MANILA – Kiefer Ravena and Shiga Lakes recorded their second straight win in Japan B.League Division 2 after a 78-70 beating of Bambitious Nara on Saturday at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena.
The Iloilo City-native guard bounced back from a subpar showing the past few games as he finished with 14 points, six assists, and three rebounds in 24 minutes of action for the Lakes.
Brock Motum drilled four three-point conversions to end up with a team-high 23 points, while Ryan Kriener backed him up offensively with 19 markers for the Lakes, which improved to a 38-13 record.
“I think we were better in terms of energy, especially in the third quarter and I feel that the reason we won was because we were able to defend against the opponent’s foreign players,” said Lakes head coach Danny Gomez.
Eiji Hayashi top-scored for Nara with 21 points, Cameron Jackson added 21 markers and five rebounds, and Shaquille Hines finished with 12 points as they dropped to 20-33.
Kiefer’s younger brother, Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III, struggled with just three points on 1-of-8 shooting as the San-En NeoPhoenix bowed to the Sendai 89ers, 82-75, at the Xebio Arena Sendai.
Meanwhile, Kai Sotto’s career game was not enough as Yokohama B-Corsairs suffered an 81-75 defeat to Alvark Tokyo in Division 1 action at the Yokohama International Pool.
The 7-foot-3 center finished with a career-high of 28 points to go with six rebounds and one assist as the B-Corsairs dropped to 21-26 after suffering their second consecutive defeat.
“My coach and my teammates believed in me, and that trust made me want to leave a mark, so I was conscious of giving my 100 percent while on the court,” Sotto said.
“Alvark Tokyo is a very good team and has played physically with some very good players. But, their edge against us in this game is their rebounding, so we have to fix that,” he added./PN
