Filipino imports such as AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos, Ray Parks, and Francis Lopez go against each other in during the Wednesday action at the Japan B.LEAGUE.
AJ Edu and the Gunma Crane Thunders faced off against Dwight Ramos’ Levanga Hokkaido in the B.LEAGUE, with Gunma taking the victory, 99-72, at the Open House Arena.
Gunma slowly but surely built their lead with Trey Mckinney Jones leading the pack with 22 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and one steal for back-to-back wins for the Crane Thunders for a 3-2 slate for the year.
Edu was able to hold his own, finishing with six points, nine rebounds, and six assists in 24 minutes of action in the victory.
Meanwhile, Ramos finished with six points and two assists in the losing effort for Hokkaido, who are now 3-2 after seeing their three game win streak snapped.
Elsewhere, Ray Parks Jr. struggled but the Osaka Evessa got the victory, 87-73, over the Fighting Eagles Nagoya at the Biwajima Sports Center.
Parks finished with just three points and six rebounds in a night where he shot 1-of-8 from the field.
Matt Bonds did the heavy lifting in scoring for Osaka with 22 markers, seven boards, and three assists in 28 minutes of action.
Fighting Eagles' Filipino import Francis Lopez had six points, two rebounds, and one assist in the losing effort.
Osaka and Nagoya both tout a 2-3 slate for the 2025-26 B. League season so far.
In the other games, Kiefer Ravena’s Yokohama B-Corsairs lost against the Koshigaya Alphas, 72-70, at the Preferential Security Hiratsuka Gymnasium.
Ravena had four points, three rebounds, and two assists in a loss that send Yokohama to their third straight loss at 2-3. Koshigaya, meanwhile, tallied their first win for the year after losing their first four assignments.
Jamie Malonzo, for his part, had little contributions in an 82-57 loss for the Kyoto Hannaryz against the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.