Thirdy, San-En spoil Wright’s 31-point explosion; Parks’ Nagoya sweeps Ramos’ Hokkaido 

MANILA, Philippines – Thirdy Ravena and the San-En NeoPhoenix played the spoiler’s role in Matthew Wright’s career game in the Japan B. League as they defeated the Kyoto Hannaryz, 101-95, on Sunday, October 15.

After scoring just 5 points in Kyoto’s 88-70 loss to the same opponents on Saturday, October 14, Wright bounced back big and erupted for a new B. League career-high of 31 points, surpassing his previous mark of 26 which he set last season.

Wright knocked down seven three-pointers en-route to his 31-point performance, along with 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in the loss.

Interestingly, Thirdy also reset his career-high in the B. League against Wright and the Hannaryz on Saturday as he sizzled for 28 points on 12-of-21 shooting. 

Thirdy, who is now playing in his fourth season with the NeoPhoenix, followed up his 28-point showing with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on Sunday. 

In another Division 1 battle between two Filipino imports, Ray Parks and the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins completed the weekend sweep of Dwight Ramos and the Levanga Hokkaido with a dominant 92-73 win. 

Parks had 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist for Nagoya, while Ramos delivered 14 points on 4-of-8 field goal clip, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals for Hokkaido. 

Despite failing to pick up victories, Division 1 imports AJ Edu and RJ Abarrientos also came up huge for their respective teams on Sunday. 

Edu scored a season-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, on top of 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block for the Toyama Grouses in their 94-83 loss the Nagasaki Velca.

Abarrientos, on the other hand, breached double-digit scoring in the B. League for the first time as he tallied 13 points built on three long bombs, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the Shinshu Brave Warriors’ 86-85 defeat at the hands of the Chiba Jets. 

Meanwhile, Carl Tamayo and the defending Division 1 champion Ryukyu Golden Kings remained undefeated in four outings as they escaped the Sunrockers Shibuya on Sunday, 84-82.

Tamayo made the most of his limited five-minute playing time, producing 5 points on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting, 1 rebound, and 1 assist. 

Over in Division 2, Greg Slaughter and the Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka got the better of Kiefer Ravena and the Shiga Lakes, 84-81.

Slaughter grabbed just 2 rebounds for Fukuoka, while Kiefer racked up 11 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals for Shiga.

Kai Sotto, Robert Bolick, Roosevelt Adams, and Filipino-Japanese center Matt Aquino were all listed as inactive for their respective teams this weekend. – Rappler.com