Coach Yamamoto: “I’m convinced that a good defense will create a good offense.”
In the Winter Cup Women’s Semifinals, Kyoto Seika Gakuen faces Tokai University Fukuoka. When he succeeded in a 17-0 run in the first quarter, he won 70-47 for 40 minutes with a fast break from a defensive rebound, and won 70-47, advancing to the final for the second consecutive year.
Coach Yamamoto Tsunayoshi, who led the team to a clear victory, looks back on the game in this way. “We had to think about Tokai University Fukuoka’s countermeasures in a hurry, so we left everything up to the players, but they responded well. I told them to catch loose balls.The most important thing is to prevent conceding goals, which puts the most pressure on the opponent.I am convinced that good defense will create a good offense.”
As coach Yamamoto says, from the first quarter, Tokai University Fukuoka’s main pillar, Fal Aminata, was not allowed to be denied, and Izoje Uche, who recorded two block shots, showed a tough defense. And Uchae did not give the initiative until the end because he ran into transition and scored a goal. Woo Chae, who scored 13 points, said, “I definitely don’t want to lose. I didn’t want to feel frustrated, so I was able to keep working hard until the end.”
Kyoto Seika had a big lead in the transition, but they also surpassed the half court offense. Yuka Yagi says, “I had a feeling that I would go to score because I was matched up with other international students,” as well as the inside centered on Uche. He led the offense by recording 17 game high points such as up.
Yagi showed his presence in terms of scoring, but his words after the game were about defense. “At yesterday’s meeting, it was said that the starting defense is important. Everyone was conscious of that, and I was able to do it on the court. It was good that we were able to hold back the points we conceded.”
Even Yagi, who has become the team’s top earner, puts defense first, and Kyoto Seika has allowed an average of 47.5 points after four games, boasting one of the most solid defenses in the tournament. As coach Yamamoto says, the team, which has taken the initiative from defense, returned to the final last year after drinking tears of frustration. Yagi, who lost his dream by 4 points last year, expressed his determination for tomorrow as follows. “I am happy to be back on this stage, and I am grateful to many people.