Hiroshima center Kai Sotto. (c) B.LEAGUE
Kai Sotto had another solid game to help the Hiroshima Dragonflies overpower the Kyoto Hannaryz, 92-76, in the 2022-23 season of the B.League on Saturday at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall.
Sotto contributed 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting along with six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a 23-minute stint. The Dragonflies were led by Kerry Blackshear Jr. with 19 point and seven boards.
It was the third win in a row for Hiroshima, which improved to 34-12 to beef up their playoff hopes.
Kyoto's Fil-Canadian guard, Matthew Wright, was limited to seven points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field. The Hannaryz lost a seventh straight game and dropped to 16-30 in the season.
Meanwhile, Kiefer Ravena and the Shiga Lakes continued their late-season resurgence, this time pulling off a 102-95 triumph over the Yokohama B-Corsairs at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena, also on Saturday.
Ravena had 16 points, four assists, and two boards in the win. The Lakes have won four straight games and five of their last six, hiking their record to 10-36.
DeQuan Jones and Ivan Buva each had 23 points to pace the Lakes.
Also triumphant on Saturday were Thirdy Ravena and the San-En NeoPhoenix, as they claimed a 79-73 triumph over the Toyama Grouses at the Toyohashi City Stadium.
A clutch jumper by Morihisa Yamauchi gave San-En a 71-68 lead with under three minutes to go, and Ravena's layup at the 1:19 mark made it 75-69 for the NeoPhoenix. It was his lone field goal of the game but it proved enough to give his team the breathing room they needed against Toyama.
The younger Ravena finished with five points, six rebounds, and four assists in 23 minutes. San-En has now won back-to-back games for a 19-27 slate.
Dwight Ramos scored just four points in Levanga Hokkaido's 92-81 loss to Niigata Albirex BB at the City Hall Plaza Ao-Re Nagaoka. They dropped to 13-33 for the year.
Carl Tamayo was scoreless in two minutes as the Ryukyu Golden Kings fell to the Chiba Jets, 89-85, at the Chiba Port Arena. Ryukyu saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end; they are now 36-10 in the season.
Ray Parks is still on the sidelines for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, which pulled off a 76-72 triumph over the Akita Northern Happinets at the CNA Arena Akita. Nagoya is 33-13, having won six straight games despite dealing with injuries to key players.