U-18 Basketball Team Defeats Japan to Reach Quarterfinals with Undefeated Record in Group Stage

The South Korean under-18 (U-18) men's national basketball team, led by head coach Shin Jong-seok, has advanced to the quarterfinals as the top team in its group following a thrilling victory over Japan.

In the final Group D match of the 2026 FIBA U-18 Asia Cup held on the 18th (Korea time) at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, the South Korean U-18 team edged out Japan 67-64 in a tightly contested battle.

Having previously defeated Kazakhstan (95-68) in their opening game and India (90-61) in their second match, South Korea secured a clean sweep of the group stage with three straight wins. By clinching first place in Group D, they earned a direct ticket to the quarterfinals.

The protagonists of the victory were the twin brothers Yoon Ji-won and Yoon Ji-hoon (both from Kyungbok High School).

Yoon Ji-hoon spearheaded the offense with an impressive performance of 27 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Yoon Ji-won provided solid backup support with 12 points and 8 rebounds.

South Korea gained the early momentum in the first quarter, forcing 6 turnovers from Japan to take a 20-17 lead.

However, their outside shooting went cold in the second quarter, restricting them to just 8 points while giving up 20 unanswered points, leaving them trailing 28-37 at halftime.

The counterattack began in the second half after regrouping.

In the third quarter, Yoon Ji-hoon scored 10 points, including a 3-pointer, to shift the momentum of the game, successfully turning the score around to 49-48 before entering the final fourth quarter.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Yoon Ji-won fouled out, and South Korea briefly gave up the lead at 52-57, but the team maintained its concentration.

Following a tenacious chase, Yoon Ji-hoon scored a decisive basket with 19.3 seconds remaining in the game, putting the finishing touch on a thrilling 3-point comeback victory.

Having wrapped up the group stage on a high note with a perfect record, South Korea will face the winner of the Bahrain-Taiwan match in the quarterfinals on the 21st.

Reflecting on the victory through the Korea Basketball Association after playing a stellar role on both offense and defense throughout the group stage, Yoon Ji-hoon said, "I always feel a sense of responsibility thinking that I am a core part of the team. Since I have more experience than other players, my role is to steady the team on the court."

Head coach Shin Jong-seok also pointed to the players' aggressiveness as the driving force behind the three consecutive group stage wins.

Reviewing the group stage, Shin stated, "It was particularly positive that the players did not shrink back, actively attempting confident plays and an organic fast-paced offense (early offense)."

He added, "However, it is regrettable that we allowed the opponents many offensive rebounds (second-chance rebounds) and that our shooting accuracy dropped somewhat. We will thoroughly address these exposed issues and prepare meticulously for the upcoming quarterfinals."

(Photo provided by FIBA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.