B2 League Round 30 (Regular Season): Fukushima lose to Shinshu

B2 League is at the halfway of the Regular Season and there are still another 30 rounds left. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Top ranked Firebonds (24-6) recorded its sixth loss in Fukushima on Sunday night. Hosts were defeated by second ranked Brave Warriors (23-7) 91-73. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. Shinshu looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was American Mike Daum (206-1995, college: S.Dakota St.) who scored 19 points and 8 rebounds. The other American import center Wayne Marshall (211-1986, college: Temple) chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. At the other side the best for losing team was Egyptian-American center Patrick Gardner (211-1999, college: Marist) who recorded 25 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Brave Warriors have an impressive 14-game winning streak. Shinshu maintains second position with 23-7 record having four points less than leader Fukushima. Fukushima at the other side still keeps top place with six games lost. Shinshu are looking forward to face Aomori W. (#7) on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Fukushima will play against Yokohama (#3) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Matsuyama. First ranked Storks faced second-best Orange Vikings. Guests from Hyogo (27-3) defeated host Orange Vikings (20-10) 89-80. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Orange Vikings. The game was dominated by American players. It was a good game for Yoeli Childs (203-1998, college: BYU) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Rawle Alkins contributed with 20 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Shaquille Hines (201-1993, college: UTRGV) replied with 24 points and 5 assists for Ehime. Orange Vikings' coach rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Kobe S. maintains first position with 27-3 record. Ehime at the other side keeps the second place with ten games lost. Kobe S. will play against Fukui B. (#4) on the road in the next round. Ehime will play against Kagoshima in Renova and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
The game in Nara was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked Blowinds (18-12) played at the court of 6th ranked Nara (9-21). Blowinds managed to secure a 6-point victory 95-89 on Sunday. Rapolas Ivanauskas scored 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners. The best for the losing side was Nigel Spikes with a double-double by scoring 15 points and 13 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Fukui B. maintains fourth position with 18-12 record. Bambitious lost eighth consecutive game. They keep the sixth place with 21 games lost. Fukui B. will meet at home league's leader Kobe S. in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Bambitious will play against Fukuoka R. (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Rest of the games of round 30 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Iwate was defeated by Kumamoto V. in a road game 81-72. Yokohama smashed Aomori W. at home 120-67. Kagoshima won against Shizuoka on the opponent's court 90-84. Shizuoka unfortunately lost to Kagoshima in a home game 83-93. Yamagata recorded a loss to Fukuoka R. on the road 70-74.
The best stats of 30th round was 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists by Shinya Murakami of Yamagata.



Fukushima - Shinshu BW 73-91

Top ranked Firebonds (24-6) recorded its sixth loss in Fukushima on Sunday night. Hosts were defeated by second ranked Brave Warriors (23-7) 91-73. It may be a crucial game in the contest for the top position in the league. Shinshu looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists. The best player for the winners was American Mike Daum (206-1995, college: S.Dakota St.) who scored 19 points and 8 rebounds. The other American import center Wayne Marshall (211-1986, college: Temple) chipped in 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Four Brave Warriors players scored in double figures. At the other side the best for losing team was Egyptian-American center Patrick Gardner (211-1999, college: Marist) who recorded 25 points and 5 rebounds and American power forward Jack Nunge (213-1999, college: Xavier) added 6 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists respectively. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Brave Warriors have an impressive 14-game winning streak. Shinshu maintains second position with 23-7 record having four points less than leader Fukushima. Fukushima at the other side still keeps top place with six games lost. Shinshu are looking forward to face Aomori W. (#7) on the road in the next round where they are favorite. Fukushima will play against Yokohama (#3) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Shinshu BW: D.Mike 19+8reb+2ast, M.Wayne 17+6reb+4ast, C.Aki 17+6reb+3ast, C.Angelo 10+6reb, K.Eliet 9+8reb+5ast, O.Akitoshi 8+3ast
Fukushima: P.Gardner 25+5reb+2ast, N.Tsukasa 10+3reb, K.Manigault 9+5reb+2ast, Y.Java 6+1reb+1ast, J.Nunge 6+6reb+7ast, S.Keita 6+3reb

Kumamoto V. - Iwate 81-72

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 5th ranked Big Bulls' (8-22) road loss to fourth ranked Volters (13-17) 72-81 on Sunday. Kumamoto V. looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Great defensive blocking was one of the keys in this match when Kumamoto V. made 8 blocks. Shota Yamamoto scored 30 points and 5 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American forward Mitch Lightfoot (203-1997, college: Kansas, agency: Slash Sports) chipped in 14 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks during the contest. The best for the losing side was Yoeli Childs (203-1998, college: BYU) with 15 points and 7 assists and American forward Noah Gurley (203-1999, college: Alabama) scored 16 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Kumamoto V. maintains fourth position with 13-17 record, which they share with Fukuoka R. Iwate lost tenth consecutive game. They keep the fifth place with 22 games lost. Kumamoto V. will meet Shizuoka (#7) on the road in the next round. Iwate will play against Yamagata and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kumamoto V.: S.Yamamoto 30+5reb+3ast, L.Mitch 14+10reb, E.Gregory 10+7reb+4ast, K.Sawabe 6+1reb+2ast, D.Nemanja 6+5reb+2ast, I.Kaito 5+2reb+4ast
Iwate: N.Gurley 16+5reb+2ast, Y.Sogo 15+3reb+7ast, C.Mounce 11+2reb+4ast, T.Shutatsu 10+1ast, N.Yuto 8+3reb, Y.Rin 5+3reb

Bambitious N. - Fukui B. 89-95

The game in Nara was also quite interesting. Fourth ranked Blowinds (18-12) played at the court of 6th ranked Nara (9-21). Blowinds managed to secure a 6-point victory 95-89 on Sunday. Fukui B. looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Lithuanian forward Rapolas Ivanauskas (208-1998, college: Cincinnati) scored 25 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American forward Perry Ellis (203-1993, college: Kansas) chipped in 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was American center Nigel Spikes (208-1989, college: Marshall) with a double-double by scoring 15 points and 13 rebounds and his fellow American import forward Jaemyn Brakefield (203-2000, college: Ole Miss, agency: Slash Sports) scored 19 points and 5 rebounds. Four Bambitious players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Fukui B. maintains fourth position with 18-12 record. Bambitious lost eighth consecutive game. They keep the sixth place with 21 games lost. Fukui B. will meet at home league's leader Kobe S. in the next round and it may be the game of the week. Bambitious will play against Fukuoka R. (#5) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Fukui B.: I.Rapolas 25+9reb+4ast, E.Perry 19+5reb+4ast, S.Tawatari 10+2ast, S.Kawashima 9+1reb+3ast, Y.Nishino 8+6reb+2ast, D.Mosaku 7+5ast
Bambitious N.: J.Brakefield 19+5reb+1ast, S.Ishii 16+3reb+1ast, N.Spikes 15+13reb+1ast, T.Soma 13+3reb+6ast, S.Tatsuya 8+1reb+2ast, V.Petrov 8+6reb+4ast

Yokohama EX - Aomori W. 120-67

No shocking result in a game in Yokohama where third ranked Excellence (21-8) smashed 7th ranked Watts (5-25) 120-67 on Sunday. Yokohama dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Watts's 38. Yokohama outrebounded Aomori W. 44-28 including a 35-20 advantage in defensive rebounds. Yokohama looked well-organized offensively handing out 35 assists comparing to just 21 passes made by Aomori W.'s players. British forward Benjamin Lawson (216-1995, college: WKU) had a double-double by scoring 19 points and 17 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American guard Tray Boyd III (193-1998, college: ETSU) chipped in 23 points and 10 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was American Rashard Kelly (203-1995, college: Wichita St.) with a triple-double by scoring 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and his fellow American import center Max Hisatake (203-1998, college: IlIinois Tech, agency: Slash Sports) scored 11 points and 7 rebounds. Five Yokohama and four Aomori W. players scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Excellence have an impressive 12-game winning streak. Yokohama maintains third position with 21-8 record having seven points less than leader Fukushima. Aomori W. lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 25 games lost. Yokohama will meet at home league's leader Fukushima in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Aomori W. will play against the league's second-placed Shinshu (#2) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Yokohama EX: H.Kinoshita 23+3reb+1ast, B.Tray 23+4reb+10ast, L.Benjamin 19+17reb+3ast, W.Elyjah 15+10reb+10ast, H.Ohashi 13+3reb, I.Nagano 10+1reb+5ast
Aomori W.: R.Kelly 15+11reb+10ast, M.Hisatake 11+7reb+3ast, W.Wang 10+3reb+2ast, K.Nagomu 10, T.Kyonosuke 5+2reb+2ast, A.Shugo 5+1reb

Ehime OV - Kobe S. 80-89

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Matsuyama. First ranked Storks faced second-best Orange Vikings. Guests from Hyogo (27-3) defeated host Orange Vikings (20-10) 89-80. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Orange Vikings. Ehime was plagued by 27 personal fouls down the stretch. The game was dominated by American players. It was a good game for Yoeli Childs (203-1998, college: BYU) who led his team to a victory with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Rawle Alkins (197-1997, college: Arizona) contributed with 20 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. Shaquille Hines (201-1993, college: UTRGV) replied with 24 points and 5 assists and center Mitchell Watt (208-1989, college: Buffalo, agency: Octagon Europe) added 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in the effort for Ehime. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Orange Vikings' coach rotated twelve players in this game, but that didn't help. Kobe S. maintains first position with 27-3 record. Ehime at the other side keeps the second place with ten games lost. Kobe S. will play against Fukui B. (#4) on the road in the next round. Ehime will play against Kagoshima in Renova and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Kobe S.: C.Yoeli 23+11reb+5ast, A.Rawle 20+9reb+2ast, S.Terazono 16+3reb+6ast, A.Hachimura 11+4reb+1ast, R.Sasakura 9+3reb+2ast, R.Kaneda 5+1ast
Ehime OV: S.Hines 24+5ast, E.Hayashi 14+4reb+2ast, M.Haarms 13+2reb+2ast, M.Watt 10+10reb+4ast, T.Furuno 7+6ast, M.Parker 6+14reb+1ast

Shizuoka - Kagoshima 84-90

Very expected game in Shizuoka where 7th ranked Veltex (6-24) was defeated by third ranked Rebnise (15-14) 90-84 on Sunday. Kagoshima dominated down low during the game scoring 50 of its points in the paint compared to Veltex's 30. Kagoshima looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. Guard Yoshiki Ametani (190-1999) scored 19 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American swingman Anthony Gaines Jr (195-1993, college: LCU) chipped in 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists during the contest. The best for the losing side was Norwegian forward Chris-Ebou Ndow (199-1993, college: NW Missouri St.) with a double-double by scoring 19 points, 19 rebounds and 4 assists and Australian center Angus Brandt (208-1989, college: Oregon St.) produced a double-double by scoring 14 points and 14 rebounds. Five Kagoshima and four Shizuoka players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Rebnise have a solid three-game winning streak. Kagoshima maintains third position with 15-14 record having thirteen points less than leader Fukushima. Shizuoka lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 24 games lost. Kagoshima will meet at home league's second-placed Ehime in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Shizuoka will play against Kumamoto V. (#4) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Kagoshima: A.Yoshiki 19+8reb+9ast, G.Anthony 18+7reb+6ast, E.Zen 14+2reb+2ast, A.Patrik 12+10reb+2ast, S.Josh 10+9reb+1ast, K.Takayuki 6+4reb+1ast
Shizuoka: C.Ndow 19+19reb+4ast, S.Takumi 18+1ast, A.Brandt 14+14reb+3ast, Y.Manaya 14+2reb+6ast, T.Schneider 9+1reb, K.Masuda 3+7reb+3ast

Shizuoka - Kagoshima 83-93

Rather predictable result in Shizuoka where third ranked Rebnise (15-14) beat 7th ranked Veltex (6-24) 93-83 on Monday. Kagoshima dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Veltex's 36. Kagoshima forced 19 Shizuoka turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Czech Patrik Auda (206-1989, college: Seton Hall, agency: Octagon Europe) scored 23 points and 7 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American swingman Anthony Gaines Jr (195-1993, college: LCU) chipped in 13 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists during the contest. Five Rebnise players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was German Tim Schneider (208-1997) with 19 points and 9 rebounds and Australian center Angus Brandt (208-1989, college: Oregon St.) scored 9 points and 13 rebounds. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Rebnise have a solid three-game winning streak. Kagoshima maintains third position with 15-14 record having thirteen points less than leader Fukushima. Shizuoka lost third consecutive game. They keep the seventh place with 24 games lost. Kagoshima will meet at home league's second-placed Ehime in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Shizuoka will play against Kumamoto V. (#4) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Kagoshima: A.Patrik 23+7reb, S.Josh 14+4reb+2ast, G.Anthony 13+7reb+4ast, K.Takayuki 12+2reb+2ast, K.Fujimoto 12+4reb+5ast, A.Yoshiki 6+2reb+3ast
Shizuoka: T.Schneider 19+9reb+3ast, Y.Manaya 13+1reb+2ast, A.Brandt 9+13reb+3ast, S.Takumi 8, K.Teppei 7+3ast, N.Ryusei 6+3reb+4ast

Fukuoka R. - Yamagata 74-70

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 6th ranked Wyverns' (7-23) road loss to fifth ranked Rizing (13-17) 70-74 on Sunday. Eiji Shimoyama scored 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Puerto Rican-American swingman Davon Reed (198-1995, college: Miami, FL) chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds during the contest. Four Rizing players scored in double figures. The best for the losing side was American James Bell (196-1992, college: Villanova, agency: Slash Sports) with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and his fellow American import swingman Anthony Gaines Jr (195-1993, college: LCU) scored 13 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Both coaches allowed to play bench players in such tough game. Fukuoka R. moved-up to fourth place, which they share with Kumamoto V. Loser Wyverns keeps the sixth position with 23 games lost. Fukuoka R. will meet at home Bambitious (#6) in the next round. Yamagata will play against Iwate and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Fukuoka R.: S.Murakami 15, E.Shimoyama 14+6reb+4ast, R.Davon 12+8reb+2ast, K.Yusuke 10+1reb+4ast, T.Kato 7+4reb+2ast, K.Aita 7+1reb+3ast
Yamagata: J.Bell 19+7reb+6ast, S.Doorson 14+5reb+1ast, M.Shinya 13+8reb+6ast, N.Waterman 9+11reb+2ast, L.Jonghyun 5+1ast, R.Abe 4+3reb+1ast