report
I protect it, I catch up, but I still can’t reach it.
– Hitachi High Tech Game 1
Yamanashi Queen Beads 58-52 Hitachi High-Tech
(January 30, 2026/Hitachinaka City General Gymnasium
It’s a battle for first place with both teams having four games remaining.
Hitachi High-Tech has a clear advantage in the race for the championship. However, the Queen Bees pursue as long as they have any hope of reaching the top, and will travel to Hitachinaka City, the home of their enemy Hitachi High-Tech, to take on these two consecutive matches.
While the stands were dyed green, Hitachi High-Tech’s team color, the Queen Bees fan boosters continued to cheer louder than they could in numbers.
At 6:30 pm, the heat in the venue was rapidly increasing.
For Queen Bees, the battle with Hitachi High-Tech has finally begun.
Immediately after the start of the game, Hitachi High-Tech took the lead with a free throw from Tateyama. On the other hand, Queen Bees caught up with Darameh Malem Doi’s shot, but after that, Queen Bees struggled with defensive rebounds, but Hitachi High-Tech used the rebounds they obtained to seize second and third chances, scoring an 11-point run against Queen Bees, who continued to have a passive offense. The Queenbees increased their lead to 2-13 and called a timeout five minutes into the game.
After the timeout, Mina Kaminaga, who was on the court, connected to Dafe Hadi, who got a free throw on the hotline following the Niigata match, and the Queen Bees’ points began to improve. In the final stages, Shiori Takada also counterattacked with consecutive points. Although they got off to a slow start, they narrowed the gap to 11-19 at the end of the first quarter.
Immediately after the second quarter started, Aoka Miyoshi and Natsuki Dehara added points, starting with a 3-pointer by their superior. With 6 minutes and 9 seconds remaining, Nana Katayama finally turned the game around with a shot. In this quarter, they played an impregnable defense that limited Hitachi High-Tech to just 6 points. In the final stages, Momoko Inoue added another point, and the first half ended with a 4-point lead at 29-25.
They established a rhythm on defense, attacked vertically from rebounds, and took the initiative by adding points with free throws obtained from Hitachi High-Tech’s foul troubles. It was time for the Queen Bees, and the 10 minutes were the most representative of the Queen Bees in the match.
At one point in the third quarter, they took a 7-point lead, the largest of the game, at 27-34.
However, the tide begins to change from here. Hitachi High-Tech counterattacked inside with Aminata at the center. Aminata’s consecutive points made it 32-34. When the score was tied with 3 minutes and 42 seconds remaining, Suzuno Higuchi’s 3-pointer turned the game around. Minami Ikematsu also sank a 3-pointer, making it 40-44 heading into the final quarter.
While the Queen Bees’ offense was stagnant, Hitachi High-Tech, which attacked with a good tempo from rebounds, dominated inside. In the deciding areas, shots from the outside corners are also decided. With 10 minutes remaining, will they be able to put into practice what their head coach said during an interview on the day before the game, “Keep going without losing your mind, and fight calmly for 40 minutes.” The remaining 10 minutes began in order to stay in the race for victory.
Hitachi High-Tech’s 3P momentum continues unabated. The cheering voltage of the Hitachi High-Tech Boosters who visited the home stadium increased rapidly. Ikematsu’s consecutive 3-pointers opened the lead to 10 points, 40-50.
The Queen Bees applied pressure with a zone press and set up a zone defense in the half court. Hitachi High-Tech caused a turnover, and Katayama and Saki Ikeda’s 3-pointers made it 52-54. With 4 minutes and 7 seconds remaining, the lead was finally down to 2 points.
However, Aminata stood in his way once again. Did he lose the composure to keep going, to be very careful and make one or two passes to avoid getting caught in the net, as he was cornered so close to competing for the championship? The deciding chance was blocked by a block from Aminata, who had six shots in the game, and with 1 minute 26 seconds left, Aminata himself put the ball under the net, 58-52.
Queenbees showed tenacity until the end, but the match ended just like that. It was a contrasting end to Hitachi High-Tech, which was filled with joy.
In this game, Queenbee’s defense kept the opponent to 50 points. Their defensive strength was overwhelming in the second quarter, and there were certainly times when they took control of the game.
On the other hand, there were turnovers early on, the offense was stagnant in the third quarter and they conceded points from there, they couldn’t make a goal from a 2-point deficit in the final stages, or in other words, several shots were blocked by height.
This “slight difference” made the difference between victory and defeat.
As the final buzzer sounds, the Hitachi High-Tech players form a circle of joy on the court.
Beside them, the Queen Bees players could be seen with their shoulders slumped and tears welling up in their eyes as their slim chance of winning the championship was cut short.
However, after finishing the post-match cool-down and reflecting on today’s match, Momoko Inoue’s eyes were already set on advancing to the relegation match, which would leave her with a chance of promotion to the Premier League.
If they reach the replacement match, they still have a chance to open the door to promotion on their own. To do that, they must first secure second place. They need to grab the right to challenge in the remaining three games.
The number of stars is still important. However, apart from that, as we move towards the future, we cannot afford to end the season with four consecutive losses on the same card. The big challenge remaining this season is to wrest victory from Hitachi High-Tech, who have been promoted to the Premier League ahead of them.
Tomorrow, that one win.
The battle for Queen Bees isn’t over yet.
And share that joy with fan boosters.
conversation
Sachiko Ishikawa Head Coach
Our goal was to keep the number of goals we conceded to within the 50s, and I think our players did a really good job in that regard. However, if we keep our scores in the 50s, it will be difficult to win. There were times when we relied on one-on-one play during difficult periods, and there were parts where we couldn’t assemble the offense as a team, so we ended up leaving things up to individuals. That is a big challenge, and I am keenly aware that in order to compete in the Premier League, we need to be strong enough to score points as a team in such close matches.
I prepared for the opponent’s block, but I couldn’t match up with one more. It was such a waste.
I think I started to get a little nervous after I was in the lead and was caught up. It must have been a tough situation for them as well, but we were unable to step up to the next level and continue playing with intensity. Simple mistakes continued when the flow deteriorated.
Still, it is true that we have been able to come to this day with the possibility of winning still remaining. Up until now, the players have only been fighting for the word “win”. There was no talk of a replacement match, and the only goal was to win. Considering today’s result, the match will continue. I’ll definitely switch it up here.
From now on, our new goal will be to firmly secure second place and win the replacement match. The next match will be against a team competing in the Premier League. It doesn’t work as it is now. I have to level up more. We will fight through the defense we have built up to this point and do our best.
Today, we had more opportunities to attack. There were many parts where I became passive. I’d like to be able to do that from the beginning tomorrow. Switch back and face forward again to fight.
Captain Momoko Inoue
To be honest, I think it was a winnable match. That’s why I’m so frustrated.
The defense was really good. We talked about trying to keep it under 60 points, and we accomplished that. However, even though we said we would score 65 points, it would be tough if we ended up with 50 points. Especially in the beginning, I didn’t have enough attitude toward the ring, and I had a lot of turnovers, and I quickly became the opponent’s opponent.
My opponent was defending very hard, and at first I was overwhelmed by it and ran away. However, from the middle of the game, we started to make more vertical attacks, which led to assists and layups. I think the 2-period period was especially good. However, I think that our lack of success in the “just a little bit more” areas, such as being able to make three-pointers in a row in the crucial third and fourth periods and not being able to grab rebounds, was reflected in the final point difference. Aminata’s block was also great. There aren’t many players who are that big and have long arms. You can’t break through alone, so if you can connect with the second and third players and create a bigger gap, I think you’ll be able to take shots comfortably. This requires the cooperation of the entire team.
Most of the goals we conceded were due to our own mistakes. Points conceded from turnovers and second chance points. I think our half-court defense itself was really good today, so I want to continue working on that tomorrow as well. The areas for improvement are rebounding and attacking more vertically. Then, how to attack the opponent’s big man. Outside shots have waves, but shots under the ring have a high probability, so unless you increase that, you won’t increase your points.
If you can aim for a break from the defense, you can play without help before the big players return. I would like to increase that as well.
The championship ended at this point, but it has not yet been decided that the team will advance to the replacement competition. First of all, I will go for the win tomorrow. On top of that, I think it will take a lot of energy to be promoted to the premiership in the relegation match. This was clear from last year’s match between Aisin and Mitsubishi Electric. In order to win both games, I believe that tomorrow’s match will be a test for us to “win against a premier-level opponent.”
We will never be able to fight as we are now. Tomorrow I want to show off my energy from the beginning and attack the ring more and more.
The fans who came all the way to Ibaraki to support us told us, “Let’s do our best tomorrow too.” I’m disappointed, but the game will continue. First of all, I will focus only on winning, switch things up, and give my all from the start tomorrow.
