MANILA – Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III and the San-en NeoPhoenix scored an 81-79 win over the Akita Northern Happinets in Japan B.League Division 1 over the weekend at the CNA Arena in Akita.
The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles star fell short of a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds as the NeoPhoenix secured its eighth victory in nine outings.
Coty Clarke led the way for the NeoPhoenix with a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Ryusei Sasaki, Kazuki Hosokawa, and Yante Maten contributed 12 markers apiece.
Ryuto Yasuoka tallied 23 points, including five three-point conversions; Ko Kumagai added 16 markers; and Steve Zack had 11 rebounds and nine points for the Northern Happinets (2-7).
Thirdy’s elder brother, Kiefer Ravena, on the other hand, was not as fortunate as the Shiga Lakes (4-5) bowed to Altiri Chiba (8-1) in Division 2 action at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena.
The former NLEX Road Warriors guard tallied 13 points, missing all of his seven three-point attempts, to go with eight assists, five rebounds, and one steal for the Lakes, which suffered its second straight loss.
Meanwhile, Carl Tamayo had a better offensive showing off the bench as the Ryukyu Golden Kings repeated over the Toyama Grouses, 85-59, in Division 1 action at the Okinawa Arena.
The former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons forward posted 10 points to go with five rebounds and one assist as the defending champion Golden Kings improved to a 7-2 win-loss slate.
Former PBA import Allen Durham top-scored for Ryukyu with 19 points and eight rebounds; Alex Kirk and Jack Cooley added 14 markers apiece; and Ryuichi Kishimoto contributed 11 points.
AJ Edu, who recently debuted for the Gilas Pilipinas seniors team, was the lone double-digit scorer for the Grouses with 18 points and eight rebounds as they dropped to a 0-9 slate./PN
