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FILE – Hiroshima Fireflies’ Kai Sotto in Japan B.League. -PHOTO B.LIGA
MANILA, Philippines – Kai Sotto poured in 20 points to lead the Hiroshima Dragonflies past Matthew Wright and the Kyoto Hannaryz, 102-95, in the 2022-23 B.League season on Wednesday at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall.
The 7-foot-3 center shot 9-of-14 from the field and had eight rebounds and one steal in 23 minutes of action as a starter to snap Hiroshima’s two-game skid.
“I’m happy to be in this team..I’m so happy that I got my first home win tonight,” Sotto told the fans.
Kerry Blackshear Jr. also shined for the Dragonflies with 17 points and eight rebounds. Ryo Terashima scored 16 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, while Nick Mayo also scored 16 and dished out five assists to improve his team’s record to 29-11.
Sotto destroyed his compatriot, Matthew Wright’s hot shooting night with seven three-pointers.
Wright finished with 26 points, eight assists, two rebounds, and two steals in 36 minutes of action, while Cheick Diallo had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The second win in Kyoto was thrown away when the record was 16-24 with Hiroshima confirming their dominance from the first meeting last November when they won, 81-74.
Meanwhile, Carl Tamayo finally made his B.League debut with five points, one rebound, and a steal as the Ryukyu Golden Kings pounced on the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins sans Ray Parks Jr., 79-74.
Tamayo, who was benched last week, shot 2-of-4 from the field in more than nine minutes.
Josh Duncan and Keito Imamura led the Golden Kings with 17 points apiece, while Jack Cooley posted 15 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists as they climbed to a 31-9 record.
Nagoya played with only eight players, missing Parks, as it fell to the card 27-13.
Coty Clarke led the Diamond Dolphins with 23 points and seven rebounds, as Scott Eatherton had 16 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
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