The Ryukyu Golden Kings withstood every challenge the two-time defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix threw at them Sunday evening.
They handled the pressure well, stuck to their game plan — "coach emphasized hustle all week . . . and we took it to another level," big man Dzaflo Larkai said — and closed out the game in true impressive form: a 17-3 championship-clinching run.
In the end, Ryuyu dethroned Hamamatsu 89-73 before 9,402 fans at Ariake Colosseum on Sunday.