By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Ilonggo Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III continued his fine play for the San-en NeoPhoenix as they defeated the Fighting Eagles Nagoya, 89-80, in the Japan B.League Division 1 at the Toyohashi City Gymnasium.

The former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles stalwart finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and one assist as the NeoPhoenix recorded its fifth straight win for a 6-1 slate.

Coty Clarke and Ryusei Sasaki spearheaded the offense for the streaking NeoPhoenix with 19 markers apiece, while Yante Maten came off the bench to contribute 13 markers in the victory.

Sean O’mara posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Jeremy Jones and Aaron Henry added 13 markers apiece, while Ryuji Mitsuo contributed 10 points as the Fighting Eagles dropped to 4-3.

Thirdy’s elder brother, Kiefer Ravena, had a respectable output in a limited number of minutes, as the Shiga Lakes bounced back with a 92-51 domination of the Iwate Big Bulls in Division 2 action at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena.

The former NLEX Road Warriors guard played for 13 minutes only and finished with eight points to go with five assists, two rebounds and a steal as the Lakes improved to 4-3 in the standings.

Ryan Kriener had a near double-double of 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Lakes. Brock Motum added 12 markers, while Kazuki Miyamoto and Daichi Nomoto ended up with 11 points each.

Harumichi Ishikawa tallied 14 points, including four three-point conversions. Kelvin Martin had 10 points and eight rebounds as the Big Bulls suffered their sixth defeat.

Meanwhile, Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. was limited offensively in his off-the-bench role, as the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins stretched their unbeaten run to seven games with a 93-89 beating of the Hiroshima Dragonflies (2-5).

The former TNT Tropang Giga forward posted eight points, three assists and a rebound in almost 23 minutes of action for the Diamond Dolphins, while Kai Sotto remained sidelined for the Dragonflies due to a back injury./ASC, WDJ