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MANILA, Philippines – Kai Sotto got off to a winning start with his new Japan B. League squad Yokohama B-Corsairs as they escaped the Seahorses Mikawa by the skin of their teeth, 73-72, on Saturday, December 30.
Playing in his first game this 2023-2024 season, Sotto, who was loaned to Yokohama by the Hiroshima Dragonflies, registered 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a plus-minus of +4 in a little less than 13 minutes.
The 7-foot-3 center missed nearly three months of B. League action with Hiroshima due to a back injury that bothered him since his stint with the Orlando Magic in the NBA Summer League in July.
Sotto’s fellow big man Jarrod Uthoff led the B-Corsairs to their 11th victory in 25 matches with a game-high 23 points and 7 rebounds.
Davante Gardner topscored for Mikawa with 19 points, while six-year NBA veteran Jake Layman posted a double-double of 15 markers and 11 boards in the loss.
Over at Hokkaido, Dwight Ramos reached the 1,000-point milestone in the B. League after putting up 13 markers in the Levanga Hokkaido’s 87-65 thrashing of the AJ Edu-less Toyama Grouses.
Now in his third season in the Land of the Rising Sun, Ramos joined brothers Thirdy and Kiefer Ravena as the only Filipino imports to achieve the impressive scoring feat.
The Gilas Pilipinas hotshot also tallied 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block for Hokkaido, which improved its record to 7-18.
Former Converge FiberXers and TNT Tropang Giga import Quincy Miller paced Toyama (3-22) with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Edu, the Grouses’ Asian reinforcement, has been sidelined since November due to a torn meniscus injury.
Like Yokohama and Hokkaido, Thirdy’s San-En NeoPhoenix and Kiefer’s Shiga Lakes also emerged victorious on Saturday.
Despite shooting a lowly 3-of-15 clip from the field, Thirdy finished with an all-around outing of 9 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in San-En’s 90-81 win over the Chiba Jets.
Kiefer, meanwhile, had an efficient double-double performance of 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, 12 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal in Shiga’s 97-74 rout of the Veltex Shizuoka.
With its eighth straight win, the second-seeded San-En hiked its record to 21-4 in Division 1, while Shiga extended its winning streak to six games for a 21-7 slate in Division 2.
Other results
Division 1
Ibaraki Robots def. Kyoto Hannaryz, 109-101. (Matthew Wright – 7 points, 1-of-7 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 13:04 minutes)
Kawasaki Brave Thunders def. Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, 77-55. (Ray Parks – 5 points, 2-of-3 FG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 18:56 minutes)
Utsunomiya Brex def. Shinshu Brave Warriors, 77-55. (Matt Aquino – 3 points, 1-of-2 FG, 3 rebounds, 6:30 minutes; RJ Abarrientos – 1 assist, 4:55 minutes)
Division 2
Yamagata Wyverns def. Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka, 82-75. (Roosevelt Adams – 9 points, 4-of-7 FG, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 23:37 minutes.)
– Rappler.com
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