By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III had his solid game went to naught as the San-En NeoPhoenix suffered an 84-74 defeat to Hiroshima Dragonflies in the 2022-2023 Japan B.League Season at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall on Saturday, January 7.

The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles star tallied 22 points, including two triples, to go with four assists, two steals and one rebound as the NeoPhoenix dropped to 12-16.

Former NBA center Kyle O’Quinn chipped in double-double 16 points and 15 rebounds, as Kazuki Hosokawa added 12 points and built on four three-point connections in a losing effort.

Dwayne Evans led the way with 26 points to go with seven rebounds, Kelly Blacksheer, Jr. added 20 markers, while Nick Mayo contributed 14 markers as the Dragonflies improved to 23-5.

Thirdy’s elder brother Kiefer Ravena also had a solid offensive outing, but his squad, Shiga Lakes, slumped to an 84-77 defeat at the hands of Akita Northern Happinets over at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena.

The former NLEX Road Warriors guard tallied 15 points to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals as the Lakes dropped to a 4-22 record. The Northern Happinets improved to 12-14.

Meanwhile, Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. had one of his best games this season went to waste as the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins suffered a close 80-79 defeat to Utsunomiya Brex at the Brex Arena Utsunomiya on Saturday.

Down 75-79 with less than a minute left, the Diamond Dolphins tied the score at 79-all on back-to-back layups by Taito Nakahigashi and Scott Eatherton with 12 seconds left in the game.

However, the Brex got a break as Makoto Hiejima drew a foul and split his free throws for an 80-79 lead with a second left. Nagoya still had a chance to win it but Takumi Saito turned the ball over.

Parks finished the game with 14 points and four rebounds, Eathertomn top-scored with 17 points to go with 11 rebounds, while Saito had double-double 16 points and 11 assists as the Diamond Dolphins dropped to 19-7./ASC, WDJ