MANILA, Philippines – After a stellar run with Gilas Pilipinas in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Kai Sotto showed no signs of slowing down as he delivered a pair of high-scoring performances for the Koshigaya Alphas in the Japan B. League this past weekend.
In Koshigaya’s first game back following the B. League’s three-week FIBA break last Saturday, November 30, Sotto shot a near-perfect 7-of-8 clip from the field to finish with 20 points, along with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in a tight 94-90 loss to the Fighting Eagles Nagoya.
Looking to avoid a weekend sweep at the hands of Nagoya, Sotto then erupted for a team-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block as Koshigaya scored a convincing 101-71 payback win on Sunday, December 1.
Prior to his back-to-back scoring explosions for Koshigaya, Sotto made waves for Gilas Pilipinas in its two-game homestand at the Mall of Asia Arena late in November, averaging a double-double of 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds to help the Asia Cup-bound Filipinos take down New Zealand and Hong Kong to stay undefeated in Group B with a 4-0 card.
Like Sotto, Gilas Pilipinas hotshot Dwight Ramos announced his return to the B. League in style as he went off for a team-best 21 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in the Levanga Hokkaido’s 84-65 loss to the Hiroshima Dragonflies on Saturday.
Ramos – who sat out the Philippines’ 93-54 rout of Hong Kong last November 24 due to a minor calf injury – followed up his 21-point showing with 9 markers, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal in another 87-74 setback to the same opponents the next day.
Former Gilas Pilipinas guard Ray Parks likewise made his presence felt for his B1 squad Osaka Evessa over the weekend.
After falling one point short of a double-double with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal in Osaka’s 82-77 win over the Ibaraki Robots on Saturday, Parks sizzled for 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists on Sunday as the Evessa repeated with a 74-71 victory.
Elsewhere, both Matthew Wright’s Kawasaki Brave Thunders and Kiefer Ravena’s Yokohama B-Corsairs suffered twin blowout losses.
Wright had 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in Kawasaki’s 88-66 Saturday loss to the Alvark Tokyo, before putting up 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the Brave Thunders’ 80-62 defeat on Sunday.
Ravena, for his part, tallied 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in Yokohama’s 84-67 beating at the hands of the Seahorses Mikawa on Saturday, before coming up with 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assist, and 1 steal in an 83-65 setback the following day.
After once again missing Gilas Pilipinas’ recent campaign due to a knee injury, AJ Edu suited up for his B1 club Nagasaki Velca on Sunday, but was held to just 2 points on 1-of-2 shooting, 2 rebounds, and 1 block as they proved no match for the Saga Ballooners, 80-51.
The B. League recently announced that Sotto, Ramos, Parks, Wright, Ravena, and Edu will all take part in the B. League Asia Rising Star Game in January.
They will join forces with other Asian Quota Imports in the B. League Asia All-Stars squad as they face off with the B. League Rising Stars.
Last season, the Asia All-Stars emerged victorious against the Rising Stars, 127-115, with Gilas Pilipinas forward and former Ryukyu Golden Kings Asian import Carl Tamayo showing the way with 18 points. – Rappler.com
