MANILA – Ilonggo Kiefer Ravena had an efficient offensive game as Shiga Lakes scored a 67-61 victory over Iwahe Big Bulls in the Japan B.League Division 2 on Wednesday night at the Morioka Takaya Arena.
The former NLEX Road Warriors guard finished with 14 points, including three outside conversions, to go with three assists, two rebounds, two blocks, and one steal for the Lakes.
Brock Motum finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while Justin Burrell finished with 10 points and nine rebounds as the Lakes improved to a 17-7 record.
“The best thing is that we were able to win today. Especially in the first half, we played with anger and I think that gave us the passion to win,” Lakes head coach David Gomez said in a post-game interview.
“They played defense quickly and were committed to playing basketball as a team. I’m glad we were able to react to the defense thrown at us by Iwahe and secure this victory,” he added.
Martin Krampelj top-scored for the Big Bulls with 18 points, while Eric Thompson ended with a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds. They, however, dropped to a 5-18 record.
Kiefer’s younger brother, Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III, was not as fortunate as San-en NeoPhoenix suffered a 94-87 defeat to Seahorses Mikawa in Division 1 action at the Wing Arena Kariya.
The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles standout made another start for the NeoPhoenix as he tallied 14 points and three rebounds in almost 29 minutes of action.
Davante Gardner led the way for Mikawa with 35 points, Jake Layman and Yoshiaki Kubota chipped in 14 markers apiece, while Ryogo Sumino contributed 11 points as they improved to 14-8.
Coty Clarke tallied 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, Kosuke Kanamaru added 12 points, while David Dudzinski and Ryusei Sasaki had 11 and 10, respectively, as the NeoPhoenix dropped to 18-4./PN
