B2 League Round 54: Kumamoto V. edge Bambitious N. by three points

The Regular Season in B2 League is slowly approaching the end. But there may be still some important changes in the final standings in the last 4 rounds. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Sixth-ranked Bambitious N. (16-40) made lots of trouble for third ranked Kumamoto V. (33-23) on Sunday. Kumamoto V. managed to secure only three-point victory 67-64. However their fans expected easier game. The best player for the winners was American center Jamel McLean (202-1988, college: Xavier) who scored 14 points and 7 rebounds. The former international point guard Ryo Tawatari (180-1993, college: Dominican, CA) chipped in 14 points. At the other side the best for losing team was American-Portuguese Jeremiah Wilson (205-1988, college: Tarleton St.) who recorded 8 points and 15 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Kumamoto V. maintains third position with 33-23 record having nine points less than leader Chiba. Bambitious N. lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the sixth place with 40 games lost. Kumamoto V. are looking forward to face league's leader Saga B. at home in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Bambitious N. will play against Kagawa FA (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Hyogo. First ranked Chiba faced 3rd ranked Nishinomiya S.. Guests from Chiba (44-12) defeated host Nishinomiya S. (27-29) 88-81. It was a good game for American Brandon Ashley (206-1994, college: Arizona) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 14 rebounds. Leo Lyons contributed with 15 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. American forward Trey Porter (208-1996, college: Nevada) replied with a double-double by scoring 22 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) for Nishinomiya S.Nishinomiya S.'s coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Chiba have an impressive five-game winning streak. Newly promoted Chiba maintains first position with 44-12 record. Nishinomiya S. at the other side keeps the third place with 29 games lost. They share the position with Fukushima. Chiba will play against Fukushima (#3) on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Nishinomiya S. will play against Tokyo Z and hopes to get back on the winning track.
The game in Takamatsu supposed to be also quite interesting. Sixth ranked Yamagata (24-32) played at the court of 7th ranked Kagawa FA (15-41). Yamagata smashed Kagawa FA 89-68 on Sunday. Thomas Welsh had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 18 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners. The best for the losing side was Kyle Richardson with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Yamagata maintains sixth position with 24-32 record. Kagawa FA lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 41 games lost. Yamagata will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Kagawa FA will play against Bambitious N. (#6) in Nara and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

In the last two games of round 54 Tokyo Z was defeated by Aomori W. in a road game 84-66. Nagasaki beat Fukuoka R. at home 101-91.

Aomori W. - Tokyo Z 84-66

There was no surprise when 7th ranked Tokyo Z (14-42) was defeated on the road by fifth ranked Aomori W. (25-31) 84-66 on Sunday. Aomori W. looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. Point guard Yuichi Ikeda (183-1997) scored 19 points and 7 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American power forward EJ Montgomery (208-1999, college: Kentucky) chipped in 21 points and 6 rebounds during the contest. Four Aomori W. players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was point guard Tsubasa Kurihara (180-1997) with 22 points and American center David Simon (208-1982, college: PFW) scored 14 points and 4 assists. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Aomori W. moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Ehime OV. Loser Tokyo Z keeps the seventh position with 42 games lost. Aomori W. will meet at home league's second-placed Nagasaki in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Tokyo Z will play against Nishinomiya S. (#4) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Aomori W.: E.Montgomery 21+6reb+2ast, I.Yuichi 19+4reb+7ast, A.Davis 14+4reb+2ast, K.Tsuneta 11+1reb+4ast, M.Fukuda 4+2reb+1ast, A.Uchida 4+3reb+1ast
Tokyo Z: K.Tsubasa 22+1reb+3ast, D.Simon 14+4reb+4ast, Y.Ide 9+1reb+3ast, R.Buckner 8+13reb, I.Lane 4+6reb, K.Kimura 3+4reb+3ast

Kagawa FA - Yamagata 68-89

The game in Takamatsu supposed to be also quite interesting. Sixth ranked Yamagata (24-32) played at the court of 7th ranked Kagawa FA (15-41). Yamagata smashed Kagawa FA 89-68 on Sunday. Yamagata looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Yamagata made 7 blocks. American center Thomas Welsh (213-1996, college: UCLA, agency: Pensack Sports) had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 18 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import James Bell (196-1992, college: Villanova, agency: Slash Sports) chipped in 21 points and 9 rebounds during the contest. Four Yamagata players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American Kyle Richardson (200-1991, college: Portland St.) with a double-double by scoring 24 points and 10 rebounds and Australian forward Rhys Vague (206-1996) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Yamagata maintains sixth position with 24-32 record. Kagawa FA lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 41 games lost. Yamagata will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Kagawa FA will play against Bambitious N. (#6) in Nara and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Yamagata: T.Welsh 25+18reb+1ast, J.Bell 21+9reb+3ast, J.Carter 16+8reb+2ast, J.Maniwa 10+2reb+2ast, T.Tahara 9+2reb+3ast, S.Murakami 6+1reb+3ast
Kagawa FA: K.Richardson 24+10reb+2ast, R.Vague 12+12reb+8ast, U.Junki 7+2reb+3ast, R.Adams 7+3reb, T.Tsukuba 5+1reb+1ast, I.Ryo 4+2reb

Nagasaki - Fukuoka R. 101-91

No shocking result in a game when second ranked Nagasaki (40-16) defeated at home 5th ranked Fukuoka R. (17-39) 101-91 on Sunday. Nagasaki made 20-of-24 free shots (83.3 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. American forward Jeffrey Gibbs (188-1980, college: Otterbein) had a double-double by scoring 32 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Spanish Pablo Aguilar (203-1989, agency: Octagon Europe) chipped in 22 points and 11 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American center Stephen Zimmerman (211-1996, college: UNLV) with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and his fellow American import forward Kevin Kotzur (203-1989, college: St.Mary's, TX, agency: Green Sports Management) scored 13 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Nagasaki and five Fukuoka R. players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Nagasaki have an impressive six-game winning streak. Newly promoted Nagasaki maintains second position with 40-16 record having just two points less than leader Chiba. Loser Fukuoka R. keeps the fifth place with 39 games lost. Nagasaki will meet Aomori W. (#5) on the road in the next round. Fukuoka R. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Nagasaki: J.Gibbs 32+14reb+7ast, P.Aguilar 22+11reb+1ast, J.Heading 17+4reb+5ast, M.Karimata 14+2reb+9ast, E.Takuma 8+2ast, D.Noguchi 6+2reb
Fukuoka R.: S.Zimmerman 22+9reb+5ast, S.Nakata 14+4ast, K.Kotzur 13+9reb+4ast, J.Glynn 10+7reb+2ast, J.Honda 10+1reb+1ast, Y.Nagayoshi 8

Kumamoto V. - Bambitious N. 67-64

Sixth-ranked Bambitious N. (16-40) made lots of trouble for third ranked Kumamoto V. (33-23) on Sunday. Kumamoto V. managed to secure only three-point victory 67-64. However their fans expected easier game. The best player for the winners was American center Jamel McLean (202-1988, college: Xavier) who scored 14 points and 7 rebounds. The former international point guard Ryo Tawatari (180-1993, college: Dominican, CA) chipped in 14 points. At the other side the best for losing team was American-Portuguese Jeremiah Wilson (205-1988, college: Tarleton St.) who recorded 8 points and 15 rebounds and American guard Christian James (194-1996, college: Oklahoma) added 14 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Kumamoto V. maintains third position with 33-23 record having nine points less than leader Chiba. Bambitious N. lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the sixth place with 40 games lost. Kumamoto V. are looking forward to face league's leader Saga B. at home in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Bambitious N. will play against Kagawa FA (#7) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kumamoto V.: R.Tawatari 14+2reb+3ast, J.McLean 14+7reb+3ast, C.Sow 10+6reb, H.Taniguchi 8+3reb, B.Lawson 6+5reb, N.Ren 4+3reb+3ast
Bambitious N.: N.Uto 15+1reb+5ast, C.James 14+7reb+2ast, J.Wilson 8+15reb, C.Mbodj 7+4reb, S.Fujitaka 6+6reb, T.Komoda 6+1reb

Nishinomiya S. - Chiba 81-88

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Hyogo. First ranked Chiba faced 3rd ranked Nishinomiya S.. Guests from Chiba (44-12) defeated host Nishinomiya S. (27-29) 88-81. It was a good game for American Brandon Ashley (206-1994, college: Arizona) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 28 points and 14 rebounds. The other American import forward Leo Lyons (206-1987, college: Missouri) contributed with 15 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. American forward Trey Porter (208-1996, college: Nevada) replied with a double-double by scoring 22 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field) and Slovenian center Ziga Dimec (210-1993) added 9 points and 10 rebounds in the effort for Nishinomiya S.Nishinomiya S.'s coach rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Chiba have an impressive five-game winning streak. Newly promoted Chiba maintains first position with 44-12 record. Nishinomiya S. at the other side keeps the third place with 29 games lost. They share the position with Fukushima. Chiba will play against Fukushima (#3) on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Nishinomiya S. will play against Tokyo Z and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Chiba: B.Ashley 28+14reb+3ast, L.Lyons 15+5reb+2ast, D.Kobayashi 13+4reb+1ast, T.Kida 11+1reb, K.Sugimoto 9+3reb+3ast, Y.Osaki 5+1reb+3ast
Nishinomiya S.: T.Porter 22+15reb+4ast, T.Yusuke 10+1reb+1ast, K.Ryuya 10+1ast, J.Hamilton 10+4reb+4ast, Z.Dimec 9+10reb+1ast, N.Dohara 9+3reb+3ast



Tags : JAMEL MCLEAN, KUMAMOTO VOLTERS, JAPANESE BASKETBALL