MANILA – Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III and San-en NeoPhoenix stretched their Japan B.League Division 1 winning streak with a 93-74 victory over Alvark Tokyo on Saturday night at the Toyohashi City Gymnasium.
The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles standout led the way with 22 points, three assists, and two rebounds as the NeoPhoenix notched its 16th straight win for a 33-4 win-loss slate.
“I think the biggest accomplishment was that we played well on defense and were able to secure a victory,” Ravena said after the game. “It was really good that we played physically, improved our defense, and converted 3-pointers at a high rate.”
“The team’s shooting percentage was good and the overall performance was also good. As we approach the end of the regular season, other teams will also be improving, so we will step up and continue to compete,” he added.
Yante Maten added 16 markers, David Dudzinski and Sota Oura ended with 14 and 12 points, respectively, while Coty Clarke had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds for the NeoPhoenix.
Sebastian Saiz finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, Leonardo Meindl and Arturas Gudaitis added 15 points apiece, while Ryan Rossiter and Kai Toews ended with 11 and 10 as Alvark dropped to 31-7.
In Division 2 action, Kiefer Ravena and Shiga Lakes (26-12) snapped their four-game losing skid with a 100-82 domination of Veltex Shizuoka (16-22) at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena.
The former NLEX Road Warriors guard finished with 15 points, including three three-point conversions, to go with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 25 minutes for the Lakes.
Brock Motum led the way for Shiga with 25 points and nine rebounds, Justin Burrell added 19 markers, while Ryan Kriener finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
John Harrar led Shizuoka with 17 points and six rebounds, Thomas Bropleh and Kenny Lawson Jr. chipped in 14 markers apiece, while Yuzo Okada contributed 10 points in the defeat./PN
