In Saturday’s 90-72 thrashing of the Ibaraki Robots by the Hiroshima Dragonflies, Kai Sotto records his first double-double in the Japan B.League.
The 7-foot-2 big, who led Hiroshima in scoring with 21 points and 12 rebounds, is delivering on his pledge to increase his rebounding game.
Sotto demonstrated his dominance in the paint against Ibaraki by grabbing 7 offensive rebounds and supporting the defense with 3 blocked shots. Moreover, the 20-year-old made 8 of his 12 shots, good for an impressive 66% field goal percentage. The fact that he carved up that stat line in under 22 minutes maybe even more astounding.
Hiroshima is currently on a two-game winning run and has improved to 30 wins and 11 losses.
On Saturday in the B.League, another Filipino captured the attention. In his debut start, Carl Tamayo leads the Ryukyu Golden Kings to an 81-66 victory over the Shinshu Brave Warriors.
Ryukyu was led by former PBA import Allen Durham, who scored 26 points. Jack Cooley, his fellow import, contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds.
In 26 minutes of action, Tamayo, the team’s Asian import, made a little of everything. He had 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in the end. He, however, had a difficult time making free throws, going just 1-for-6.
The Golden Kings currently own a 32-9 record, keeping them ranked second in the West District.
