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MANILA, Philippines – After seeing his eight-game streak of double-digit scoring performances snapped, Kai Sotto bounced back big and delivered his finest game yet in the Japan B. League.
Pitted against one of the top teams in the league, the 7-foot-3 Gilas Pilipinas big man stepped up to the plate and erupted for a new career-high 28 points on an ultra-efficient 12-of-15 field goal clip on Saturday, March 30.
His high-scoring explosion, however, wasn’t enough as the Yokohama B-Corsairs suffered an 81-75 loss to the Alvark Tokyo.
Coming off a lackluster 7-point outing in their 80-64 loss to the Fighting Eagles Nagoya last Wednesday, March 27, Sotto went to work for the B-Corsairs early and quickly poured in 8 of his 12 first half points in just the first seven minutes of the ball game.
With Yokohama trailing 33-39 at halftime, Sotto once again took over in the third period and unloaded 8 more points to give the B-Corsairs a 51-47 lead with 2:03 remaining in the quarter.
It was a tight battle between the two teams in the early goings of the final frame, and with Yokohama up 66-65 with 4:17 left to play, Tokyo suddenly went on a decisive 8-0 blast to pull away from the B-Corsairs and hand them their 26th loss in 47 matches.
Sotto, who eclipsed his previous career-high of 26 points, also tallied a team-best 6 rebounds and a +/- of +8 in close to 28 minutes of action as Yokohama’s starting center.
Like Sotto, Dwight Ramos saw his efficient performance go down the drain as the Levanga Hokkaido fell to the Osaka Evessa, 96-74.
Ramos connected on 7 of his 10 attempts from the field to wind up with 17 points, along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
Matthew Wright and RJ Abarrientos likewise scored in double figures, but their respective teams fell.
Wright recorded 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Kyoto Hannaryz’s 64-56 loss to the Saga Ballooners, while Abarrientos came up with 10 markers, 1 board, 3 dimes, and 1 steal in the Shinshu Brave Warriors’ 76-69 defeat at the hands of the Fighting Eagles Nagoya.
Thirdy Ravena, meanwhile, had a forgettable outing for the San-En NeoPhoenix as they bowed to the Sendai 89ers, 82-75.
Thirdy finished with just 3 points on a dismal 1-of-8 shooting with 1 rebound and 5 assists in the loss.
Ray Parks was the only Filipino import in Division 1 to score a victory on Saturday as the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins got the better of the AJ Edu-less Toyama Grouses, 102-85.
Parks produced 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the dominant win.
Over in Division 2, Kiefer Ravena’s Shiga Lakes and Roosevelt Adams’ Yamagata Wyverns both emerged triumphant on Saturday.
Kiefer put up 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists in Shiga’s 78-70 win over the Bambitious Nara.
Adams, meanwhile, registered 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in Yamagata’s 93-86 victory against the Koshigaya Alphas. – Rappler.com
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