SUMMARY
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OKINAWA, Japan – For the second year in a row, Filipinos in the Japan B. League converged to play in a single game. And yet again, they showed their mastery of basketball in the region.
After all, these standouts were plucked from Manila to showcase their skills and help improve Japanese hoops.
The Filipinos showed who’s boss as the Asia All-Stars fended off the Rising Stars, 127-115, in the Japan B. League All-Star Weekend on Saturday, January 13, at the Okinawa Arena.
“Of course, we were so happy because we finished this one day that we Filipinos [here] have been waiting for…to come together and play and be teammates,” first-time All-Star RJ Abarrientos said after the game.
“We hope to see more of this [in the future].”
Fellow All-Star newbie Carl Tamayo of Ryukyu, showered with adulation by the hometown crowd, was the star of the show after firing 18 points and hauling 2 rebounds.
He also personally fended off the last-gasp Japanese comeback bid, nailing a triple with 31.4 seconds to play to make it 125-115, and a dunk to define the final score.
“I think my teammates gave me the chance to make those shots since it was my home court and I made them, and I’m happy for it,” said Tamayo.
“I just wanted to make shots and show the home crowd that I could score to make them happy too,” he continued.
Trailing by as many as 21 points in the third, the Rising Stars crept to within three, after Kai King caught fire in the payoff period.
His barrage of threes were enough to keep the game within striking distance, but the Asia All-Stars were as prepared to clap back with long bombs of their own.
King, albeit in a losing effort, led the way for the Japanese with 30 points, all of which came from a scintillating 10-of-17 clip from downtown.
Being an exhibition game, the game was not devoid of quirks and funny moments as coach Anthony McHenry decided to field in an all-guard lineup in the second quarter, and an all-big lineup to start the second half.
For the Asia All-Stars, Liu Chuanxing followed Tamayo with 15 points, while Abarrientos, who is playing in his first season in Japan, dished out 10 assists.
On the other hand, Hiroya Kawasanada contributed 21 markers for the Rising Stars.
The Scores
Asia All Stars 127 – Tamayo 18, Liu C. 15, Lee D. 11, Sotto 9, Slaughter 9, Lee S. 8, Wright 8, Adams 8, Parks 7, Ramos 6, Ravena K. 6, Ravena T. 5, Abarrientos 5, Yang 4, Jang 3, Wang 3, Liu J. 2.
Rising Stars 115 – King 30, Kawasada 21, Sadohara 14, Inoue 9, Kakuda 9, Sea 7, Okada 6, Ueda 4, Lio 4, Hachimura 4, Aratani 3, Yamaguchi 2, Yukawa 2, Watanabe 0.
Quarters: 29-26, 59-47, 94-75, 127-115.
— Rappler.com
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