B2 League Round 47 (Regular Season): Shiga L-Stars defeat Nishinomiya S. in the closest game of the week

There are only two more rounds left in the Regular Season in B2 League. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Fourth-ranked Storks (27-31) gave a tough game to first ranked Lakestars (43-15) in Shiga on Sunday. Lakestars managed to secure only three-point victory 72-69. However their fans expected easier game. Shiga L-Stars had a 33-21 advantage in offensive rebounds. It was a great evening for Australian forward Brock Motum (208-1990, college: WSU, agency: Slash Sports) who led his team to a victory scoring 20 points and 7 rebounds. point guard Teppei Kashiwagura (180-1995) helped adding 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. American forward Trey Porter (210-1996, college: Nevada) responded with 7 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Lakestars have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. Shiga L-Stars maintains first place with 43-15 record. Nishinomiya S. lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourth position with 31 games lost. They share it with Shizuoka. Shiga L-Stars will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Nishinomiya S. will play at home against Kumamoto V. (#3) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Seventh-ranked Orange Vikings (22-36) gave a tough game to fifth ranked Shizuoka (27-31) in Matsuyama. The visitors from Shizuoka managed to secure only three-point victory 80-77. However their fans expected easier game. It was an exceptional evening for Liberian-American guard Thomas Bropleh (196-1991, college: Boise St.) who led the winners and scored 32 points. Kenny Lawson accounted for 13 points and 17 rebounds. American-Filipino forward Eugene Phelps (198-1990, college: LBSU) came up with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds for Ehime in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Shizuoka moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Nishinomiya S. Ehime at the other side keeps the seventh position with 36 games lost. Shizuoka will play against league's second-placed Fukuoka R. on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Ehime will play against Bambitious (#6) in Nara and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Very important is a home loss of third ranked Wyverns (30-28) against sixth ranked Big Bulls (18-40) on Sunday night. Host Wyverns were defeated by Big Bulls in Yamagata 79-65. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Wyverns. Americans were the main players on the court. The best player for the winners was Eric Thompson who had a double-double by scoring 19 points and 18 rebounds. TJ Holyfield produced a double-double by scoring 15 points and 12 rebounds for the hosts. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Newly promoted Iwate maintains sixth place with 18-40 record. Loser Wyverns keeps the third position with 28 games lost. Iwate will meet at home higher ranked Aomori W. (#4) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Yamagata will play against Fukushima and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 47: Koshigaya A. lost to Chiba on the opponent's court 79-83. Aomori W. unfortunately lost to Bambitious in a home game 90-103. Fukuoka R. recorded a loss to Kumamoto V. on the road 85-91. Niigata A. was crushed by Fukushima on its own court 57-92.



Chiba - Koshigaya A. 83-79

The game between closely ranked teams ended with second-ranked Alphas' (34-24) road loss to first ranked Chiba (54-4) 79-83 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was point guard Yuta Osaki (177-1994) who scored 18 points and 6 assists. Guard Kei Sugimoto (184-1992) chipped in 19 points. American forward Justin Harper (208-1989, college: Richmond) produced 17 points and 7 rebounds and point guard Shun Matsuyama (175-1996) added 21 points and 5 assists respectively for the guests. Four Koshigaya A. players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. The victory was the eleventh consecutive win for Chiba. Newly promoted Chiba maintains first place with 54-4 record. Loser Alphas keeps the second position with 24 games lost. Chiba will meet Niigata A. (#7) on the road in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Koshigaya A. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Koshigaya A.: M.Shun 21+1reb+5ast, J.Harper 17+7reb+3ast, H.Kenshin 16+2reb+1ast, L.Peak 14+5reb+3ast, I.Butts 4+7reb+2ast, I.Soichiro 3+2ast
Chiba: K.Sugimoto 19+2reb+2ast, Y.Osaki 18+2reb+6ast, Y.Otsuka 11+2reb, B.Ashley 9+7reb+3ast, A.Davis 6+2reb+2ast, T.Kida 6

Aomori W. - Bambitious N. 90-103

There was a small surprise in Aomori where sixth ranked Bambitious (23-35) defeated 4th placed Watts (29-29) 103-90 on Sunday. Bambitious looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. The best player for the winners was American power forward Cameron Jackson (203-1996, college: Wofford) who had a double-double by scoring 38 points (!!!) and 13 rebounds. His fellow American import Shaquille Hines (201-1993, college: UTRGV) chipped in a double-double by scoring 27 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. American forward Jordan Hamilton (201-1990, college: Texas) produced a double-double by scoring 29 points and 11 rebounds and Czech Patrik Auda (206-1989, college: Seton Hall, agency: Octagon Europe) added 17 points and 10 rebounds respectively for the hosts. Four Bambitious and five Aomori W. players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. The victory was the third consecutive win for Bambitious. They moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Fukushima. Loser Watts keeps the fourth position with 29 games lost. Bambitious will meet at home Ehime (#7) in the next round. Aomori W. will play against Iwate and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Aomori W.: J.Hamilton 29+11reb+2ast, P.Auda 17+10reb+2ast, E.Montgomery 12+4reb+1ast, K.Tsuneta 11+1reb+1ast, I.Yuichi 11+2reb+7ast, K.Aita 5+1ast
Bambitious N.: C.Jackson 38+13reb+3ast, S.Hines 27+10reb+4ast, M.Komaki 15+2ast, J.Honda 12+2reb+1ast, K.Tsubasa 6+2reb+4ast, H.Eiji 5+3reb+4ast

Kumamoto V. - Fukuoka R. 91-85

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams in Kumamoto where second-ranked Rizing (36-22) was defeated by third ranked Volters (33-25) 91-85 on Sunday. It was a great shooting night for Kumamoto V. especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 55.0 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. The best player for the winners was American forward Aaron White (206-1992, college: Iowa) who had a double-double by scoring 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line). Guard Shota Yamamoto (188-1999) chipped in 17 points. Spanish Pablo Aguilar (204-1989, agency: Octagon Europe) produced a double-double by scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds and American power forward Gavin Ware (206-1993, college: MSU) added 15 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the guests. Four Fukuoka R. players scored in double figures. Rizing's coach rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Kumamoto V. maintains third place with 33-25 record having ten points less than leader Chiba. Loser Rizing keeps the second position with 22 games lost. Kumamoto V. will meet Nishinomiya S. (#5) in the next round. Fukuoka R. will play against Shizuoka and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Fukuoka R.: H.Taniguchi 19+1ast, T.Kato 18+1reb+2ast, P.Aguilar 15+11reb+2ast, G.Ware 15+7reb+1ast, B.Washington 6+2reb+2ast, S.Shigetomi 4+4ast
Kumamoto V.: K.Hayate 19+2reb+2ast, A.White 18+14reb+6ast, Y.Shota 17+4reb+3ast, N.Yuma 9+1reb, S.Ichioka 9+5reb+7ast, K.Nagomu 9+1reb+3ast

Niigata A. - Fukushima 57-92

Everything went according to plan when fifth ranked Firebonds (23-35) outscored on the road 7th ranked Niigata A. (7-51) 92-57 on Sunday. Fukushima outrebounded Niigata A. 42-26 including 29 on the defensive glass. Fukushima looked well-organized offensively handing out 29 assists comparing to just 9 passes made by Niigata A.'s players. The best player for the winners was the former international point guard Ryo Tawatari (180-1993, college: Dominican, CA) who had a double-double by scoring 16 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists. Venezuelan center Gregory Echenique (208-1990, college: Creighton, agency: Pensack Sports) chipped in 19 points and 6 rebounds (perfect from the field making all seven shots !!!). Five Firebonds players scored in double figures. Firebonds' coach Eric Weissling felt very confident that he used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Stacy Davis (198-1994, college: Pepperdine) produced 27 points (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) and point guard Katsumi Takahashi (180-2000) added 14 points respectively for the hosts. Fukushima maintains fifth place with 23-35 record, which they share with Bambitious. Niigata A. lost their eighth game in a row. They keep the seventh position with 51 games lost. Fukushima will meet at home higher ranked Yamagata (#3) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Niigata A. will play against the league's leader Chiba (#1) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Niigata A.: S.Davis 27+4reb+2ast, T.Katsumi 14+3reb+3ast, S.Tanaka 4+2ast, H.Ryo 4+1reb+1ast, D.Tomioka 3+1ast, P.Faye 3+9reb
Fukushima: G.Echenique 19+6reb+1ast, R.Tawatari 16+7reb+13ast, T.King 13+9reb, K.Taketo 11+2ast, D.Tsuchiya 11+4ast, R.Ivanauskas 10+11reb+4ast

Shiga L-Stars - Nishinomiya S. 72-69

Fourth-ranked Storks (27-31) gave a tough game to first ranked Lakestars (43-15) in Shiga on Sunday. Lakestars managed to secure only three-point victory 72-69. However their fans expected easier game. Shiga L-Stars had a 33-21 advantage in offensive rebounds. It was a great evening for Australian forward Brock Motum (208-1990, college: WSU, agency: Slash Sports) who led his team to a victory scoring 20 points and 7 rebounds. Point guard Teppei Kashiwagura (180-1995) helped adding 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. American forward Trey Porter (210-1996, college: Nevada) responded with 7 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists and the other American import forward Jordan Caroline (201-1996, college: Nevada) scored 15 points. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Lakestars have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. Shiga L-Stars maintains first place with 43-15 record. Nishinomiya S. lost third consecutive game. They keep the fourth position with 31 games lost. They share it with Shizuoka. Shiga L-Stars will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Nishinomiya S. will play at home against Kumamoto V. (#3) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Nishinomiya S.: S.Watanabe 15+1reb+4ast, J.Caroline 15+4reb+2ast, K.Matsuzaki 11+2ast, M.Hisatake 7+6reb+2ast, K.Patrick 7+4reb, T.Porter 7+11reb+4ast
Shiga L-Stars: B.Motum 20+7reb+1ast, T.Kashiwagura 14+8reb+5ast, J.Burrell 10+7reb+4ast, W.Hayato 9+7reb+4ast, T.Tahara 7+2reb+2ast, R.Kriener 4+3reb+3ast

Yamagata - Iwate 65-79

Very important is a home loss of third ranked Wyverns (30-28) against sixth ranked Big Bulls (18-40) on Sunday night. Host Wyverns were defeated by Big Bulls in Yamagata 79-65. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Wyverns. Iwate dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Wyverns's 30. Americans were the main players on the court. The best player for the winners was center Eric Thompson (204-1993, college: Pacific) who had a double-double by scoring 19 points and 18 rebounds. Forward Kelvin Martin (196-1989, college: Charleston So.) chipped in a double-double by scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds. TJ Holyfield (203-1995, college: Texas Tech) produced a double-double by scoring 15 points and 12 rebounds and James Bell (196-1992, college: Villanova, agency: Slash Sports) added 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for the hosts. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Newly promoted Iwate maintains sixth place with 18-40 record. Loser Wyverns keeps the third position with 28 games lost. Iwate will meet at home higher ranked Aomori W. (#4) in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Yamagata will play against Fukushima and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Yamagata: T.Holyfield 15+12reb, J.Bell 13+5reb+4ast, S.Murakami 11+1reb+3ast, M.Finke 8+3reb, T.Shirato 7+1reb+1ast, O.Kazuma 4+2reb+3ast
Iwate: E.Thompson 19+18reb, K.Martin 15+11reb+2ast, I.Harumichi 13+1reb, S.Kokoro 8+3ast, S.Goto 7+3reb+2ast, T.Masato 6+2reb+3ast

Ehime OV - Shizuoka 77-80

Seventh-ranked Orange Vikings (22-36) gave a tough game to fifth ranked Shizuoka (27-31) in Matsuyama. The visitors from Shizuoka managed to secure only three-point victory 80-77. However their fans expected easier game. It was an exceptional evening for Liberian-American guard Thomas Bropleh (196-1991, college: Boise St.) who led the winners and scored 32 points. American center Kenny Lawson (207-1988, college: Creighton) accounted for 13 points and 17 rebounds for the winning side. American-Filipino forward Eugene Phelps (198-1990, college: LBSU) came up with a double-double by scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds and American center Nigel Spikes (208-1989, college: Marshall) added 10 points and 14 rebounds respectively for Ehime in the defeat. Four Ehime players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Shizuoka moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Nishinomiya S. Ehime at the other side keeps the seventh position with 36 games lost. Shizuoka will play against league's second-placed Fukuoka R. on the road in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Ehime will play against Bambitious (#6) in Nara and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Ehime OV: E.Phelps 25+12reb+3ast, T.Furuno 14+1reb+5ast, Y.Toshino 12+5reb+3ast, N.Spikes 10+14reb+2ast, O.Yugo 5+1reb+1ast, H.Tobita 5
Shizuoka: T.Bropleh 32+4reb+3ast, Y.Okada 13+3reb+2ast, K.Lawson 13+17reb+1ast, N.Hashimoto 7+1reb+2ast, A.Yamada 3+1reb+3ast, Y.Otsuka 3+3reb+2ast