Nearly two months after suffering a left ankle injury, Kai Sotto sustained an apparent left knee injury during Koshigaya’s match against Mikawa in the 2024-25 B.League Division 1 on Sunday at the Kariyashi Taiikukan Arena.
The 22-year-old center appeared to tweak his left knee at the 6:20 mark of the first quarter while attempting a post-up move against Seahorses’ Zach Auguste. Sotto fell to the floor and remained there for nearly three minutes before being stretchered off the court.
Sotto’s absence proved costly for the Alphas, who suffered their second consecutive defeat with a narrow 77-79 loss to the Seahorses.
In Sotto’s absence, American forward L.J. Peak stepped up, leading Koshigaya with 23 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
This setback comes after Sotto’s left ankle injury during his B.League debut against AJ Edu’s Nagasaki on November 7. Despite that injury, Sotto made a significant impact for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers from November 21 to 24, helping secure a perfect home stand that included a historic win over New Zealand and a dominant rout of Hong Kong.
Despite Koshigaya’s struggles this season with an 8-20 record, Sotto has been a bright spot, averaging 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.7 steals in 28.1 minutes per game.
Elsewhere in the B.League, Dwight Ramos rebounded from a lackluster performance to lead Levanga Hokkaido to a 70-64 win over Chiba, snapping a five-game losing streak at the LaLaPort TOKYO-BAY Arena. After managing just one rebound in 12 minutes in their previous game, Ramos delivered 17 points, three rebounds, and one assist in 19 minutes and 33 seconds of play.
Meanwhile, Ray Parks Jr.’s all-around effort helped Osaka bounce back with a convincing 94-83 win over Kyoto at the Kataoka Arena Kyoto. Coming off an 83-94 loss to the Hannaryz the night before, Parks contributed nine points, five assists, four rebounds, and one steal in 31 minutes and 43 seconds, improving the Evessa’s record to 15-13.
In another notable matchup, Matthew Wright powered Kawasaki to a 77-71 victory against Sendai at the Kawasaki Todoroki Arena. Wright led the Brave Thunders with 20 points, three rebounds, three steals, and one assist, lifting Kawasaki to a 7-21 record.
Kiefer Ravena also shone for Yokohama in their commanding 90-67 win over AJ Edu’s Nagasaki at the Happiness Arena. Ravena paced the B-Corsairs with 21 points, three assists, two rebounds, and one steal. Edu, on the other hand, was limited to three points, four rebounds, one steal, and one block in 21 minutes of action. The win marked Yokohama’s second straight victory, improving their record to 11-17, while Nagasaki dropped its third consecutive game to fall to 14-14.
In Division 2, Roosevelt Adams put up a solid all-around performance, but Yamagata still fell short in a narrow 79-86 loss to Shizuoka at the Hamamatsu Arena. Adams contributed 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal as the Wyverns suffered their second straight loss, dropping to a 12-18 record.
Meanwhile, the struggles continued for Geo Chiu and the Ehime Orange Vikings, who absorbed a lopsided 76-102 defeat against Kagoshima at the Iyo Citizen Gymnasium. Chiu was held scoreless in 26 minutes but managed to grab four rebounds and dish out one assist. The Orange Vikings remain anchored at the bottom of the standings with a dismal 1-29 record.
