Juan Gomez de Liaño and Tokyo Z earned their biggest win so far in the 2021-22 B.League Division II tournament, stunning Yamagata, 72-63, Monday at the Omori Sports Center.
Behind the trio of Gomez de Liaño, Eddy Norelia, and Joshua Crawford, Earthfriends got off to a hot start. They raced to a 15-2 lead and never looked back.
Norelia scored 12 of his 22 points in the opening frame while also finishing the game with 13 rebounds and two assists.
The Wyverns were still able to chop the lead down in the third canto. But steady free throw shooting from Kotaro Hisaoka and Shinya Takagi fended off Yamagata’s rally.
Tokyo Z rose to 2-14 – 13th in the 14-team tournament.
Crawford had 19 points five rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Meanwhile, Gomez de Liaño scattered four points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Hisaoka added 10 points, six coming from the charity stripe.
The Wyverns, who fell to 10-6, were led by the 17 points and six rebounds of Jawad Williams. Seiji Kouno added 13 points, while Kenny Lawson notched a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
The two squads face off again tomorrow at 6:00 PM.
