MANILA – Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III delivered another solid offensive game as the San-en NeoPhoenix repeated over the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, 80-74, in Japan B.League Division 1 over the weekend at the Dolphins Arena.
The Gilas Pilipinas mainstay finished with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting to go with seven assists, three rebounds, and a steal as the NeoPhoenix improved to 24-4 in the standings.
Yante Maten led the way with 18 points, David Dudzinski added 13 markers, and Kosuke Kanamaru contributed 11 markers for the NeoPhoenix, which also defeated the Diamond Dolphins last Saturday, 92-79.
“It was really good that we were able to make solid adjustments on defense and use our offense to our advantage,” Ravena said. “Even though we were without a point guard, I think it was a game where each player played the role of the missing player.”
“I think all the players did a good job overall, with each player controlling the characteristics of their shooters. I also believe that our defense, which was able to restrict the opponent’s strengths, led to our victory,” he added.
Scott Easterthon finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds; former PBA import Joshua Smith added 13 markers and 11 boards; and Robert Franks contributed 11 markers for the Diamond Dolphins.
Bobby Ray Parks Jr. managed just two points on 1-of-8 field goal shooting to go with four rebounds, two assists, and a steal for the Diamond Dolphins, which dropped to 16-12.
Meanwhile, Carl Tamayo got much longer playing time as the Ryukyu Golden Kings scored a lopsided 88-65 victory over the Fighting Eagles Nagoya at the Nagoya City Sports Center.
The former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons forward delivered nine points on 4-of-5 shooting to go with one rebound in seven minutes as the Golden Kings moved up to 20-8.
Jack Cooley posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the defending champion Golden Kings, while Ryuichi Kishimoto, Keishi Matswaki, and Keita Imamura added 12 markers apiece./PN
