Parks outworks Ramos in the clutch as Nagoya denies Toyama rally

MANILA, Philippines – The Toyama Grouses started off the weekend in heartbreaking fashion as the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins denied their late rally for a 90-85 home win on Saturday, December 18.

Ray Parks picked his spots carefully in the thrilling affair and finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 3-of-6 from three, highlighted by a clutch triple off a costly Dwight Ramos turnover that sealed the deal with 14 seconds left, 90-83.

Ramos, meanwhile, filled the stat sheet in the tough loss with 11 markers, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals as Nagoya and Toyama continued to mirror each other in the standings at 13-7 and 7-13, respectively.

The game actually had the makings of a blowout with 1:52 left in the 2nd quarter as Nagoya rode a 27-10 start to leave Toyama in the dust with a 23-point lead, 56-33.

The Dolphins, who still led by 17 with 7:50 left in the third period, saw their hold of the game disappear as the Grouses broke out of their slump with a 14-2 run, capped by two Joshua Smith free throws with 4:11 left to inch within five, 58-63.

Back-and-forth action ensued from that point onwards as Toyama finally forced an 81-all deadlock with 4:31 left in the final frame, setting up the nail-biting endgame, which Nagoya eventually secured for the win.

Star Dolphins import Scott Eatherton led all scorers with a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double, backstopped by fellow reinforcement Coty Clarke’s 16 markers off the bench with 6 boards and 5 assists.

Former NBA player Brice Johnson paced the loss with 20 points and 9 rebounds on a near-perfect 10-of-12 shooting, while fellow import Julian Mavunga, who previously averaged 18.3 points, was held to just 9 markers, albeit with 8 assists.

Toyama can seek revenge against Nagoya in their Sunday, December 19 rematch at 2:05 pm, Manila time.

The Scores:

Nagoya 90 – Eatherton 24, Clarke 16, Parks 15, Harimoto 9, Karino 9, Saito 7, Dozier 4, Ito 4, Nakahigashi 2.

Toyama 85 – Johnson 20, Hareyama 12, Ramos 11, Matsui 10, Mavunga 9, Uto 8, Smith 8, Kamisawa 5, Mito 2, Ono 0, Abe 0.

Quarters: 29-23, 56-40, 73-71, 90-85.

– Rappler.com