee, the team’s leader, delivered in the big moments. He played 39:34 and finished with 22 points and three assists, drilling six 3-pointers on 60 percent shooting (6-of-10). Nathan Knight posted 15 points and 12 rebounds, Lim Dong-seop added 14 points, three rebounds and four assists, and Kevin Kembao contributed 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
Sono prevailed down the stretch. They led 47-36 at halftime, but KCC answered with a 14-0 run in the third to pull even. Fueled by Shawn Long and Heo Hoon, KCC later grabbed a 79-77 edge. With 21 seconds left, Lee buried a go-ahead 3. With 3.6 seconds remaining, Heo made only one of two free throws to tie it at 80. On Sono’s final possession, Lee drove, drew two free throws, made the first to reclaim the lead, missed the second, and KCC’s buzzer attempt with 0.9 seconds left rimmed out. Sono escaped with an 81-80 win.
After the game, Lee called it a grind. Back-to-back games and the pressure of trailing 0-3 made it especially tough. Losing Game 3 by a point stung, he said, but the players handled the pressure and fought through. “We built a double-digit lead in the middle of the game, then got pushed back, but we came back and protected the win. I want to prepare well and give our best in Game 5,” he added.
Lee admitted he was hoping Heo would miss one of the free throws. “If he’d made both, it would have been a different challenge. When he made only one, I felt the opportunity was there. The coach put together a quick play, it worked, we drew the foul, and we got a satisfying win.”
Coach Son Chang-hwan said the final play originated with Lee. Son refined Lee’s idea, and it produced the winning free throws.
“With so little time we didn’t have many options,” Lee explained. “There were only three seconds, so I sketched a concise play and told the coach. He agreed, we executed it, and it paid off.”
KCC fields four national-team players — Heo Ung, Heo Hoon, Choi Jun-yong and Song Kyo-chang — and Shawn Long provides formidable firepower. Apart from Lee, Sono has no national-team members, and Knight isn’t generally considered one of the league’s superstar tier.
Lee noted that KCC’s core players logged heavy minutes but managed their roles to conserve energy, and that stamina advantage showed up on the court.
He added that Sono’s progress didn’t happen overnight. “We’ve been refining how we play as we climbed from the lower ranks to the Finals, tweaking things each game. We lost by one yesterday and won by one today — that feels good; it shows the work wasn’t wasted.”
He’s right. Sono ripped off a 10-game winning streak in the second half to clinch a playoff spot, then swept both the quarterfinals and semifinals 3-0 to reach the franchise’s first Finals. They were overmatched in Games 1 and 2 and narrowly lost Game 3, but those experiences helped them secure the Game 4 victory.
The win brought mixed relief and resolve. “I’m glad it didn’t end in Game 4,” Lee said. “Avoiding a sweep is a big relief. We’ll carry today’s momentum into our home game, go all in, and try to bring the energy back to Busan. I want the players to remember this game and come into Game 5 with energy and focus.”
The teams will have two days off before Game 5 at Goyang Sono Arena on May 13.
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