Ryukyu succeeds in its plan to stop Sina Vahedi and Justin Brownlee, and is thus headed straight to the EASL semis by virtue of finishing the group phase as the top seed.
The Ryukyu Golden Kings' plan was to stop Sina Vahedi and Justin Brownlee Wednesday night, Feb. 11.
They did just that when they hammered out an 88-79 win over Meralco that sent them directly to the semifinals of the East Asia Super League at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
“Our key concept was to stop Vahedi. There was a couple of shots he made, but overall, we did a very good job in defending him,” said Ryukyu head coach Dai Oketani through an interpreter.
Meralco Bolts' Sina Vahedi goes for the basket. | Photo: RM Chua/One Sports
Widely recognized as the next big thing in Asia at the guard position, Vahedi was limited to just 10 points as he made only two field goals.
The Iranian reinforcement ended up posting a -14 for the Bolts, who was eliminated from the regional tourney, which also serves as a qualifier for the Basketball Champions League Asia.
Gilas Pilipinas hero Brownlee could not do much as well when the Bolts fell to an early 17-point deficit, finishing with just 12 points on a dismal 3-for-13 shooting.
[RELATED STORY: Brownlee feels Pinoys' support as he reps Meralco: 'Best fans in the world']
Behind Ismael Romero’s 24 points, Meralco mounted a comeback, but it was not enough.
“Like I said, offensively, we had a very good start, especially with a lot of paint touches that created a lot of open shots. Luckily, we made those shots too,” said Oketani.
“You guys know our No. 15, Yoshiyuki Matsuwaki, set the tone very well. Defensively, we needed to stop No. 32 Brownlee, as well as No. 3 Vahedi.”
[ALSO READ: Jason Brickman glad to get his feet wet with Meralco in EASL before PBA debut]
Now, Oketani and his charges will resume their Japan B.LEAGUE campaign as they await their foe in the EASL semis.
They lead Group B action with a superior 5-1 mark.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.