MANILA – Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III and San-en NeoPhoenix clinched a conference crown in the Japan B.League Division 1 after a 96-62 rout of Toyama Grouses at the Toyama City Gymnasium.
The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles star tallied 13 points, including a three-pointer, to go with two rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes of action in that game.
Yante Maten led the way with a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds, Coty Clarke added 11 markers, while Sota Oura dished out 10 assists to go with eight points as the NeoPhoenix improved to a 41-10 win-loss slate.
An Iloilo City native, Ravena in a social media post said the conference title was a huge feat for the NeoPhoenix following their struggles to win matches the past few seasons.
“Spent four years fighting with this team, and hindi ko pa rin mapaniwalaan na umabot kami dito! Hindi pa tapos ang laban pero alam ni Lord kung gaano kalaking bagay neto para team, lalo na sa akin,” he said.
Johnathan Williams was the lone double-digit scorer for the Grouses with 21 points, while fellow former PBA import Quincy Miller contributed just seven points. They dropped to 4-47.
Meanwhile, Matthew Wright and Kyoto Hannaryz halted their lengthy losing skid with an 82-78 victory against Nagasaki Velca at the Kataoka Arena in Kyoto, Japan.
The Filipino-Canadian guard came off-the-bench and tallied just five points to go with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal as the Hannaryz captured its 14th win in 51 games.
Charles Jackson tallied a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds, Cheikh Diallo added 14 markers, while Yuta Okada and Satoru Maeda contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Matt Bonds finished with a double-double of 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Velca, Jarrell Brantley chipped in 22 markers, and Yudai Baba had 10 points. They dropped to 20-31./PN
