Cady Laren (204 cm, C) is clearly not 100 percent, but her competitiveness in the paint zone was still high.
Anyang Jungkwan played a scrimmage against the Fubon Braves of the Taiwan P.LEAGUE+ on Feb. 22 at the National Taiwan University of the Arts gymnasium in Taipei, Taiwan. The team never won a game against the Fubon Braves. The result was 66-79.
“On the 21st, we were asked by Fubon to use two foreign players, so that we can practice,” said head coach Kim Sang-sik before the second game against Fubon. But today (the 22nd) is different. We are using one foreign player, so we have to practice that situation,” he said, 파워볼사이트 adding that he was not given ‘one available foreign player’.
The difference in the number of foreign players available leads to a difference in energy levels. Domestic players can’t stop a foreign player one-on-one, and there is a lot of defense that goes on throughout the game, including help defense and rotation defense.
The foreign players on the court also have to exert themselves. The same goes for Laren, who is a one-option foreign player. It’s hard to utilize her strengths in the paint. They have to think about the other foreign player’s help defense.
However, the four domestic players opened up space from the start. Laren also started attacking from outside the three-point line. They diversified their offensive options with screens, penetration under the basket, mid-range jumpers, and ball-less moves. Chung Kwan Giang also took an 8-6 lead 4:48 into the game, thanks to Laren’s dominance under the basket and wide defensive range, Chung Kwan Giang was able to intercept Fubon’s offense well. Then, Lahren drew Jeff Widdie (213 cm, C) out of the paint zone with a three-pointer following a ball-less move. The Korean big man’s offense was looking pretty good.
Jung Kwan-jang also matched Fubon’s 16-17 shooting percentage. Laren, who played the entire first quarter, was on the bench for the entire second quarter. Michael Young (206 cm, F) replaced him. Young showed different traits than Laren, including ball handling and passing, playing on the perimeter and getting involved in the offense.
Young’s performance was completely different from the day before, as she was more involved in the fast break, and her timing and passing spots were better. Young showed her strengths from the previous 21 days.
However, the physical strain on the Korean forward was increasing. Since they had to face more than one foreign player, the Korean forwards had to use more stamina. For that reason, Jung Kwan-jang gradually lost ground. The score was 37-42 at halftime.
Laren came back out in the third quarter. He was numb, but he opened with a three off a pick-and-pop. At 41-42, she was within a point of Fubon.
But Laren was having trouble getting to the basket. Partly because he was intimidated by Widdie’s height, but also because he had to think about the other foreign player’s help defense. As a result, Laren’s offensive options were limited to three-pointers and mid-range jumpers.
However, Laren’s offensive options are not limited to shooting. After drawing Weedie near the 3-point line, Laren used her momentum to attack Weedie, but she didn’t finish well. He didn’t do a good job of bumping right before the layup. Evidence that his stamina and game sense were not 100%.
But Laren kept getting bumped in the paint zone, and even though he had to fight off several players, he still got the ball near the rim for Fubon. He wanted to score at a high probability, and he reassured his teammates.
Laren was outside the 3-point line when Lee penetrated into the paint, using his height to make entry passes. Tried to utilize Jonghyun’s ability under the basket. Tried to maximize synergy with teammates.
She was more effective under the basket and on the perimeter. She scored under the basket amidst the grooming of Fubon’s long resources, including Widdie. She even drew foul free throws. After that, easy baskets off pick-and-rolls. Had a hard carry in the third quarter. That’s how the final scrimmage against Fubon ended.
As mentioned above, Laren’s stamina was lacking, but that didn’t diminish their competitiveness under the basket. Especially against Fubon, who had nearly three foreign players on the floor, she was very effective near the rim. Efficiency and results were not bad. Despite not being 100%, Laren’s paint zone competitiveness was still strong.