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MANILA, Philippines – Kiefer Ravena came through when it mattered most for the Shiga Lakes as they moved within a win of the B2 title following a 96-87 overtime victory over the Koshigaya Alphas in the Japan B. League on Saturday, May 18.
After going 1-of-7 from the field in the first three quarters, Ravena came alive in the clutch and dropped 12 of his 16 points in the fourth frame and the extra period to help the Lakes grab an all-important 1-0 lead in the short best-of-three finals series.
“Guys, we made it this far. We have one more win to get that championship,” Ravena told the Shiga home crowd after the match.
“We’ll make sure to get that championship, you guys deserve it. One more win,” he repeated.
With Shiga trailing 75-77, Ravena converted on a smooth finger-roll layup to tie the game with exactly two minutes to play in the 4th quarter.
Ravena then broke the deadlock with two crucial free throws, giving the Lakes a 79-77 cushion with 35.5 seconds left.
The former Gilas Pilipinas guard had a chance to win it all for Shiga in the final possession of regulation after Koshigaya’s L.J. Peak knotted the score at 79-all, but his potential game-winning stepback jumper fell short as time expired.
Fortunately, Ravena managed to make up for the missed opportunity as he scored the Lakes’ last 5 points in overtime, including another beautiful layup that ultimately put the Alphas away for good with just 39.2 ticks remaining.
Aside from his 16 points, Ravena, the third-year Shiga Asian Quota import, came up with 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 1 steal in 32 minutes of action.
Shiga’s world import Brock Motum proved too much for their opponents as he erupted for a game-high 37 points on a very efficient 15-of-20 shooting to go with 14 rebounds and 7 assists.
Former NBA player and PBA import Justin Harper, meanwhile, led the way for the Alphas with 28 markers and 13 boards.
Ravena and the Lakes – who are already assured of a spot back to the league’s top division next season – will look to close out the series at 1 pm on Sunday, May 19 (Manila time).
Meanwhile, Ray Parks barely made an impact for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins as they suffered a 79-75 loss to the Hiroshima Dragonflies in Game 1 of their best-of-three B1 semifinal clash.
Parks finished with only 2 points on 1-of-2 field goal clip, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in over 14 minutes of play in the loss. – Rappler.com
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