B2 League Round 49 (Regular Season): #1 Shiga L-Stars are defeated by Koshigaya A.

The Regular Season in B2 League just ended. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked Lakestars (44-16) in Tokyo on Sunday night. Visitors were defeated by second ranked Alphas (35-25) 82-65. It ended at the same time the eight-game winning streak of Lakestars. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. Koshigaya A. looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American forward Justin Harper (208-1989, college: Richmond) stepped up and scored 19 points and 8 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import center Isaac Butts (208-1989, college: App State) chipped in 15 points and 7 rebounds. At the losing side American-German power forward Ryan Kriener (208-1998, college: Iowa, agency: Pensack Sports) responded with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Koshigaya A. maintains second place with 35-25 record having nine points less than leader Chiba. Shiga L-Stars at the other side still keep top position with 16 games lost.
Important game to mention about took place in Hyogo. Fifth ranked Storks (29-31) saved a 1-point victory at home edging 3rd placed Volters (33-27) 84-83 on Sunday evening. American center Max Hisatake (203-1998, college: IlIinois Tech, agency: Slash Sports) nailed a double-double by scoring 10 points and 13 rebounds for the winning side and Trey Porter accounted for 12 points and 7 rebounds. American forward Aaron White (206-1992, college: Iowa) came up with 29 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) for Kumamoto V. in the defeat. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Nishinomiya S. moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Aomori W. and Shizuoka. Kumamoto V. at the other side keeps the third position with 27 games lost.
Very important is a home loss of second ranked Rizing (36-24) against fourth ranked Shizuoka (29-31) on Sunday night. Host Rizing was defeated by Shizuoka in a tough game in Fukuoka 68-75. John Harrar fired a double-double by scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. Pablo Aguilar produced a double-double by scoring 23 points and 15 rebounds for lost side. Rizing's coach rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Shizuoka have a solid series of four victories in a row. Newly promoted Shizuoka maintains fourth place with 29-31 record, which they share with Nishinomiya S. and Aomori W. Fukuoka R. lost third consecutive game. They keep the second position with 24 games lost.

There were no shocking results in the rest of the games of round 49: Yamagata won against Fukushima on the opponent's court 97-84. Iwate managed to outperform Aomori W. in a home game 83-76. Ehime managed to beat Bambitious on the road 77-62. Niigata A. was crushed by Chiba on its own court 78-112.



Fukuoka R. - Shizuoka 68-75

Very important is a home loss of second ranked Rizing (36-24) against fourth ranked Shizuoka (29-31) on Sunday night. Host Rizing was defeated by Shizuoka in a tough game in Fukuoka 68-75. Shizuoka looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American forward John Harrar (205-1999, college: Penn St.) fired a double-double by scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds for the winners. His fellow American import center Kenny Lawson (207-1988, college: Creighton) chipped in 19 points and 9 rebounds. Spanish Pablo Aguilar (204-1989, agency: Octagon Europe) produced a double-double by scoring 23 points and 15 rebounds and American power forward Gavin Ware (206-1993, college: MSU) added 18 points and 14 rebounds respectively for lost side. Rizing's coach rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Shizuoka have a solid series of four victories in a row. Newly promoted Shizuoka maintains fourth place with 29-31 record, which they share with Nishinomiya S. and Aomori W. Fukuoka R. lost third consecutive game. They keep the second position with 24 games lost.
Top scorers:
Fukuoka R.: P.Aguilar 23+15reb, G.Ware 18+14reb+1ast, H.Taniguchi 13+1reb+3ast, T.Kodama 5+2reb+7ast, S.Nakata 3+1reb+3ast, T.Kato 3+1ast
Shizuoka: K.Lawson 19+9reb+2ast, J.Harrar 17+13reb+3ast, T.Bropleh 11+5reb+2ast, Y.Okada 9+3reb+5ast, K.Shinkawa 6+1reb, N.Hashimoto 5+3reb+2ast

Fukushima - Yamagata 84-97

Rather expected game in Fukushima where 5th ranked Firebonds (24-36) were defeated by third ranked Wyverns (31-29) 97-84 on Sunday. Yamagata forced 19 Fukushima turnovers. Strangely Fukushima outrebounded Yamagata 40-22 including a 18-5 advantage in offensive rebounds. American James Bell (196-1992, college: Villanova, agency: Slash Sports) fired 25 points and 4 assists for the winners. His fellow American import TJ Holyfield (203-1995, college: Texas Tech) chipped in 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field). Five Wyverns players scored in double figures. American forward Terrance King (198-1990, college: ESU, agency: Diamond Sports) produced a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds and Venezuelan center Gregory Echenique (208-1990, college: Creighton, agency: Pensack Sports) added 19 points and 11 rebounds (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) respectively for lost side. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Yamagata maintains third place with 31-29 record having thirteen points less than leader Chiba. Loser Firebonds keeps the fifth position with 36 games lost. They share it with Bambitious.
Top scorers:
Fukushima: T.King 22+10reb+1ast, G.Echenique 19+11reb, K.Taketo 16+6reb+5ast, D.Tsuchiya 8+3reb+3ast, R.Tawatari 6+2reb+1ast, H.Shotaro 4+3reb
Yamagata: J.Bell 25+4reb+4ast, T.Holyfield 16+5reb, S.Rui 13+2reb+4ast, T.Shirato 12+1reb+2ast, O.Kazuma 11+1ast, M.Finke 10+4reb+2ast

Iwate - Aomori W. 83-76

There was a small surprise in Iwate where sixth ranked Big Bulls (20-40) defeated 4th placed Watts (29-31) 83-76 on Sunday. Americans were the main players on the court. Center Eric Thompson (204-1993, college: Pacific) fired a double-double by scoring 16 points and 11 rebounds for the winners. Forward Kelvin Martin (196-1989, college: Charleston So.) chipped in 18 points and 7 rebounds. Four Big Bulls players scored in double figures. Forward Jordan Hamilton (201-1990, college: Texas) produced a double-double by scoring 21 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists and power forward EJ Montgomery (208-1999, college: Kentucky) added 9 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists respectively for lost side. Watts' coach let to play eleven players, but that didn't help to avoid defeat in this game. Big Bulls have a solid series of three victories in a row. Newly promoted Iwate maintains sixth place with 20-40 record. Aomori W. lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the fourth position with 31 games lost. They share it with Nishinomiya S. and Shizuoka.
Top scorers:
Aomori W.: J.Hamilton 21+14reb+6ast, I.Yuichi 10+1reb+4ast, P.Auda 9+5reb, E.Montgomery 9+10reb+4ast, T.Kyonosuke 8, K.Tsuneta 7+3ast
Iwate: K.Martin 18+7reb+1ast, E.Thompson 16+11reb+2ast, M.Yuto 14+1reb, T.Nihira 11+2reb+2ast, S.Kokoro 11+1reb+1ast, I.Harumichi 7+1ast

Nishinomiya S. - Kumamoto V. 84-83

Important game to mention about took place in Hyogo. Fifth ranked Storks (29-31) saved a 1-point victory at home edging 3rd placed Volters (33-27) 84-83 on Sunday evening. Kumamoto V. was plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. American center Max Hisatake (203-1998, college: IlIinois Tech, agency: Slash Sports) nailed a double-double by scoring 10 points and 13 rebounds for the winning side and his fellow American import forward Trey Porter (210-1996, college: Nevada) accounted for 12 points and 7 rebounds. American forward Aaron White (206-1992, college: Iowa) came up with 29 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his seven free throws) and guard Hayate Komasawa (188-1998) added 15 points and 6 assists respectively for Kumamoto V. in the defeat. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. Nishinomiya S. moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Aomori W. and Shizuoka. Kumamoto V. at the other side keeps the third position with 27 games lost.
Top scorers:
Kumamoto V.: A.White 29+8reb+2ast, K.Hayate 15+4reb+6ast, I.Yuma 15+2reb, S.Ichioka 10+9reb+3ast, T.Woodbury 9+4reb, Y.Shota 5+1reb+3ast
Nishinomiya S.: J.Caroline 17+1reb, N.Dohara 12+2reb+2ast, T.Porter 12+7reb+2ast, T.Yusuke 10+2reb, M.Hisatake 10+13reb+1ast, K.Matsuzaki 9+2reb+3ast

Bambitious N. - Ehime OV 62-77

We cannot really consider it an upset in the game between close teams in Nara where 6th ranked Bambitious (24-36) was defeated by seventh ranked Orange Vikings (23-37) 77-62 on Sunday. Ehime looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American-Filipino forward Eugene Phelps (198-1990, college: LBSU) fired a double-double by scoring 17 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Point guard Takumi Furuno (178-1993) chipped in 14 points and 5 assists. Four Orange Vikings players scored in double figures. American Shaquille Hines (201-1993, college: UTRGV) produced a double-double by scoring 17 points and 13 rebounds and the other American import power forward Cameron Jackson (203-1996, college: Wofford) added 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks respectively for lost side. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Ehime maintains seventh place with 23-37 record. Loser Bambitious N. dropped to the fifth position with 36 games lost. They share it with Fukushima.
Top scorers:
Bambitious N.: C.Jackson 21+7reb+1ast, S.Hines 17+13reb+2ast, H.Eiji 8+4reb+1ast, J.Honda 5+2reb, K.Kohei 4+2reb+7ast, M.Komaki 3+3reb
Ehime OV: E.Phelps 17+15reb+6ast, T.Furuno 14+1reb+5ast, Y.Toshino 11+3reb+2ast, H.Tobita 10+1reb+3ast, O.Yugo 6+1reb+4ast, A.Sakata 6+2reb+1ast

Niigata A. - Chiba 78-112

Everything went according to plan when first ranked Chiba (56-4) outscored on the road 7th ranked Niigata A. (7-53) 112-78 on Sunday. Chiba made 20-of-22 free shots (90.9 percent) during the game. Chiba outrebounded Niigata A. 38-26 including a 28-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Chiba looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists. Americans were the main players on the court. Forward Alex Davis (206-1992, college: Fresno St., agency: Diamond Sports) fired 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists for the winners. Brandon Ashley (206-1994, college: Arizona) chipped in 20 points and 4 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Four Chiba players scored in double figures. Forward Stacy Davis (198-1994, college: Pepperdine) produced 24 points and 6 rebounds and power forward Tony Criswell (205-1991, college: Missouri) added 21 points and 5 rebounds respectively for lost side. Niigata A.'s coach Casey Owens gave up on the game allowing to play twelve players seeing no chance for a win. Chiba have an impressive series of thirteen victories in a row. Newly promoted Chiba maintains first place with 56-4 record. Niigata A. lost tenth consecutive game. They keep the seventh position with 53 games lost.
Top scorers:
Niigata A.: S.Davis 24+6reb+3ast, T.Criswell 21+5reb+2ast, O.Ayumu 6, T.Katsumi 6+2reb+5ast, H.Ryo 5+3reb, P.Faye 4+2reb
Chiba: A.Davis 21+8reb+6ast, M.Reo 21+3reb+4ast, B.Ashley 20+4reb+4ast, Y.Okada 15+2reb, C.Liu 11+9reb+2ast, T.Kida 9+1reb+4ast

Koshigaya A. - Shiga L-Stars 82-65

The most crucial game of the last round was a loss of top-ranked Lakestars (44-16) in Tokyo on Sunday night. Visitors were defeated by second ranked Alphas (35-25) 82-65. It ended at the same time the eight-game winning streak of Lakestars. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. Koshigaya A. looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. American forward Justin Harper (208-1989, college: Richmond) stepped up and scored 19 points and 8 rebounds for the winners and his fellow American import center Isaac Butts (208-1989, college: App State) chipped in 15 points and 7 rebounds. Four Alphas players scored in double figures. At the losing side American-German power forward Ryan Kriener (208-1998, college: Iowa, agency: Pensack Sports) responded with 14 points and 8 rebounds and American forward Justin Burrell (204-1988, college: St.John's) scored 13 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Koshigaya A. maintains second place with 35-25 record having nine points less than leader Chiba. Shiga L-Stars at the other side still keep top position with 16 games lost.
Top scorers:
Shiga L-Stars: R.Kriener 14+8reb, J.Burrell 13+5reb, W.Hayato 9+5reb+2ast, K.Ravena 8+1reb+4ast, K.Koya 6+1reb, N.Daichi 5+1reb+2ast
Koshigaya A.: J.Harper 19+8reb+1ast, I.Butts 15+7reb+2ast, H.Kenshin 12+4reb, S.Kitagawa 12+2ast, I.Soichiro 9+2reb, S.Kikuchi 5+2reb+1ast