By Adrian Stewart Co
Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III had a better showing but his team San-En NeoPhoenix suffered an 84-72 defeat to Hiroshima Dragonflies in the 2021-2022 Japan B.League season yesterday at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall.
The Iloilo City-native Ravena finished with 12 points but had another rough shooting as he just made five of his 14 attempts while also connecting one of his four free throws. He also had two rebounds and two steals.
The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles star only had seven markers, three rebounds and one assists when the NeoPhoenix were defeated by the Dragonflies on Saturday evening, 76-67.
Despite Ravena’s struggles yesterday, the NeoPhoenix still managed to build a 23-16 in the opening period and was able to hang on to a 38-36 halftime lead. The Dragonflies turned things around in the third canto to snatch a 60-55 advantage.
The Dragonflies went on to widen the lead to 70-55 via a 10-0 start in the fourth quarter. The NeoPhoenix made its last push to trim the deficit to 68-73 but three-pointers by the Dragonflies sealed the win for them.
Naoto Tsuji finished the match with 28 points, including five three-point conversions, while Ryo Terashima added 18 markers as the Dragonflies improved to 5-1. Elias Harris led the way with 19 points as the NeoPhoenix dropped to 2-4.
Meanwhile, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. had another solid outing as the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins scored a repeat over the Dwight Ramos-led Toyama Grouses, 99-74, at the Toyama City Gymnasium.
Parks – a three-time ASEAN Basketball League MVP – had his best game for Nagoya as he finished with a game-high 17 points with seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Ramos, who was in his second game with the Grouses, struggled with his offense anew as he finished with nine points, on 4-of-12 shooting, to go with four rebounds and three assists.
On Saturday night, Parks had 15 points when the Diamond Dolphins defeated Grousers, 94-68. This is Nagoya’s second straight win to rise to an even 3-3 while dropping Toyama to 0-6./ASC, WDJ