Japan B. League

Ravena, Paras tally contrasting lines as San-En, Niigata skids continue

JR Isaga

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Ravena, Paras tally contrasting lines as San-En, Niigata skids continue

TROUBLES. Thirdy Ravena and the San-En NeoPhoenix can't find enough endgame grit.

JAPAN B. LEAGUE

Thirdy Ravena’s efforts still won’t translate to a win as Kobe Paras records his first scoreless B. League game

MANILA, Philippines – The San-En NeoPhoenix continued their run of futility in the Japan B. League as the Hiroshima Dragonflies earned an 82-74 home win on Wednesday, December 15.

Thirdy Ravena stuffed the stat sheet anew with 12 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in 28 minutes, but his team once again collectively fell short en route to their 11th straight loss for a 3-16 record.

After a back-and-forth opening quarter where San-En led, 17-14, the Hiroshima hosts then immediately took control with a 14-2 start to the second period for a 28-19 lead, and basically never looked back.

Hulking import Gregory Echenique continued his strong play well into the final frame, and sank a jumper at the 8:37 mark to give the Dragonflies their largest lead at 16 points, 67-51. He finished with a hefty double-double of 14 points and 17 rebounds.

The NeoPhoenix tried their hardest on offense down the stretch, but failed to get the necessary defensive stops as they only cut the deficit to single digits with a garbage time triple to set the final score.

Hiroshima import Thomas Kennedy powered the bench with a game-high 24 points in 26 minutes, while Robert Carter paced yet another San-En defeat with a 20-marker, 13-board double-double.

Ravena and the NeoPhoenix can get back on track on Saturday and Sunday, December 18 and 19, with a back-to-back slate against the Osaka Evessa.

League-worst

Unlike Ravena, on the other hand, Kobe Paras failed to leave his mark on the box score as the Shimane Susanoo Magic buried the hapless Niigata Albirex BB, 90-59, for a league-worst 16th straight loss.

The former Niigata top scorer bottomed out with his first scoreless B. League game off a 0-of-5 clip in 18 minutes off the bench. Since his demotion from the starting lineup, Paras is only averaging a woeful 1.7 points in his last three games.

Off a manageable 6-point deficit early in the third quarter, 30-36, the Albirex then completely fell apart on defense as Shimane emphatically closed things out with a 31-9 run for a 67-39 gap entering the final frame.

The cruising Magic then peaked with a 35-point separation, 88-53, with 2:04 left in regulation as Niigata retained their longtime spot at the cellar with a 2-17 record.

Five Shimane players scored at least 12 points in the easy win, led by local star guard Seiya Ando’s 14 markers on an efficient 7-of-9 clip.

On the other end, Niigata import Tshilidzi Nephawe tied Ando for a game-high 14 points, albeit with a way worse plus-minus of -28.

Paras and Niigata’s search for a long-overdue return to the win column continues next weekend as they face the Hiroshima Dragonflies. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!