B3 League Round 18 (Regular Season): Okayama is upset by Tokyo Z

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most important game in the last round took place in Tokyo between third ranked Try Hoop (12-8) and fourteenth ranked Earthfriends (5-13) on Friday night. Try Hoop was defeated by Earthfriends in a tough game on the road 53-59. The best player for the winners was American power forward Jeremy Combs (201-1995, college: Texas Southern) who scored 24 points and 8 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). The other American import forward Jordan Bruner (208-1997, college: Alabama, agency: Diamond Sports) chipped in 16 points and 7 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Terrance King (198-1990, college: ESU, agency: Diamond Sports) who recorded a double-double by scoring 11 points and 11 rebounds. Try Hoop's coach rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Tokyo Z moved-up to twelfth place. Okayama at the other side keeps the third position with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Very important is a road loss of third ranked Try Hoop (12-8) against fourteenth ranked Earthfriends (5-13) on Saturday night. Visiting Try Hoop was defeated by Earthfriends in Tokyo 79-63. The game was dominated by American players. It was a good game for forward Jordan Bruner (208-1997, college: Alabama, agency: Diamond Sports) who led his team to a victory with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Jeremy Combs contributed with 12 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Forward Terrance King (198-1990, college: ESU, agency: Diamond Sports) replied with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 11 rebounds for Okayama. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Tokyo Z moved-up to twelfth place. Okayama at the other side keeps the third position with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Albirex (12-7) against tenth ranked Samuraiz (8-9) on Saturday night. Visiting Albirex was crushed by Samuraiz in Ishikawa 88-65. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Albirex. Hyrum Harris scored 18 points to lead the charge for the winners. The best for the losing side was Isaiah Powell with 16 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Kanazawa maintains tenth position with 8-9 record. Loser Albirex keeps the second place with seven games lost. Kanazawa will meet at home league's second-placed Niigata A. in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Niigata A. will have a break next round.

Rest of the games of round 18 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
bottom-ranked Veertien Mie was defeated by Saitama in a road game 79-62. Shanan Utd beat Shinagawa at home 90-77. Tachikawa lost to Gifu on the opponent's court 85-92. Yamaguchi was outscored by Tokyo in a home game 64-90. Tokyo Utd recorded a loss to Kagawa on the road 81-75.
The best stats of 18th round was 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists by Rhys Vague of Tokyo Utd.



Tokyo Z - Okayama 59-53

The most important game in the last round took place in Tokyo between third ranked Try Hoop (12-8) and fourteenth ranked Earthfriends (5-13) on Friday night. Try Hoop was defeated by Earthfriends in a tough game on the road 53-59. The best player for the winners was American power forward Jeremy Combs (201-1995, college: Texas Southern) who scored 24 points and 8 rebounds (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field). The other American import forward Jordan Bruner (208-1997, college: Alabama, agency: Diamond Sports) chipped in 16 points and 7 rebounds. At the other side the best for losing team was American forward Terrance King (198-1990, college: ESU, agency: Diamond Sports) who recorded a double-double by scoring 11 points and 11 rebounds and added 14 points respectively. Try Hoop's coach rotated eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Tokyo Z moved-up to twelfth place. Okayama at the other side keeps the third position with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Tokyo Z: C.Jeremy 24+8reb, B.Jordan 16+7reb+2ast, R.Fujiwara 12+2reb+5ast, B.Malik 4+4reb, R.Noguchi 3, K.Kanemoto 0+1reb+3ast
Okayama: W.Kouki 14+1reb, T.King 11+11reb+1ast, N.Mizuki 9+1reb, M.Yusuke 6+5reb+1ast, J.Scott 4+8reb, C.Sow 2+4reb

Saitama - Veertien Mie 79-62

There was no surprise in Saitama where 15th ranked Veertien Mie (3-14) was defeated by seventh ranked Broncos (10-7) 79-62 on Saturday. Saitama made 16-of-19 free shots (84.2 percent) during the game. American Devin Oliver (203-1992, college: Dayton) had a double-double by scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Shota Imaike chipped in 13 points during the contest. The best for the losing side was Latvian Matiss Kulackovskis (203-1997, college: BGSU) with 15 points and American power forward Damonte Dodd (211-1994, college: Maryland) scored 12 points and 6 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Saitama maintains seventh position with 10-7 record. Loser Veertien Mie stay at the bottom place with 14 games lost. Saitama will again meet at home bottom-ranked Veertien Mie (#15) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Veertien Mie will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Saitama: O.Devin 14+12reb+2ast, S.Imaike 13+1reb+2ast, B.Trent 8+3reb+1ast, S.Konishi 8+1reb+2ast, T.Asahi 7+1reb+1ast, K.Matsui 6
Veertien Mie: M.Kulackovskis 15+4reb+3ast, D.Dodd 12+6reb, W.Shogo 7+1reb+1ast, D.Doblas 6+7reb+2ast, A.Fuga 6+2reb+2ast, K.Tatsuya 5+2reb+1ast

Tokyo Z - Okayama 79-63

Very important is a road loss of third ranked Try Hoop (12-8) against fourteenth ranked Earthfriends (5-13) on Saturday night. Visiting Try Hoop was defeated by Earthfriends in Tokyo 79-63. Tokyo Z players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists. The game was dominated by American players. It was a good game for forward Jordan Bruner (208-1997, college: Alabama, agency: Diamond Sports) who led his team to a victory with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Power forward Jeremy Combs (201-1995, college: Texas Southern) contributed with 12 points and 7 rebounds for the winners. Five Earthfriends players scored in double figures. Forward Terrance King (198-1990, college: ESU, agency: Diamond Sports) replied with a double-double by scoring 10 points and 11 rebounds and forward Cherif Sow (201-1992) added 10 points and 4 assists in the effort for Okayama. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Tokyo Z moved-up to twelfth place. Okayama at the other side keeps the third position with eight games lost. Both teams do not play next round, which will be an opportunity for some rest.
Top scorers:
Tokyo Z: B.Jordan 14+9reb+2ast, K.Kanemoto 12+8ast, C.Jeremy 12+7reb+2ast, B.Malik 11+4reb+4ast, S.James 10+2reb+2ast, T.Masuko 10+1reb
Okayama: M.Yusuke 14+1reb, T.King 10+11reb+1ast, C.Sow 10+3reb+4ast, T.Keisuke 7+1reb+5ast, N.Mizuki 6+1reb, W.Kouki 6+2reb+2ast

Shanan Utd - Shinagawa 90-77

No shocking result in a game in Kanagawa where ninth ranked United (9-8) defeated 13th ranked Shinagawa (4-13) 90-77 on Saturday. Shanan Utd dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Shinagawa's 26. Shanan Utd looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American center Jacob Polakovich (208-2000, college: S.Indiana) had a double-double by scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import forward Christian Cunningham (201-1997, college: Jax State) chipped in 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. Five United players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American forward Victor Hart (203-2001, college: Southern Miss) with a double-double by scoring 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Lithuanian Grantas Vasiliauskas (204-1999) scored 13 points and 7 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Shanan Utd moved-up to eighth place, which they share with Gifu. Loser Shinagawa dropped to the fourteenth position with 13 games lost. Shanan Utd will again meet at home Shinagawa (#14) in the next round where they are favorite. Shinagawa will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Shanan Utd: P.Jacob 23+11reb+3ast, C.Christian 17+10reb+4ast, S.Takagi 14+4reb+1ast, I.Takaya 12+1reb+5ast, S.Shigetomi 11+3reb+4ast, K.Nakano 6+1ast
Shinagawa: V.Hart 26+10reb+6ast, G.Vasiliauskas 13+7reb+1ast, B.Ali 13+6reb, N.Akihisa 8, R.Tawatari 5+3reb+9ast, H.Seiya 3

Kanazawa - Niigata A. 88-65

Very important is a road loss of second ranked Albirex (12-7) against tenth ranked Samuraiz (8-9) on Saturday night. Visiting Albirex was crushed by Samuraiz in Ishikawa 88-65. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Albirex. Kanazawa made 19-of-23 free shots (82.6 percent) during the game. New Zealand forward Hyrum Harris (204-1996, college: Umpqua CC) scored 18 points to lead the charge for the winners and Gashu Matsuo chipped in 13 points and 5 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was American center Jacob Polakovich (208-2000, college: S.Indiana) with 16 points and American-Filipino forward Eugene Phelps (198-1990, college: LBSU) scored 14 points and 6 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. Kanazawa maintains tenth position with 8-9 record. Loser Albirex keeps the second place with seven games lost. Kanazawa will meet at home league's second-placed Niigata A. in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Niigata A. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Kanazawa: H.Hyrum 18+4reb+3ast, G.Matsuo 13+5reb+3ast, A.KJ 12+6reb+2ast, T.Omori 7+4reb+1ast, C.Jediael 6+5reb, M.Hamada 6+6reb
Niigata A.: P.Isaiah 16+4reb+2ast, E.Phelps 14+6reb+1ast, H.Tomonobu 7+2reb+1ast, J.Mutombo 7+13reb, H.Aruma 7+3reb+3ast, N.Mitsuki 5+6reb

Gifu - Tachikawa 92-85

There was an upset in Gifu where higher ranked Dice (11-6) was defeated by eighth ranked Swoops (9-8) 92-85 on Saturday. It was a great shooting night for Gifu especially from behind the arc, where they had solid 52.4 percentage. American forward Blake Preston (206-2000, college: Northwestern) had a double-double by scoring 13 points and 16 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and New Zealand forward Daniel Fotu (203-1999, college: SMC) chipped in 20 points (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field) during the contest. Five Swoops players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American power forward Andrew Fitzgerald (202-1990, college: Oklahoma, agency: Octagon Europe) with 25 points and 6 rebounds and his fellow American import swingman LJ Peak (196-1996, college: Georgetown) scored 24 points and 6 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Gifu maintains eighth position with 9-8 record, which they share with Shanan Utd. Loser Dice dropped to the sixth place with six games lost. Gifu will meet at home higher ranked Tachikawa (#6) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Tachikawa will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Gifu: F.Daniel 20+3reb+1ast, K.Takahashi 15+6reb+2ast, M.Koga 14+2reb+3ast, Y.Reo 14+1reb+4ast, P.Blake 13+16reb+2ast, G.Jordan 9+7reb
Tachikawa: A.Fitzgerald 25+6reb+3ast, L.Peak 24+6reb+2ast, M.Jota 11+6ast, M.Yuto 9+3reb, S.Fumiya 6+2reb+2ast, M.Ousu 4+2reb

Yamaguchi - Tokyo HT 64-90

Very predictable result in Yamaguchi where sixth ranked Hachioji Trains (11-4) outscored 12th ranked Pats Five (5-14) 90-64 on Saturday. Tokyo dominated down low during the game scoring 48 of its points in the paint compared to Pats Five's 26. Tokyo outrebounded Yamaguchi 42-30 including 28 on the defensive glass. Dutch-New Zealand Jonathan Janssen (205-1995, college: HPU) had a double-double by scoring 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American swingman Donovan Clay (203-2001, college: Missouri St.) chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds during the contest. Five Hachioji Trains players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American center Even Brauns (206-2002, college: Iowa, agency: Diamond Sports) with a double-double by scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds and his fellow American import center Antavion Collum (206-2000, college: McNeese St.) scored 12 points and 6 rebounds. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Tokyo moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Kagawa. Yamaguchi lost fourth consecutive game. They dropped to the thirteenth position with 14 games lost. Tokyo will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Yamaguchi will play against Tokyo (#5) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Tokyo HT: J.Jonathan 22+14reb+2ast, S.Kubema 14+5reb+1ast, C.Donovan 11+10reb+2ast, H.Ogane 10+1reb+1ast, F.Yamamoto 10+2reb+2ast, K.Takaoka 8+1reb+1ast
Yamaguchi: E.Brauns 15+10reb+1ast, A.Collum 12+6reb+2ast, K.Shuto 10+2reb+5ast, Y.Rikiya 7+1reb+1ast, T.Shodai 6, T.Yuki 5+2reb+1ast

Kagawa FA - Tokyo Utd 81-75

Not a big story in a game in Takamatsu where 11th ranked United (6-11) was defeated by fifth ranked Five Arrows (11-4) 81-75 on Saturday. However just six-point win is not that big difference and the fans of host team counted on more convincing victory. American forward Jacob Lampkin (206-1996, college: Alaska-Anch.) scored 13 points and 8 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import forward Alex Davis (206-1992, college: Fresno St., agency: Diamond Sports) chipped in 6 points and 8 rebounds during the contest. The best for the losing side was Australian forward Rhys Vague (206-1996) with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and American center Hayden Koval (216-1997, college: Cincinnati, agency: Diamond Sports) scored 17 points and 5 rebounds. Four Tokyo Utd players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Kagawa moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Tokyo. Loser United keeps the eleventh position with 11 games lost. Kagawa will meet at home Tokyo Utd (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Tokyo Utd will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Kagawa FA: L.Jacob 13+8reb+1ast, H.Imabayashi 11+3reb+3ast, H.Tucker 10+3reb+1ast, T.Kobayashi 9+3reb+3ast, Y.Ukeda 8+2reb+3ast, I.Takahashi 6+3reb+1ast
Tokyo Utd: H.Koval 17+5reb, K.Ren 14+1reb+2ast, K.Stockman Jr. 12+4reb+3ast, R.Vague 10+8reb+5ast, G.Bula 8+5reb, T.Shinnosuke 6+3reb+2ast