[Two consecutive wins in the qualifying round for both men and women]
The FIBA 3×3 Asian Cup celebrated its third day of the tournament on Friday, July 8th. The 3×3 Japan Men’s and Women’s National Team faced the qualifying round of the main race and achieved two consecutive victories. After two days of coordination, the girl, who entered the first match, defeated Indonesia 17-15 and she won 11-3 against the host country Singapore. Meanwhile, the men who broke through the preliminary qualifying defeated Uzbekistan with him 21-11 and Chinese Taipei with 21-12, renewing the winning streak during the tournament to his four. Both men and women advanced to the knockout-style final tournament, which will be held on the final day, the 10th (Sun).
Of course, the main qualifying round was a battle that raised the level one step further, and it was not straightforward. Even so, the team put up with patience and made corrections, and the unity of the four people took us one step further toward winning the target medal.
[Women who won a difficult match]
The women’s team will be the official FIBA 3×3 international with no age restrictions for # 32 Moe Nagata (Denso Iris) and # 33 Tamami Nakada (ENEOS Sunflowers) who participated in the World Cup in June. # 6 Norika Konno (University of Louisville) and # 31 Mayu Kubota (Toin University of Yokohama), who were first elected to the Japanese national team at the tournament.
In the first match against Singapore, he allowed the opponent to shoot two points from the beginning and committed an offense foul. Even so, Konno, who was elected for the first time, caught up with the score, and Kubota, who was also elected for the first time, called for a reversal from the middle stage onward. The girls who took the lead were Nakata and Nagata who fought at the ball such as a rebound battle, and finally ran away and won.
In the second game against Singapore, we will focus on driving with speed from the beginning, but we couldn’t make a shot and it will be a low score game in front of Singapore, which received the great cheers of the home.“Frustrating”(Nagata),“Very very painful”(Mr. Nakata) It was a match, but after the end of the game, the attacks of Kubota and others were decided, and we won by taking advantage of our individual strengths.
This tournament was the first match for four players, as Mai Yamamoto and Stephanie Mawuli, who towed the girls in the World Cup, were eliminated and Konno and Kubota joined. Although the teams are good friends, it seems that they were not used to it when it came to the official game.After the match against Indonesia, Nakata“I was breathing up and the music around me was loud, so I couldn’t communicate much on and off the court, and I had more time to take the initiative.”I will reveal.
Still, they have the strength to steadily correct the challenges they faced in the match and continue to develop their strengths. In the second match against Singapore, even if the shot was disliked by the ring or exposed to the atmosphere of the away, he continued to put pressure on the defense from beginning to end and did not let the opponent pace. After patience, he closed the goal to three points and scored six points in the second half of the match.
Kubota said that he made use of his reflection on the first match in offense and defense.“The defense was tough (continuing to put pressure), and the offenses were able to play what they wanted to do. (Shoot) and finally (the ring) were often disliked. , I was calling out to the four people to keep doing it without forgetting to attack, so as a result of not quitting it, I think that the score was scored at the end of (the game) and it led to the victory. “And comment.Nakata also remains and he is in the 3 minute range. He has a TV time-out and decided before the qualifying round.“Forget about the offensive, make an error in the defense and score points easily.”He said that telling the team about the plan again led to a good flow in the final stages.
[Controlling the pace and not losing to boys]
On the other hand, while the boys also won the first round of the qualifying round, there were challenges. Pace distribution. In the match against Uzbekistan, # 0 Ryo Satohara (Hiroshima Dragonfly) and # 23 Ryuto Yasuoka (Akita Northern Happinets / SAITAMA ALPHAS) broke through the opponent from the beginning, and # 91 Tomoya Ochiai (Koshigaya Alphas / ALPHAS. EXE) and # 70 Masahiro Komatsu (TOKYO DIME.EXE) scored a combination, and the defense also maintained a high concentration, making a big difference to 14-3 in the remaining 5 minutes, but after that it stopped. I did.
KO won, but Ochiai“When you get tired, it slows down the offense rhythm by one tempo, two tempo, and ends up with a bad shot or a tough one-on-one shot. Then the opponent’s shot is decided and the rhythm gets worse. 3 × 3 Rhythm is important, so the difference with a strong team is how to sustain it for 10 minutes. I am not satisfied with the content of this game. “I mentioned.
And the Chinese Taipei match. It was his fourth race from the preliminary qualifying, but they took the lead again from the start. There was a foul in the middle, but he controlled and made the defense work, and he won his KO for four consecutive races. Satohara scored 4 points, Hooka scored 8 points, Komatsu scored 3 points, and Ochiai scored 6 points. It can be said that a good offense was made.
After the match, Ochiai played in the huddle“The current pace was amazing!”To my teammates.And in the mix zone“We are a team that paces up, but (in this match) we slowed down and controlled the game, so I think everyone was able to dominate the game without getting sick. We did it on the theme of pace.”I revealed. There was a scene where he posted up with a mismatch, but he says that is also part of controlling the pace.
Also, from the perspective of foul control, it seems that the battle from the World Cup is alive. In the post-match huddle, the players pointed out each other’s play that the referee in charge blew and did not blow, and talked about how to avoid the foul. Of course, the players grasp the criteria of the judges through practice etc. and take measures before the Asia Cup, but after all there are many things that can be obtained only by experiencing it in the game. It can be said that the team has stepped up in the Chinese Taipei match.
[The final battle is on the 10th … Awareness for the final tournament]
However, winning the gold medal is still halfway. The final tournament, which will be held on the 10th of the final day, will raise the level of the match even further. Women will face Sri Lanka and men will face New Zealand in the last 16 World Cup finals in the quarterfinals.
Since girls are a new team, how much can we solve the problems that arise in each match and connect them to the next match?Konno is about the current task“In defense, I think it is necessary to further increase the strength in the final tournament. At the same time, in offense, the strength of the opponent’s defense will also increase, so the scene to screen firmly and the speed to go to screen etc. I have the impression that it is difficult to attack unless it is clearer. I want to think about that. “Talk to.
And the coaches say“Players have good personal characteristics, so let’s play with each other understanding each other’s strengths so that we can take advantage of them.”It is expected that this awareness will be further deepened.
For boys, the team has been completed little by little with the preliminary qualifying and the qualifying round. Of course, it is still developing, but players are now able to play with the same consciousness, such as focusing on defense, fighting, pace control of the game, adjusting to fouls, etc. The upcoming New Zealand is tall and a difficult enemy with physical players.
Still, Ochiai“If we respect the other person and do what we do, we will definitely win. I want to show that to the Japanese people.”I show confidence.In addition, after the Chinese Taipei match, which got a response, Satohara also“We were doing what we were supposed to do, so there were times when we competed on the way, but we didn’t feel like losing at all.”There was a reliable word. Everyone on the team believes in how they fight now.
Today 9th is a rest day. With refreshment and thorough measures, the 3×3 Japan Men’s and Women’s National Team will challenge the decisive tournament tomorrow.
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