Filipino imports in the Japan B.League capped 2023 with a bang, powering their respective teams to victory on New Year’s Eve.
Thirdy Ravena had another stellar performance to help the Central Conference-leading San-En NeoPhoenix to a thrilling, 96-94, Division I road game escape over the Chiba Jets at the Funabashi Arena.
He filled the statistics box with 11 points from 5-of-10 field goal shooting and dished out six assists with three rounds and two steals as the NeoPhoenix extended their winning streak to four.
San-En hiked its win-loss record to 22-4.
Yate Maten executed the NeoPhoenix’s biggest play of the match, sinking the game-winning putback after Coty Clarke missed a jumper with 0.9 seconds left that shattered a 94-94 deadlock.
Clark led all scorers with 32 points, pulled down five rebounds and had three steals and two assists while Maten had a double-double of 13 markers and 12 boards for San-En.
The Jets suffered their second straight defeat for a 13-13 slate at fourth spot in the East Conference.
Carl Tamayo and Dwight Ramos also closed the year on a winning note.
Tamayo only played 11 minutes but still made significant contributions in the Ryukyu Golden Kings’ 84-69 blowout of the Sendai 89ers at the Okinawa Arena.
The former University of the Philippines standout had nine points for the defending champions, who scored back-to-back wins for a 19-6 record on top of the Western Conference.
Ramos, who joined the league’s 1,000-point club the night before, had a quiet night after finishing seven points despite over 23 minutes of action as the Levanga Hokkaido beat the Toyama Grouses, 88-81, in a homestand at the Hokkai Kitaeru.
Hokkaido improved to an 8-18 slate after winning its third in a row.
On the other hand, Kai Sotto and the Yokohama B-Corsairs suffered a 72-89 beating at the hands of Mikawa Seahorses to slide down to an 11-15 card.
