B3 League Round 51: Kagoshima is defeated by Saitama

The teams have now bigger motivation at this stage of Regular Season. Every game can be crucial and decide about teams' position at the end of Regular Season. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The game between third ranked Kagoshima (31-10) and ninth ranked Saitama (22-16) was the most important one in the last round on Sunday night. Kagoshima was defeated by Saitama in a tough game in Saitama 80-87. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Kagoshima. They outrebounded Kagoshima 47-34 including a 18-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. Americans were the main players on the court. It was a great evening for center Will Creekmore (205-1989, college: Missouri St.) who led his team to a victory scoring 39 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Power forward Ryan Watkins (206-1991, college: Boise St., agency: Slash Sports) helped adding 10 points and 11 rebounds. The best for the losing side was swingman Anthony Gaines Jr (195-1993, college: LCU) with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Saitama moved-up to eighth place. Kagoshima at the other side keeps the third position with ten games lost. Saitama will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Kagoshima will play on the road against Yamaguchi and is hoping to win this game.
The game between Top Four teams took place in Chiba. Second-best host Chiba (31-6) lost to first ranked Nagasaki (38-4) 81-72. It was an exceptional evening for American forward Matt Bonds (196-1995, college: St.Michael's, agency: Duran International) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 21 rebounds. Javier Carter accounted for 19 points and 9 rebounds. Nagasaki's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American power forward Evan Ravenel (204-1989, college: Ohio St.) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 15 rebounds for Chiba in the defeat. Newly promoted Nagasaki maintains first place with 38-4 record. Chiba at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the second position with six games lost. Nagasaki will play against Aisin AW (#5) in Aichi in the next round. Chiba will play on the road against Okayama and hopes to get back on the winning track.
The game in Iwate was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked Shizuoka (30-9) played at the court of 6th ranked Iwate (26-17). Shizuoka did not have too big problems and got a relatively easy victory 77-58 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was Muusa Dama who had a double-double by scoring 22 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). At the other side the best for losing team was Terrance King who recorded a double-double by scoring 18 points and 13 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Shizuoka have an impressive series of twelve victories in a row. They maintain fourth place with 30-9 record. Iwate lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with 17 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.

In the last two games of round 51 bottom-ranked Kanazawa was destroyed by Aisin AW on the opponent's court 95-68. Yamaguchi unfortunately lost to Okayama in a home game 90-100.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 23 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals by Chukwudiebere Maduabum of Okayama.

Aisin AW - Kanazawa 95-68

Very expected game in Aichi where 15th ranked Kanazawa (1-43) was crushed by fifth ranked Aisin AW (29-15) 95-68 on Sunday. Aisin AW dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Kanazawa's 30. Aisin AW forced 21 Kanazawa turnovers. The best player for the winners was American center Nigel Spikes (208-1989, college: Marshall) who had a double-double by scoring 20 points and 16 rebounds. His fellow American import forward Jordan Faison (201-1994, college: CPP) chipped in 11 points and 5 assists. Four Aisin AW players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was power forward Blake Aoki (202-1993) who recorded 16 points and 8 rebounds and point guard Harumichi Ishikawa (170-1999) added 14 points and 7 rebounds respectively. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Aisin AW have an impressive series of five victories in a row. They maintain fifth place with 29-15 record. Kanazawa lost thirteenth consecutive game. They stay dead last with 43 lost games. Aisin AW will meet league's leader Nagasaki on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Kanazawa will play against Toyoda (#13) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kanazawa: B.Aoki 16+8reb+2ast, I.Harumichi 14+7reb+2ast, O.Yugo 9+2reb+2ast, K.Takuto 7+3reb+1ast, K.Tomoki 6+1reb, T.Shodai 6+5reb+1ast
Aisin AW: N.Spikes 20+16reb+2ast, F.Shunsuke 14, K.Kenshin 13+2reb+2ast, M.Ko 11+3reb, J.Faison 11+4reb+5ast, R.Takahashi 7+1reb+2ast

Saitama - Kagoshima 87-80

The game between third ranked Kagoshima (31-10) and ninth ranked Saitama (22-16) was the most important one in the last round on Sunday night. Kagoshima was defeated by Saitama in a tough game in Saitama 80-87. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Kagoshima. They outrebounded Kagoshima 47-34 including a 18-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. Americans were the main players on the court. It was a great evening for center Will Creekmore (205-1989, college: Missouri St.) who led his team to a victory scoring 39 points (!!!), 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Power forward Ryan Watkins (206-1991, college: Boise St., agency: Slash Sports) helped adding 10 points and 11 rebounds. The best for the losing side was swingman Anthony Gaines Jr (195-1993, college: LCU) with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds and forward Christian Cunningham (201-1997, college: JSU) produced a double-double by scoring 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Kagoshima players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Saitama moved-up to eighth place. Kagoshima at the other side keeps the third position with ten games lost. Saitama will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Kagoshima will play on the road against Yamaguchi and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Kagoshima: A.Gaines Jr. 23+11reb+3ast, C.Cunningham 19+12reb+4ast, S.Muto 12+2reb+3ast, K.Takahashi 10+1reb+5ast, H.Fujita 9+1reb+1ast, H.Aruma 7+1reb
Saitama: W.Creekmore 39+8reb+5ast, R.Watkins 10+11reb+3ast, N.Ren 9+5reb+3ast, M.Okamoto 7+3reb+3ast, K.Nakano 6+2reb, K.Shinkawa 5+7reb+2ast

Chiba - Nagasaki 72-81

The game between Top Four teams took place in Chiba. Second-best host Chiba (31-6) lost to first ranked Nagasaki (38-4) 81-72. They made 23-of-30 charity shots (76.7 percent) during the game. Chiba was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. It was an exceptional evening for American forward Matt Bonds (196-1995, college: St.Michael's, agency: Duran International) who led the winners with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 21 rebounds. American-Panamanian center Javier Carter (203-1991, college: USA, agency: Slash Sports) accounted for 19 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side. Four Nagasaki players scored in double figures. Nagasaki's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American power forward Evan Ravenel (204-1989, college: Ohio St.) came up with a double-double by scoring 19 points and 15 rebounds and the other American import forward Kevin Kotzur (203-1989, college: St.Mary's, TX) added 16 points and 10 rebounds respectively for Chiba in the defeat. Newly promoted Nagasaki maintains first place with 38-4 record. Chiba at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the second position with six games lost. Nagasaki will play against Aisin AW (#5) in Aichi in the next round. Chiba will play on the road against Okayama and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Chiba: E.Ravenel 19+15reb+2ast, K.Kotzur 16+10reb+3ast, Y.Okada 10+2reb, Y.Otsuka 7+1reb+1ast, Y.Reo 6+3reb+4ast, A.Hikaru 4+3reb+2ast
Nagasaki: M.Bonds 23+21reb+1ast, J.Carter 19+9reb+1ast, T.Dickson 11+1reb+1ast, K.Matsumoto 10+1reb+3ast, K.Ryota 5, E.Yamamoto 5+1reb+1ast

Iwate - Shizuoka 58-77

The game in Iwate was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked Shizuoka (30-9) played at the court of 6th ranked Iwate (26-17). Shizuoka did not have too big problems and got a relatively easy victory 77-58 on Sunday. Shizuoka dominated down low during the game scoring 42 of its points in the paint compared to Iwate's 20. Shizuoka had a 29-18 advantage in offensive rebounds. The best player for the winners was Beninese power forward Muusa Dama (207-1996, college: EIU, agency: Blacktop Management) who had a double-double by scoring 22 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field). American center Ryan Stephan (208-1994, college: CMU) chipped in 16 points and 5 rebounds. Four Shizuoka players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Terrance King (198-1990, college: ESU) who recorded a double-double by scoring 18 points and 13 rebounds and guard Keisuke Takabatake (183-1990) added 16 points respectively. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Shizuoka have an impressive series of twelve victories in a row. They maintain fourth place with 30-9 record. Iwate lost fifth consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with 17 games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Iwate: T.King 18+13reb+1ast, K.Takabatake 16+2reb+1ast, Y.Toshiki 11+3reb+2ast, R.Ito 8+3reb+4ast, T.Nihira 5+2reb, A.Osawa 0+1ast
Shizuoka: M.Dama 22+12reb+5ast, R.Stephan 16+5reb, Y.Kentaro 11+3reb+2ast, A.Elsener 10+5reb+4ast, F.Yohei 9+1reb, K.Murakoshi 4+1reb+2ast

Yamaguchi - Okayama 90-100

Very predictable result when seventh ranked Okayama (26-11) defeated on the road 12th ranked Yamaguchi (11-35) 100-90 on Sunday. Okayama made 17-of-19 free shots (89.5 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. The best player for the winners was Nigerian forward Chukwudiebere Maduabum (206-1991) who had a double-double by scoring 23 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. American forward Jeffrey Parmer (203-1985, college: FAU) chipped in 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Robert Sampson (203-1992, college: Georgia Tech) who recorded a double-double by scoring 16 points and 14 rebounds and guard Doi Hikaru (189-1998) added 27 points respectively. Four Yamaguchi players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the sixth consecutive win for Okayama. They moved-up to sixth place. Yamaguchi lost their fifteenth game in a row. Newly promoted team keeps the twelfth position with 35 games lost. Okayama will meet at home league's second-placed Chiba in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Yamaguchi will play against Kagoshima (#3) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Yamaguchi: H.Doi 27+2reb+3ast, N.Shin 18+4reb+2ast, R.Sampson 16+14reb+2ast, Y.Ide 14+3reb+6ast, R.Yamaguchi 5+5reb+5ast, T.Konosuke 4+3ast
Okayama: J.Parmer 26+6reb+4ast, C.Maduabum 23+13reb+4ast, M.Yusuke 12+3reb+2ast, T.Kawamitsu 7+1reb, H.Cort 7+2reb+1ast, M.Higuchi 7+6reb+3ast



Tags : WILL CREEKMORE, SAITAMA BRONCOS, JAPANESE BASKETBALL