ROUNDS three and four between brothers Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena will have to wait as the Japan B.League postponed the weekend series due to positive COVID-19 cases.
Ravena brothers matchup postponed
Three players from San-En received positive tests, while 11 others are considered close contacts, prompting the league to scrap the two-game series at Hamamatsu Arena on Tuesday evening.
This would have been the final meeting between the brothers, who headlined the Asia All-Stars squad in the virtual B.League All-Star show this past weekend.
It was way back in opening weekend last October when the Ravenas first collided, with Kiefer's Shiga taking the 93-83 win in Oct. 2 and Thirdy's San-En bouncing back with a 101-96 overtime win in Oct. 3.
Since then, they have established themselves as vital cogs for their respective teams' campaigns in the ongoing 2021-22 season.
The Lakestars sit at 17th place with a 9-17 record, while the NeoPhoenix are tied for 20th with their 4-22 card. Both were hoping to arrest their three-game skids at each other's expense.
Shiga will now aim to arrest this skid on Jan. 26 against Dwight Ramos and the Toyama Grouses at Ukaruchan Arena.
Apart from the games against the Lakestars, San-En's duel against Shimane Susanoo Magic at Toyohashi City Gymnasium on Jan. 26 has also been cancelled.
The NeoPhoenix are hopeful that their players recover soon enough for their next game on Jan. 29 against the Kyoto Hannaryz at Kyoto City Gymnasium.
Japan has seen a slight dip on its new cases with 20,823 positive results registered as of Jan. 17. The Land of the Rising Sun is still managing with the rise of COVID-19 cases brought upon by the Omicron variant.
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