Kiefer Ravena provided the key baskets as the Shiga Lakestars swept their two-game series with the Ibaraki Robots following an 85-77 win in the 2021-22 Japan B.League Sunday at the Ukaruchan Arena.
The Filipino import, who tallied 11 points, two rebounds and eight assists, knocked in a pair of baskets in the last five minutes to help slow down a Robots’ comeback.
Ravena’s final shot came with 2:22 remaining and allowed the Lakestars to gain a 76-72 cushion.
His earlier heroics kept his team up by six, 71-65, with 4:15 to go.
The Lakestars, who brought down the Robots, 93-88, last Saturday, went on to post their third win in four games in a tie with Shimane, Hiroshima D. and Rykyu in the Western Conference.
The Lakestars, who drew 17 points from Tomomasa Ozawa, grabbed an eight-point cushion at the end of the game off a pair of freebies from Novar Gadson and Sean Omara.
The winless Robots, with Rosco Allen scoring 16, missed Filipino import Javi Gomez de Liaño, Ibaraki’s Asian Quota Player, who is said to be quitting from the team. The Filipino player is still in quarantine, but will head home soon to grieve for a grandfather, who died last week.
Meanwhile, the Sanen NeoPhoenix bucked a great performance put up by Pinoy import Kobe Paras to bounce back from its Saturday setback to the same team with a 85-82 win over Niigata Airbex.
Robert Carter and Thirdy Ravena powered the NeoPhoenix with 22 and 13 points respectively, to help lift Sanen to eighth spot at 2-2.
In their first game, Rosco Allen and Paras knocked in 23 and 21 points as the Airbex posted a 77-64 win.
In Game 2, Allen led with 24 points, while Paras was held to 11 points.
Morihisa Yamauchi shot the winning basket for the NeoPhoenix in the final five seconds.