Parks, Nagoya pummel hapless Kyoto as Javi GDL gets extended run

MANILA, Philippines – The Nagoya Diamond Dolphins got back to their winning ways in emphatic fashion as they buried the cellar-dwelling Kyoto Hannaryz with a 91-58 road win in the Japan B. League on Saturday, December 11.

Ray Parks sat out the entire fourth quarter in the easy win, and finished with 5 points, 3 steals, and 1 rebound in under 15 minutes as the Dolphins rose to a 10-7 record, the first double-digit win tally among all teams of the nine Filipinos in the league.

The game was actually neck-and-neck until the 7:43 mark of the third quarter, when former NBA player Justin Harper went on a personal 8-2 run to let Kyoto force a 44-all tie.

However, not even Nagoya could have possibly predicted what came next as Parks and company rode an insurmountable 22-0 run to practically put the game away, 66-44, with 3:22 left in the period.

Despite having the game all but over, the Dolphins never let up in the final frame as they peaked with a 34-point gap, 89-55, off a Yutaro Suda triple with 1:08 left in regulation.

Nagoya ace import Scott Eatherton led the balanced beatdown with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 9 rebounds in under 24 minutes, backstopped by Coty Clarke’s 13-marker, 10-board double-double.

Harper, on the other hand, led all scorers in the sorry loss with 30 points on a stellar 12-of-15 clip and 8 boards.

Parks and Nagoya can keep their momentum going with a weekend sweep of Kyoto in the Sunday rematch at 1:05 pm.

Meanwhile, the Ibaraki Robots found themselves on the losing end of another blowout as the powerhouse Shimane Susanoo Magic cruised to an 87-59 road win.

Likely due to the lopsided score, Javi Gomez de Liaño tallied 18 minutes of play time and chipped in 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block as the Robots clunked down to a 2-15 record, a league-worst mark tied with Kyoto and the Niigata Albirex BB.

Shimane import Perrin Buford sparked the bench mob in the win with a game-high 23 points plus 8 boards, while Ibaraki captain Atsunobu Hirao paced the forgettable loss with 13 markers in 21 minutes.

Gomez de Liaño and Ibaraki can snap a five-game losing streak with an upset win in the Sunday rematch at 2:05pm.

Gomez de Liano’s brother Juan, though, was scrapped from the Earthfriends Tokyo Z active roster altogether as the Kumamoto Volters nabbed an easy 109-78 win over at Division 2.

As the younger Gomez de Liano import sat out his second straight game, Tokyo ace import Marc Norelia carried the load with a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Meanwhile, Volters reinforcement LJ Peak went wild in under 25 minutes, and finished with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting as Kumamoto improved to an even 10-10 record.

Gomez de Liaño and Tokyo have a chance to improve their 3-17 record with an upset win in the Sunday rematch at 2 pm. – Rappler.com