With the depth of their team and strength underneath the basket, the Hitachi Sunrockers completely dominated the contest and earned their first Emperor's Cup in club history with an 81-66 win over the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the men's final of the 90th All-Japan Championship on Monday at Yoyogi National Gymnasium.
Veteran Kenta Hirose gave an all-around performance as he racked up 20 points, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks for the Sunrockers, who lost to the Aisin SeaHorses in the 2009 and 2010 editions of the annual single-elimination tourney.
"I was just thrilled to play before such a big crowd, and to be able to win the championship today gave me an extra thrill," Hirose said after the game.
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