Louis King erupts for 30 as KCC beat Sono in a thriller for second straight win, climb out of last place

[Financial News] Busan KCC Egis escaped the bottom of the professional basketball standings, fending off a fierce comeback by the Goyang Sono Skygunners with balanced contributions from its starters, led by Louis King.
KCC earned a hard-fought 105-102, three-point win over Sono in a home game in the 2026-27 KCC Professional Basketball regular season at Busan Sajik Gymnasium.
KCC snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Wonju DB Promy on October 31 and, with this win, made it two straight victories to complete a turnaround in form. With a 4-8 record for the season, KCC climbed out of last place and moved into a tie for eighth with Sono, which fell into a four-game losing streak with its loss that day.

Facing Sono without key import Johnny O’Bryant, who was sidelined by a back injury, KCC established an advantage in size from the outset. After taking a narrow 26-24 lead in the first quarter, KCC widened the gap in the second as its fluid passing game came alive. With Lee Ho-hyun dishing out five assists in the quarter, Louis King and Shawn Long poured in 10 points apiece to give KCC a comfortable 60-44, 16-point lead at halftime.
Sono mounted a fierce comeback in the second half. Ace Lee Jung-hyun led the charge, scoring 14 points, including four three-pointers in the third quarter alone, while Lim Dong-seop added two shots from beyond the arc. KCC responded with a three-pointer from Yoon Ki-chan and points from King, who held his ground in the paint, to finish the third quarter up 88-76, preserving a 12-point lead.

The outcome hung in the balance in the final quarter. Sono cut the deficit with Lee Jung-hyun’s seventh three-pointer of the game and points from Scotty James. With a little over five minutes remaining, Kevin Kembao scored on a fast break after Lee Jae-do’s steal, bringing Sono within reach at 93-95.
With KCC in trouble, Heo Hoon helped Jang Jae-seok score in the paint and added two free throws to steady the team. Shawn Long fouled out with 3:07 remaining, but KCC pulled away again, leading 103-96 with about two minutes left after consecutive baskets from King.
Sono kept battling. After Kembao’s three-pointer, James scored in the paint and converted the and-one with 34.3 seconds remaining to cut the gap to 102-103, just one point.
Lee Ho-hyun came to KCC’s rescue in the nail-biting finish. With 25.8 seconds left, he calmly made both free throws awarded after a foul by the opposition to put KCC ahead 105-102. After its final timeout, Sono could not turn the game around as James and Kembao both missed three-point attempts to tie it.
King led all scorers with 30 points and five rebounds to power KCC to victory. Shawn Long added 24 points and nine rebounds, while Heo Hoon had 20 points, including three three-pointers, and six assists. For Sono, Scotty James recorded 29 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while Lee Jung-hyun had 28 points and 12 assists, including seven three-pointers, but their efforts were overshadowed by the team’s loss.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter