In his second game with Hiroshima, Kai Sotto showed the way.
Sotto and the Dragonflies survived a late flurry by Matthew Wright and Kyoto, notching a 102-95 victory in the 2022-23 B.League Season on Wednesday at Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall.
The 7-foot-3 Sotto tallied 20 points, eight rebounds, and one steal in his first home game. The win also marked the end of the team’s two-game skid and raised their record to 29-11.
The match was not without challenges, as =Wright put on a stellar performance, shooting 7-of-9 from beyond the arc for a game-high 26 points. The former Phoenix Fuel Masters guard also registered eight assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
Although Wright and the Hannaryz made a late surge in the final minutes of the game, Hiroshima’s Naoto Tsuji sank a cold-blooded triple to give the Dragonflies a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In addition to Sotto’s impressive showing, five other players contributed double figures, including Kerry Blackshear Jr. with 17 points; Ryo Terashima and Nick Mayo adding 16 points each; Tsuji chipping in 13 points, and Dwayne Evans II tallying 11.
Check Diallo added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the 16-24 Hannaryz.
Meanwhile, Carl Tamayo finally made his on-court debut for Ryukyu, contributing five points, one rebound, and one steal in the team’s 79-74 victory over Nagoya at Okinawa Arena.
Tamayo finished with five points on 2-of-4 shooting, a rebound, and a steal as the Golden Kings went up to 31-9.
Bobby Ray Parks did not play for the 27-13 Diamond Dolphins.
In other games, Shibuya (19-21) defeated San-En (17-23), 81-78, at Toyohashi City Gymnasium with Thirdy Ravena contributing ten points, six rebounds, seven assists, and one steal.
Chiba (36-4) secured a 94-80 win over Hokkaido (10-30) at Funabashi Arena, with Dwight Ramos contributing eight points, four rebounds, and one assist.
Finally, Osaka (19-21) secured a 101-71 win over Shiga (5-35) at Shiga Daihatsu Arena, although Kiefer Ravena didn’t score any points, he still contributed five rebounds, two assists, and one block.
