THE Ryukyu Golden Kings gave Kai Sotto a rude welcome in Japan, scoring an 86-78 victory over the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the B.League on Wednesday night at the Okinawa Arena.
Kai Sotto B.League first game
The homegrown Filipino NBA aspirant showed flashes of his potential in his debut, putting up 10 points, three blocks, two boards, and one steal in 19 minutes as a starter, but couldn’t help the Dragonflies come away with the road victory.
Sotto’s individual matchup with fellow Pinoy import Carl Tamayo didn’t materialize as Tamayo rode the bench the entire game.
The Golden Kings improved to a 30-9 record to solidify their grip on the fourth spot, while keeping the Dragonflies below them at 28-11.
The rest of the Filipino imports in Division 1 also had mixed results.
Thirdy Ravena had 10 points, three boards, and one assist in 26 minutes as a starter in San-en’s 87-74 win over Mikawa to improve to 17-22.
Dwight Ramos, for his part, contributed four points and one block in 14 minutes off the bench in Hokkaido’s 88-83 win over Ibaraki to hike their mark to 10-29.
Ray Parks had six points, five caroms, and two assists in 26 minutes as a starter in Nagoya’s 74-71 loss to Kyoto as the Diamond Dolphins dropped to 27-12.
Kiefer Ravena chipped in eight points, three rebounds, and two assists in 22 minutes off the bench in Shiga’s 98-89 loss to Shimane, keeping the Lakes at the bottom of the standings at 5-34.
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