Childs' 33-14 double-double and Tani's farewell triple crown Kobe's second B2 title

Kobe Storks captured the 2025-26 Risona Group B2 Playoffs championship on Saturday, blowing past Fukushima Firebonds 109-93 in Game 2 of the Final at GLION Arena Kobe to clinch their second B2 title and first since the B.League's inaugural 2016-17 season.
The top-seeded Storks left nothing to chance, establishing control in the first quarter and never relinquishing it in a high-scoring shootout befitting a championship clincher. The emotional exclamation point came in the final minutes when Naoki Tani (193-G/F-1988) who had announced his retirement at season's end drilled the last three-pointer of his career, sending the Kobe crowd into raptures.
Yoeli Childs (203-PF-1998, college: BYU) was unstoppable, dominating with 33 points and 14 rebounds in a monster double-double that overwhelmed Fukushima's interior defense. Luke Maye (203-PF-1997, college: UNC, agency: Slash Sports) added 29 points as the pair combined for 62 of Kobe's 109. Shuto Terazono (172-PG-1994) orchestrated the attack with a double-double of his own 19 points and 10 assists while Alen Hachimura (191-C-1999) provided a timely spark with 10 points, his early third-quarter three-pointer igniting a 10-0 run that broke the game open.
Kobe set the pace from the tip, riding Yoeli Childs' 12 first-quarter points to a 30-25 lead. Alen Hachimura's triple to open the second period triggered the decisive burst as the Storks surged to a 61-49 halftime advantage. The third quarter extended the cushion to 86-67 through more Yoeli Childs-May punishment inside, and though Fukushima outscored Kobe 26-23 in the fourth, it was far too late.
For third-seeded Fukushima, Jack Nunge (213-C/F-1999, college: Xavier) was brilliant in defeat with 38 points and 12 rebounds, while Tsukasa Nakano (185-SG-1996) added 13. But the Firebonds could not contain Kobe's multi-pronged attack or match the top seed's depth across 40 minutes.
The title returns Kobe to the top of B2 nine years after their inaugural championship, a gap that speaks to both the difficulty of the competition and the patience required to rebuild. As top seed, the Storks showed championship pedigree throughout the playoffs and were never seriously threatened in the Final.