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    Thirdy relishes duels vs Dwight, fellow Pinoys in Japan B.League

    Thirdy Ravena relishes duels vs Dwight Ramos, fellow Pinoys in Japan
    Oct 12, 2022
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    Dwight Ramos' Hokkaido get beaten twice by Thirdy Ravena's Neophoenix.

    THIRDY Ravena really looked forward meeting his fellow Pinoy imports in the Japan B.League this season.

    He also expected to defend them on the court as they try to one-up each other in their duels.

    See Ravenas get win as JayWash, Wright, Baltazar, Paras sit out in B.League

    "I guess it's more of a natural thing," he said. "Just looking at the matchups and seeing who we can guard or who's in our position or who we can play to be as efficient as possible."

    That was the case this past weekend when Ravena's San-En NeoPhoenix swept Dwight Ramos' Levanga Hokkaido, with the two constantly guarding each other.

    For the NeoPhoenix guard, defending Ramos was a no brainer.

    "We felt like it was easy decision to guard Dwight since we're both pretty much the same size and I know how he plays and he's a great player. So I think it's just the decision that we make on the spot and it's not really much of an out of the system thing."

    Thirdy Ravena San-En NeoPhoenix Japan B.League

    Ramos had the better statistical weekend between the two, putting up 15 points, five steals, and four rebounds on Saturday while upping it to 20 points, seven boards, and four assists on Sunday.

    In those two games however, San-En got the better of Hokkaido with the NeoPhoenix escaping with a 76-57 win on Saturday and repeating with a 93-80 victory on Sunday.

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    Ravena need not to do much scoring in those games, tallying only 7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in these two-game homestand to climb up to an even 2-2 record.

    More than anything, these faceoffs only rejuvenate Ravena who is now on his third year in Japan.

    "Of course, it's always fun to play against my Filipino brothers. Whoever that may be, we already know there's always going to be a challenge at the back of your head, trying to outplay each other. But all I try to think about is really trying to focus on the system, try not get carried away with the matchup, and not trying not to do my own things but just sticking to what we need to do as a team in order to win," said the Gilas Pilipinas slasher, determined to finally help the NeoPhoenix move out of the cellar this season.

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      "When you're on the court, it doesn't matter if he's Filipino or not, it's always about going head to head with whoever you're going up against and seeing if you have an advantage. Of course, it's a little bit of an additional motivation to play harder, but we should play hard every single game. For me, it's just when when we're on the court, we forget that we're brothers, we play as players, and we leave it out on the floor."

      After the game is a different story, with Ravena saying that the presence of these fellow Pinoys give him a slice of life back home.

      "For me, they're my family because my family hasn't even been to Japan yet. Seeing my Filipino brothers here just brings me closer to home, reminds me of home, and makes me feel at home whenever I'm with them. That's the closest thing to home for me, so it's always a great opportunity, it's always a great feeling cause I play with them too," he said.

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      "It's always fun. It's always good to catch up with all the Filipino guys out here before the game and after the game, so nothing but a great experience overall."

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      Dwight Ramos' Hokkaido get beaten twice by Thirdy Ravena's Neophoenix.
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