Kiefer Ravena showed his veteran wares in his B.League debut.
Kiefer was the steady presence Shiga needed in storming back from 22 down to stun his brother Thirdy and San-En and open their 2021-22 B.League campaign on a high note, 93-83, Saturday evening at the Ukaruchan Arena.
Kiefer, who came off the bench, tallied 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field with eight assists and three steals with no turnovers.
Photo from San-En NeoPhoenix
And Kiefer’s calm was particularly important when the Lakestars faced a 37-59 deficit with 7:41 left in the third canto.
Slowly, the Lakestars chopped through the lead, eventually cutting the lead down to 11 entering the final frame.
Behind Kiefer’s floor generalship, Shiga went on a 21-0 spurt to gain an 82-74 lead with 3:49 left much to the delight of the fans inside the venue.
Kiefer made sure to keep his big men happy.
British import Ovie Soko 18 points — 11 in the final frame — and 11 rebounds; Sean O’Mara added 17 points and nine rebounds; while Novar Gadson tallied 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Photo from Shiga Lakestars
Thirdy, who is in his second year with NeoPhoenix, had 11 points, six rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Majority of his production came during San-En strong first half.
New NeoPhoenix import Elias Harris had 19 points and nine rebounds while former Fukuoka guard Shota Tsuyama had 15 points built on two triples.
Thirdy looks to knot up the series tomorrow at 1:05PM.
