The Hiroshima Dragonflies held narrow leads after the first, second and third quarters against Taiwan's Taoyuan Pauian Pilots in the East Asia Super League championship game on Sunday night, March 9.
In the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, the margin was too close for comfort for the reigning B.League champion Dragonflies.
With 5 seconds remaining and the Dragonflies leading 70-68, Hiroshima small forward Ryu Watanabe made a steal and quickly converted a layup. One second remained on the game clock at Macau's Studio City Event Center.
It was not enough time for Taoyuan to mount a comeback or force overtime.
The four-point margin remained, and when the final buzzer sounded, this is what the scoreboard displayed: Dragonflies 72, Pilots 68.
For the second straight year, a B.League team was crowned EASL champion.
In March 2024, the Chiba Jets defeated the Seoul SK Knights 72-69 in the title match. The EASL Final Four was held in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu province, Philippines.
On Sunday, the outcome was up for grabs with 10 seconds left in the championship match.
Dragonflies star forward Dwayne Evans missed the first of two free-throw attempts, and then he sank his second attempt to put his team ahead 70-68.
The Pilots then had a shot at tying or winning the game, but Watanabe had other plans, making an alert defensive play to seal the victory for Hiroshima.
The Dragonflies Have Lofty Ambitions
After winning the EASL title on Sunday night, the Dragonflies issued a news release on their website capturing the organization's euphoric mood, appreciation for its fans and additional ambitions.
"With 'Hiroshima Pride' in mind, the team never gave up and fought until the very end to successfully capture the championship title," read a portion of the news release.
"We were able to win an international title for the first time in the club's history at a tournament where the best teams in Asia gathered. [And] we would like to thank everyone who came to the venue and supported us from Hiroshima and all over Japan.
"Although we have become 'No 1 in Japan' and 'No 1 in Asia,' we will continue to challenge ourselves to make Hiroshima more exciting through basketball and to lead the basketball world in Asia."
The Dragonflies have an 18-22 record in the current B.League season, while Ryukyu Golden Kings, the circuit's other EASL Final Four participant, are 28-12.
Balanced Scoring and Strong Rebounding Lift the Dragonflies
In the EASL final, balanced scoring carried the Dragonflies, who shot 35.6% from the floor and outrebounded the Pilots 51-38.
Team anchor Evans had a team-best 18 points along with 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Kerry Blackshear Jr, who was another key contributor for the B.League champs in the 2023-24 campaign, also had a dynamic all-around game, providing 13 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. Teammate Keijiro Mitani added 10 points, Takuto Nakamura scored nine, Toshiki Kamisawa chipped in with eight and Ryo Terashima finished with seven.
Evans, a 33-year-old Saint Louis University alumnus, was named EASL Final Four MVP.
"It's been a grind," Evans told reporters after the title match, according to SPIN.ph, a Filipino sports website. "The schedule, dealing with injuries, it's been so up-and-down, but to have everyone play so hard and play so well today and pull this off is incredible."
For Taoyuan, Chun Hsiang Lu was the top scorer with 20 points. Treveon Graham added 16 points and Yao Cheng Pai had 11.
Hiroshima took a 35-29 lead into the locker room at halftime. Its lead was cut to 51-49 entering the final period.
A 5-0 scoring spurt by Graham late in the fourth quarter gave the Pilots a 68-67 advantage with about 80 seconds remaining in the fourth.
What happened next?
Dragonflies coach Shogo Asayama called a timeout. After missed scoring opportunities by both teams, Evans came through in the clutch with a go-ahead jumper with 25 seconds to play, with Nakamura handing out the assist. That made it 69-68.
A shot-clock violation followed for the Pilots, followed by Evans' late trip to the foul line.
New Taipei Beats Ryukyu in the 3rd-Place Game
In Sunday's third-place game, the New Taipei Kings edged Ryukyu 84-80.
Former NBA guard Jeremy Lin paced New Taipei with 18 points, and his younger brother Joseph Lin supplied 16 points, five assists and two steals.
Veteran big man Alex Kirk led Ryukyu with 27 points and Keve Aluma had a 25-point game. Jack Cooley scored eight points and Shota Onodera and Hayate Arakawa added six apiece.
The Golden Kings were held to 6-for-26 on 3-point shots.
The Lin brothers and their teammates bolstered their winning hopes in the third-place match by making 13 steals.
More Info on the EASL Final Four
On the first day of the EASL Final Four on Friday, March 7, Hiroshima clinched a spot in the title match with an 81-65 triumph over New Taipei. Evans had team-high totals of 20 points and 16 rebounds.
In the later match, Taoyuan beat Ryukyu 71-64 to punch its ticket to the championship game.
Back to Work in the B.League
The Dragonflies are back in action in the B.League on Wednesday, March 12 against the host Ibaraki Robots, while the Golden Kings meet the visiting Shimane Susanoo Magic on the same night.
RELATED:
- Strong Start Propels Reigning B.League Champion Dragonflies to 1st Victory of Season
- [ODDS and EVENS] Dwayne Evans Shares Love of the Game at Youth Basketball Clinic
- B.League Finals: Dragonflies Play Dynamic Defense in Game 3 to Win the Title
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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