Onuaku shut down Warne again. The team lost, but their presence shone.

The Goyang Sono Skingunners lost 70-80 to the Seoul SK SK Knights in the third round of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association regular season at the Goyang Sono Arena 카지노사이트 on Nov. 21.

The loss was Sono’s sixth straight. The loss of specialist guard Lee Jung-hyun, who had been performing at an MVP level, was particularly painful as it tightened the rotation.

Even at the beginning of the game, Sono was lethargic, reflecting the mood of their recent losing streak. The offense was a total disaster from the beginning of the game, and at one point they were down 20-48, 28 points, and facing a huge defeat at home. There was no hope for a turnaround.

But the second half was a different story. They started the third quarter with a 14-0 run to turn the tide, eventually closing to within four points and sending the home fans into a frenzy. It was an impressive second half, even if it wasn’t enough to end their losing streak.

At the center of it all was Chinanu Onuaku. Onuaku, who was in complete control of the paint, finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds as the team went on a 20-10 run. His steady hand led to baskets from Jeon Sung-hyun and other players, giving Sonoda hope of catching up.

Of particular note was Onuaku’s matchup against Jamil Warney. Warney is the best foreign player in the KBL, having won the Foreign Player MVP award three times in the last four years.

In this game, Warney missed 7 of 12 shots from the field and finished with just 12 points and 7 rebounds. It wasn’t just a case of being out of shape, it was a case of struggling to get into easy scoring spots.

Onuaku used his strength and athleticism to hang in there and force Warner into turnovers. Onuaku also pushed Warne on offense, reaching the 20-point plateau.

Onuaku already had a decent matchup against Warner in the 2019-2020 season when he was a DB. At the time, Warney’s field goal percentage against DBs was the second-lowest among the nine clubs. The last time he faced Warney after joining SONO, in the second round, he held him to a sub-45% shooting percentage and helped his team win.

After the game, head coach Hee-cheol Jeon said, “In the past, if I gave it to Jamil Warney, it would be taken care of, but today, because he was blocked, it took 24 seconds and there were a lot of frustrating situations. (Chinanu) Onuaku is definitely outplayed. It was the same when I was in DB. In many cases like today, he let go first,” he said, acknowledging their complementary relationship.

Having a nemesis could be a big motivator for Warney, who was already considered unbeatable during his peak in the KBL.

Although the team won, losing the matchup to Onuaku is a blow to Warney’s ego, which has always been at the top. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he’ll come into his next match more motivated and with a different mindset to settle the score.

Onuaku appeared as Warnie’s nemesis. That’s why we’re looking forward to the next match between SK and Sono.