Kiefer Ravena’s late explosion not enough as Shiga falls to Chiba

Kiefer Ravena and the Shiga Lakestars absorbed their second straight loss as they fell to the defending champion Chiba Jets, 99-88, in the Japan B. League on Saturday, November 6 at the Funabashi Arena.

In a highly anticipated matchup against top Japanese point guard Yuki Togashi, Ravena finished with a game-high 9 assists, along with 14 points and 2 steals in the losing effort as the Lakestars dropped to 6-4 in the standings.

On the other hand, Togashi, the 2018-2019 B. League MVP, came up with 10 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds as the Jets improved their record to 7-3.

Leading by 1, 25-24, at the end of the opening period, Ravena and the Lakestars failed to sustain their momentum as they were outscored by the Jets in the second quarter, 30-20, for a 54-45 lead at halftime.

With the Jets leading by as many as 14, 79-65, at the start of the fourth quarter, Ravena’s offense came alive, scoring 9 of his 14 points in the opening minutes of the final frame to help the Lakestars cut the deficit to just 5, 89-84, with 3:51 left to play in the game.

However, the Jets went on another furious 10-2 run to put their lead back to 13 with less than a minute remaining, 99-86, which put the Lakestars away for good.

Christopher Smith led the way for the Jets with 26 points, while John Mooney put up a huge double-double of 15 points and 17 rebounds in the win.

Ovie Soko topscored for the Lakestars with 28 points to go with 8 rebounds, while Sean O’mara chipped in 17 markers and 12 boards.

Ravena and the Lakestars will look to bounce back against the Jets as they tangle once again on Sunday, November 7 at 2:05 pm, Manila time. 

The Scores

Chiba 99 – Smith 26, Mooney 15, Sato 15, Edwards 14, Duncan 11, Togashi 10, Nishimura 3, Fujinaga 3, Hara 2, Akaho 0, Rashid 0.

Shiga 88 – Soko 28, O’mara 17, Ravena 14, Hayashi 8, Shibuta 7, Gadson 5, Moriyama 5, Nomoto 4, Kashiwagura 0, Ozawa 0, Kawamata 0.

Quarters: 25-24, 54-45, 79-65, 99-88.

– Rappler.com