Parks, Nagoya comeback fall short; Paras, Niigata drop 13th straight game

MANILA, Philippines – The Nagoya Diamond Dolphins failed to continue their winning ways in the Japan B. League as the Shimane Susanoo Magic held on in the clutch for a 94-86 road win on Sunday, December 5.

Ray Parks ignited for 8 of his 13 points in the third quarter, but his spark was far from enough as the Dolphins sunk to a 9-7 record. The former PBA star also finished with 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals in under 23 minutes.

Takumi Saito continued his strong play with a team-high 24 points in the loss, but it was Shimane import Perrin Buford who stole the show as he dropped 17 of his 21 markers in the fourth quarter alone.

Thanks to Buford’s eruption, the Magic peaked with a 14-point lead midway through the final frame, 86-72, before Saito and Nagoya rallied with a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to 8, 82-90, with under a minute to go in regulation.

However, there were simply not enough ticks left on the clock as Buford iced the game from the line, 92-82, with 40 seconds remaining as Shimane spoiled Nagoya’s bid for a weekend sweep.

Parks and Nagoya will have a great chance to improve their fortunes next weekend as they take on the cellar-dwelling Kyoto Hannaryz on Saturday and Sunday, December 11 and 12.

Paras, Niigata’s misery continues

The losing woes stretched on for the Niigata Albirex BB as the Akita Northern Happinets sent them to their 13th  straight loss off a convincing 89-58 rout.

Kobe Paras continued to struggle in the midst of the league’s longest active losing skid as he finished with just 5 points on 1-of-7 shooting for a Niigata side rooted to the standings cellar with a 2-14 record.

Despite the obvious lack of momentum, Niigata tried to fight back as far as the third quarter, where they trailed by just 10, 36-46, with 8:04 left in the frame.

However, that was as near as the Albirex would go as Akita swingman Takatoshi Furukawa single-handedly put the result out of question with a personal 11-0 run, capped with a booming triple at the 6:12 mark for a sudden 21-point gap, 57-36.

To make matters worse, Paras was called for an unsportsmanlike foul at the very next possession as Happinets captain Takuya Nakayama extended the run to 13-0 off two free throws for the 59-36 lead.

Likely demoralized after that sequence, Niigata’s defense completely fell apart in the final frame as Akita peaked with a 37-point separation, 89-52, with just 1:24 left in regulation.

Furukawa led the win with a game-high 17 points in just as many minutes, while Albirex import Tshilidzi Nephawe paced yet another loss with a 14-marker, 11-board double-double.

Niigata’s quest for a long-overdue win continues next weekend as they face the Sun Rockers Shibuya. – Rappler.com