Nagoya survives late Sotto, Hiroshima rally; Wright, Thirdy shine for Kyoto, San-En

MANILA, Philippines – The Ray Parks-less Nagoya Diamond Dolphins swept their two-game weekend series against Kai Sotto and the Hiroshima Dragonflies following a 91-83 triumph in the Japan B. League at the Dolphins Arena on Sunday, April 16. 

Nagoya survived a furious fourth-quarter rally by Hiroshima, which managed to cut the Diamond Dolphins’ 21-point lead late in the third period, 74-53, to just 2 points, 78-76, off a dunk by Sotto with 5:47 to play.

Yutaro Suda and Tenketsu Harimoto knocked down the crucial hits for the Diamond Dolphins down the stretch as they extended their lead back to double figures, 89-79, crushing any hopes of a Dragonflies upset in the last two minutes of the ball game.

Playing minus Parks for the 13th straight outing, Coty Clarke led the way for Nagoya with 22 points on an almost perfect 9-of-10 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Harimoto, meanwhile, added 19 points on 5-of-7 clip from three-point range for Nagoya, which tied Hiroshima at the fifth spot with a 38-15 record.

Ryo Terashima and Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored 18 points apiece for Hiroshima, while Sotto had 6 points on 3-of-7 shooting and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. 

Like Nagoya, Matthew Wright and the Kyoto Hannaryz held off a late surge by the Akita Northern Happinets for a 75-70 win at the Kyoto City Gymnasium.

Already ahead by 18 points, 64-46, in the early goings of the fourth quarter, Kyoto saw its double-digit lead trimmed to just 4, 70-66, with 1:42 remaining on the game clock.

Luckily for the Hannaryz, the lead that they built early on was simply too much for the Northern Happinets to conquer in the endgame as they hiked their record to 19-34.

Wright breached twin digits in scoring for the seventh straight contest, finishing with a team-high 17 points, along with 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

Over at the Toyohashi City Gymnasium, Thirdy Ravena delivered when it mattered the most as the San-En NeoPhoenix gutted out an 87-84 overtime victory over the Yokohama B-Corsairs. 

After missing the potential game-winning triple for San-En in regulation, Ravena came alive and fired 7 of his 12 points in the extra period, including a tough layup with 1:25 to go, which ultimately sealed the deal for the NeoPhoenix. 

Ravena also tallied 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals as San-En snapped its six-game losing streak to improve to a 20-33 card.

Other results

Division 1

Ryukyu Golden Kings def. Shiga Lakes, 89-81 (Carl Tamayo – 2 turnovers, 3:08 minutes; Kiefer Ravena – 12 points, 5-of-9 field goals, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, 30:18 minutes)

Chiba Jets def. Levanga Hokkaido, 80-54 (Dwight Ramos – 9 points, 3-of-9 field goals, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 26:01 minutes)

Toyama Grouses def. Shinshu Brave Warriors, 102-96 (Matt Aquino – 3 points, 1-of-4 field goals, 1 block, 17:37 minutes)

Division 2

Nagasaki Velca def. Aomori Wat’s, 99-78 (Jordan Heading – 10 points, 4-of-9 field goals, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 26:03 minutes)

Bambitious Nara def. Kagawa Five Arrows, 102-70 (Roosevelt Adams – 13 points, 5-of-12 field goals, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 24:16 minutes)

– Rappler.com