The 'Paris Olympic champions' have also ascended to the throne in Hongcheon.
The NH Nonghyup Bank 2025 KXO 3x3 Hongcheon Light Quest was held on the 11th at the Tori Forest Urban Forest Park special court in Hongcheon County, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. Twelve teams were divided into four groups for preliminary rounds, after which eight teams advanced to the tournament to compete for the championship.
In the final, Widerrecht (Netherlands) defeated Jump Shot (Singapore) 21-17 to claim victory. The victorious team, Widerrecht, was awarded a berth in the Jakarta Challenger.
It was a thrilling contest from the semifinals. Sagamihara (Japan) and Jump Shot (Singapore) met in the semifinals. Jump Shot took an early lead at 10-4, showcasing a strong outside shooting performance. The four players of Jump Shot, all evenly matched in skill and height, managed the game favorably. Jump Shot seized the momentum with a dunk shot, leading 18-12.
In the quarterfinals, Jump Shot's Haralabus Kiousis showed great spirit despite injuring his jaw, running with a bandage on his head. Ultimately, Jump Shot won 20-17 to advance to the finals.
In another semifinal, Widerrecht (Netherlands) defeated Cheverny (France) 15-13 after an extension match.
The two teams displayed the most intense physical battle of the tournament. For six minutes after the game started, both teams were tied 6-6 in a fiercely defensive match. Widerrecht took a 2-point lead at 9-7 with a basket count.
With 2 minutes and 24 seconds left, rain began to fall on the outdoor court, leading to a suspension of the game. Fortunately, the rain stopped immediately, and the game resumed after 10 minutes.
Cheverny scored to tie the game at 9-9. Widerrecht responded with a dunk shot and added two free throws. With one minute remaining, Cheverny scored a 2-point shot, bringing it to 12-13. With 17 seconds left, a tying layup shot broke out.
The two teams entered overtime tied at 13-13. The first team to score 2 points would win. Widerrecht secured a critical free throw. Norbert Telson missed both free throws but redeemed himself with a successful layup shot. Nesta Agassi then hit another free throw, ending the contest.
The final was compressed to a matchup between Jump Shot and Widerrecht. Dimeo van del Holst, the Paris Olympic 3x3 gold medalist, scored consecutive points. Widerrecht took an early lead at 7-3.
It was a thrilling showdown worthy of the finals. Nesta Agassi excited fans with a dunk shot. Van del Holst even earned a basket count. The Netherlands continued to lead 16-10.
Jump Shot made a fierce comeback with consecutive 2-point shots, narrowing the score to 15-17. However, Widerrecht capitalized on their opponent's mistake with a close-range shot to seal the victory.
Widerrecht, consisting of representatives from the Netherlands, has once again seized the top spot in an international competition following the Paris Olympics.
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