MANILA – Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III and San-en NeoPhoenix pulled off an 84-81 escape over Sunrockers Shibuya in Japan B.League Division 1 over the weekend at the Toyohashi City Gymnasium.
The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles guard finished with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal as the NeoPhoenix halted their losing skid to improve to 36-9.
Yante Maten led the way for the NeoPhoenix with a double-double of 29 points and 13 rebounds, Sota Oura added 15 markers, while David Dudzinski contributed 13 points in the win.
“This was a very tough match,” said NeoPhoenix head coach Atsushi Ohno. “In the third quarter, I think there were many situations where each player choose what they wanted to do rather than what they had to do.”
“However, I think we were able to secure the victory thanks to our patience in playing offense and defense from behind. I feel that the patience of our players made the play worthy of victory,” he added.
Josh Hawkinson finished with 24 points, Anthony Clemmons added 19 markers, while Leo Vendrame contributed 13 points as Shibuya dropped to a 23-22 win-loss record.
Meanwhile, Kai Sotto had another efficient scoring game as Yokohama B-Corsairs cruised to a 102-69 victory over Nagasaki Velca over at the Yokohama International Pool.
The 7-foot-3 Gilas Pilipinas center finished with 13 points, on 4-of-6 field goal shooting, to go with six rebounds, two blocks, and one assist in 20 minutes of action as the B-Corsairs improved to 21-24.
Devin Oliver top-scored for the streaking B-Corsairs with 21 points, while Jarrod Uthoff contributed a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds in the lopsided victory.
Matt Bonds top-scored for the Velca with 26 points, Yudai Baba chipped in 13 markers, and Nick Perkins contributed 12 points as they dropped to a 18-27 win-loss slate./PN
