Slumping Kobe Paras, Ray Parks suffer twin blowout losses

Kobe Paras and the Niigata Albirex BB continued their nightmarish skid in the Japan B. League as the defending champion Chiba Jets sent their weekend guests to their 10th straight loss off an 88-62 blowout on Saturday, November 13.

With the win, the Jets bounced back from a one-point loss to Levanga Hokkaido, and rose to 9-4 for the season.

Meanwhile, the Albirex continued their free fall to oblivion with a 2-11 slate after starting the season 2-1. They are now tied with the Ibaraki Robots featuring Javi Gomez de Liaño at the cellar of the East District.

Niigata Pinoy reinforcement Paras bottomed out in his personal scoring slump with just 2 points on a 1-of-4 clip in just 17 minutes, with his first and only field goal coming at the start of the third quarter.

But Paras’ slump was the least of the Albirex’s problems entering the game, as the Jets zoomed ahead with a huge 20-5 run straight off the jump ball, and basically never looked back.

Sure enough, the Chiba lead quickly ballooned to 40-23 at the half, then as high as 28 points in the final 1:45 of regulation, 86-58, off a Takuma Sato triple.

Chiba import John Mooney led the easy win with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double, while local guard Shuta Hara fired off 13 markers on 4-of-5 shooting in just 20 minutes.

Only top Niigata import Rosco Allen breached double-digit scoring in the demoralizing loss with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

The Albirex can still close the weekend on a high note with a streak-busting upset against the defending champs on Sunday, November 14, 2:05pm.

Parks struggles as Nagoya streak ends

Meanwhile, the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins’ short winning streak came to an end as they bowed to the Seahorses Mikawa, 91-79, at the Wing Arena Kariya.

Coming off two straight victories, Ray Parks Jr. failed to make his presence felt in the losing effort as he finished with just 4 points, 5 rebounds, and a plus-minus of -12 for the Diamond Dolphins, who dropped to 7-6 in the standings.

After trailing by only three points, 72-75, with 5:20 remaining in the final frame, Parks and Nagoya failed to keep in step with Mikawa as the latter went on a furious 9-0 run to extend their lead to 84-72 with 3:38 left to play.

The Seahorses then stretched their advantage to as many as 15 points, 91-76, which put the Dolphins away for good with just 2 minutes left in the ball game.

Davante Gardner led the way for Mikawa with an all-around game of 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Jarrod Uthoff added 15 markers and 9 boards.

Scott Eatherton came up with a huge double-double for Nagoya in the losing cause with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Coty Clarke contributed 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

The Dolphins will look to get back on a winning track in the Seahorses rematch on Sunday, 2:05 pm. – Rappler.com