Thirdy Ravena, San-En spoil Kai Sotto’s back-to-back scoring explosions
Thirdy Ravena and the San-En NeoPhoenix survive a huge scoring weekend from Kai Sotto, who exploded for back-to-back 23-point performances for the Yokohama B-Corsairs in the Japan B. League
MANILA, Philippines – Despite being assured of a spot in the playoffs, Thirdy Ravena and the San-En NeoPhoenix showed no signs of slowing down in the Japan B. League as they completed a weekend sweep of Kai Sotto and the Yokohama B-Corsairs with a 99-92 win on Sunday, April 14.
Ravena and the NeoPhoenix survived back-to-back scoring explosions by Sotto, who exploded for 23 points for the B-Corsairs in both their matches this weekend.
On Saturday, April 13, Sotto shot 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line to reach 23 markers, along with 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in Yokohama’s 90-82 loss to San-En.
The 7-foot-3 Filipino big man followed it up with a more efficient showing on Sunday, where he connected on 10 of his 15 attempts and 3 of his 4 free throws, to go with 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.
On the other side, Ravena, who recently hit the 2,000-point mark in the B. League, was limited to only 5 points and 5 rebounds on Saturday, before bouncing back with 17 markers, 7 boards, 4 dimes, and 1 steal on Sunday.
The playoff-bound NeoPhoenix, who were crowned the Central Conference champions last Wednesday, April 10, improved to a 43-10 record, while the B-Corsairs slipped to 22-31.
Interestingly, like Sotto, Matthew Wright also sizzled for two consecutive 23-point performances for the Kyoto Hannaryz (15-38) this weekend.
Wright was on target from beyond the arc all weekend long, knocking down 5 treys in Kyoto’s 101-100 Saturday loss to the Osaka Evessa, before sinking 3 of his 6 from long distance in their 93-83 bounce-back win against the same opponents on Sunday.
Ray Parks also made it rain from three-point land on Saturday as the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins (35-18) defeated the Fighting Eagles Nagoya, 98-87.
Parks cashed in 6 of his 10 attempts from downtown to wind up with a new B. League career-high of 26 points.
He surpassed his previous mark of 23 points, which he set in his first year in the B. League during the 2021-2022 season.
Parks, however, immediately cooled down on Sunday as he was held to just 5 points in the Dolphins’ 84-67 loss. – Rappler.com