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| Photo: Provided by EASL |
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] The finalists for the 2026 EASL (East Asia Super League) Finals — which determine the top club team in East Asian professional basketball — are set. Taiwan’s Taoyuan Pilots will meet Japan’s B.League powerhouse Utsunomiya Brex in the title game.
Taoyuan routed Alvark Tokyo 102–76 in the EASL semifinals at Macau’s Studio City Event Center on March 20.
Utsunomiya booked its spot in the final earlier, holding off a scrappy Ryukyu Golden Kings 103–96 in the other semifinal.
Taoyuan, which knocked out Seoul SK in the round of six, enters as Taiwan’s top club. Center Alec Brown, listed at 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in), is a rare big who can stretch the floor with 3-point range while protecting the rim.
Forward Trevon Graham offers high team value with strong box-outs and steady production, and naturalized center William Artino stands at 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in). Captain and primary ball-handler Lu Chunshang is also the Pilots’ national-team star.
Alvark Tokyo counter with Spanish international power forward Sebastian Saiz Soto, a bruising presence inside. On the perimeter, Marcus Foster — familiar to Korean fans from his 2018–19 season with Wonju DB — provides scoring punch after stops in Europe and now as a focal player for Alvark.
The Alvark roster also features rising Japanese guard Taves Kai and sharpshooter Ando Shuto. Built around those pieces, Alvark is known in the B.League for disciplined offense and stout team defense.
Alvark struck first. Guard play led by Taves Kai, combined with pick-and-rolls featuring starter Saiz and timely outside shooting, produced a 19–7 burst and an early 12-point lead. Taoyuan responded with inside drives from Trevon Graham and Alec Brown.
The first quarter set the tone. Alvark exposed Taoyuan’s relative lack of interior depth early, while Taoyuan answered by attacking the paint with double-post looks for Brown and Artino. Alvark countered with quick transition offense and Foster’s outside shooting, closing the quarter up 30–21.
Alvark’s cohesion stood out in the second quarter. They used Taves’ 2-on-2 actions to collapse the defense and create open looks for ace shooter Ando Shuto. Shuto’s back-to-back 3s swung momentum toward Alvark, but Taoyuan didn’t fold. Aggressive pressure defense forced turnovers and kept the deficit manageable. The pattern became Alvark trying to pull away and Taoyuan repeatedly responding.
Late in the second, Taoyuan reignited its push. Lu Chunshang attacked the rim to cut the lead and, at the line, trimmed it to one. Alvark answered with consecutive 3s and held a 54–50 lead at halftime.
The game flipped in the third quarter. Taoyuan came out strong, with Lu’s passing creating a string of easy baskets. They opened the quarter on a 14–0 run to seize control. Alvark was held scoreless for more than three minutes early in the period and lost its rhythm.
Alvark tried to rally around Foster and closed the gap to 60–66, but key 3-point attempts rimmed out at critical moments. Taoyuan kept attacking the paint and entered the fourth leading 79–65.
The fourth quarter never changed the script. Taoyuan pushed the pace around Brown and Artino, while Alvark struggled with a cold 3-point night and tired legs. Taoyuan closed the game emphatically, winning 102–76.
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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