report
To the top – the next stage is Hitachi High-Tech
Win the final home game of the season
Yamanashi Queen Beads 76-55 Niigata Albirex BB Rabbits
(January 25, 2026/Niigata Albirex BB Rabbits)
“The second game against Niigata will be a completely different team. Everyone knew that going into the game.”
After the game, Aika Watanabe, the oldest member of the team, had the experience of suffering several tough losses against Niigata in the second game.
Tokyo Electron Nirasaki Arena was packed with fans and boosters from away from home. With the cheers behind them, Niigata stepped up their attack and defense from the beginning and closed in on the Queen Bees.
The game didn’t go as planned, unlike yesterday.
Today’s victory, which they achieved while rebuilding their game under such circumstances, was a big win that secured them the culmination of this season’s remaining four games and the right to challenge for the top that could be seen beyond that.
The first score of the first quarter was Darameh Malem Doi. Nana Katayama and Saki Ikeda added points with two quick attacks from turnovers to make it 6-2. Once the Queen Bees got the ball rolling, Niigata called their first timeout with 7 minutes and 16 seconds remaining.
From then on, the Queen Bees created second chances from offensive rebounds and scored points, but they also lost the right to attack due to pressure from Niigata’s defense, allowing a point and making it 14-9 with 3 minutes and 24 seconds remaining.
At this point, head coach Sachiko Ishikawa took a timeout. Early in the morning, Mina Kaminaga scored 3 points and brought the momentum back.
21-13 in the first quarter. Queen Bees finished with an 8 point lead.
In the second quarter, Komaga’s two consecutive 3-pointers widened the lead to 27-14. However, for about two minutes after this, the Queenbees stopped scoring. From there, Dafe Hadi made a great move, and with 5 minutes and 25 seconds remaining, Niigata timed out when he scored consecutive points to make the score 31-16. They didn’t give up the lead after that, and the first half ended 44-23.
From the 1st quarter to the 2nd quarter, Komaga’s 3 points and Hadi’s score that broke the stagnation in the 2nd quarter were the factors that kept the game from changing. The first half ended with a 21 point lead.
In the third quarter, Queen Bees’ scoring was a little sluggish, allowing Niigata to score three points at key points. The score was 52-31 with 3 minutes and 26 seconds remaining, and the lead, which had at one point reached 25 points, was cut to 21 points.
At this point, Sakata and Hadi entered the court. Niigata tried to catch up, but Hadi continued to score and the third quarter ended at 56-38. Heading into the final 4th quarter with an 18 point difference.
In the 4th quarter, Niigata scored a lot of points right from the start, and Niigata scored 6 points in about 2 minutes from 9:30 left. The lead was narrowed to 13 points, 58-39 to 58-45.
The Queen Bees called a timeout with 7 minutes and 42 seconds left. Early in the morning the ball moved and Malem scored to make it 60-45. This time, Niigata called a timeout (7 minutes and 18 seconds left). After that, two 3-pointers by Niigata brought the gap to 11 points.
With 4:05 left, Katayama’s 3-pointer made it 66-51. Niigata timed out here.
Immediately after this, head coach Ishikawa decided that “Niigata came with a small lineup, so we needed more mobility on both the defensive and offensive sides” and sent Sakata to the court. For the first time this season, Ikeda and Sakata will be used together in a two-guard style to change the flow. With the addition of more ball handlers, the Queen Bees’ offense has regained its vitality, and with Niigata’s foul troubles compounded, they have steadily added points.
They did not give up the lead and the final score was 76-55. Although there was a time when they were caught up, they were able to overtake Niigata again and finished their last home game of the season with two consecutive wins against Niigata, and a total of five consecutive wins.
The usual ending microphone for home games.
Today was the last home game of the season, so head coach Sachiko Ishikawa and captain Momoko Inoue stood to greet the team and spoke of their determination and readiness for the remaining four games, saying, “We will fight without giving up until the very end to achieve our goal of winning the championship.”
Afterwards, the players circled the court and waved to the fan boosters. Over 900 spectators cheered loudly, and the arena became a farewell party for the Queen Bees, who will play four away games in order to achieve their goal.
After the match, Aika Watanabe talked about the difficulty of the second match against Niigata, which I introduced at the beginning, and concluded her conversation with the following.
“When I first came to Yamanashi, we were always chasing the one win that was right in front of us, but now we’re in a position where we can aim for the championship.I think we’ve come this far thanks to a lot of people, and I feel like everyone on the team has figured out how to win.It’s difficult to win the championship if we don’t improve each game.Of course we want to win, but we also want to improve every day and fight with everyone in the remaining four games to win the championship.”
What kind of growth will the Queen Bees show in the remaining four games?
The “Battle of Kawanakajima 2020” is over, and this season’s Queen Bees Theater is finally entering its final act.
The next round, against Hitachi High-Tech, will begin in five days.
Head coach/player talk
Sachiko Ishikawa Head Coach
It turned out to be different from yesterday. There were times when we were pushed back by the opponent’s tough defense and energetic attack, but I’m glad that we were able to come out with a solid victory in the end.
The starting players had a hard time attacking the ring, and even in the second half, there were some things that could not be corrected. However, the members who started on the bench got into a good rhythm and scored points from the first half. I think that was a big gain for us as a team.
We used Ikeda and Sakata together in the fourth quarter, but since Niigata came with a small lineup, we decided that we needed more mobility on both the defensive and offensive sides. I used it as a combination in practice, so I thought it would be no problem, so I used it. Ikeda was a little tired at times, so Sakata supported him.
We want to focus on what we need to do first to win the championship and get promoted to the Premier League. For our next match against Hitachi High-Tech, unlike Niigata, we are a team with size, so I think we need to respond to that and make adjustments to our offense, which didn’t score as many points last time.
This season, we have been working on a tough defense and a team offense that connects with that. I want to do my best in the remaining games as well. It’s best when both the ball and the players are moving, so we will play against Hitachi High-Tech with an eye toward an offense that involves the entire team.
Thank you very much for your enthusiastic support over the past two days.
I want to fight until the end without giving up to reach my goal of winning the championship.
captainMomoko Inoue
Today’s match was different from yesterday’s, as there were several periods throughout the 40 minutes where Niigata’s fierce defense and attacks made them difficult. There were times when we couldn’t recover on our own on the court and were able to make corrections only after taking a timeout, so I think that’s something we need to reflect on.
The opponent was switching against screens, and the pressure on rebounds and ballmen was stronger than yesterday. There were many times when we were forced to play outside the three-point line, which was a tough part. I think our challenge was to receive the ball in a good shooting area and create chances.
The reasons for the increase in goals conceded were that our offense didn’t finish well, resulting in many breaks or outnumbers, and there were many mismatches and cases where we were beaten one-on-one. First of all, I want to make sure we have a common understanding that we will defend one-on-one and if we are overtaken, we will defend as a team.
On the offensive side, I think it’s important to fight and receive the ball in a good position, rather than being pushed up by the opponent’s pressure. First, I felt that I needed to be conscious of attacking the ring, starting with one-on-one attacks and then connecting them to two-on-two and three-on-three situations.
With only a few games left, I think the most important thing is to win, more than anything else. As a team, we see it as a positive that we were able to win these two games in a row, but it was a game where we had a lot to reflect on. I would like to make some adjustments to that and prepare for the next high-tech battle. The next two games will be the real challenge, so I want to prepare well this week so that I can win there.
Although it was our final home game, I could really feel the enthusiasm of all the Yamanashi boosters, as they cheered us on even during difficult times. There are so many people who are rooting for us and wishing us a victory, and we are happy to be playing. We will be away for the rest of the match, but I will keep the support in my heart and do my best to repay the favor with a result.
Saki Ikeda
There were some parts where it was difficult to play the game today. On defense, there were times when we were hit by our opponents with poor judgment, and there were times when we couldn’t get rebounds or get shots of our own. However, we were still able to play defense while always calling out to each other when it came to winning, so I think that was a good thing.
In the final stages of the match, I stood on the court with Sakata when the score was narrowed, but I continued to do what I normally do. It was reassuring to have Sakata with me, and it was very easy for me to play as a guard. Even on defense, there were times when I was able to hit from the front and get a steal, so I think that was a positive outcome.
We sometimes team up in pairs in practice, and this was the first time we used them together in an official game, but I think we were able to do exactly what we normally do.
There are only four games left, and we believe it is our job to demonstrate what we have been doing all year long in the final four games. I want to make sure to prepare for that from now on.
Mina Superior
I think the most important part of my job is to continue hitting three-pointers as a shooter. My role is to continue to make solid attempts for the players who drove me and the players who passed me the ball.
The shots we got in the first half forced the defense to come closer to us, and in the second half, our drives became more effective. From there, I can aim for shots myself, and I had a lot of help today, so I think I was able to create situations where I could get assists.
If we face an opponent like Hitachi High-Tech in the next match, we will have to fight as a team, not as individuals. I kept that in mind, and played with an emphasis on assists while combining with various players. I think that led to a good outcome in the end.
During regular practice, the team understands how each player will play. As a result of building the ball with the image in mind that this person will hit here, this person will match here, I think we were able to coordinate well with the center fielders today and it came together in a good way.
Aika Watanabe celebrates her birthday today
We all knew going into the match that Niigata would be a completely different team on the second day. In fact, there were some periods in the midfield where we made mistakes and mistakes by our defense, and the flow was slow, but I think it was good that the whole team corrected those issues and was able to come out with a win.
When our opponent used a small lineup, we made defensive mistakes and were easily defeated in one-on-one situations, so we decided to “defend with everyone.” There were times when we had to play individually on offense, so we shared the idea that we should play as a team as well.
We talked about continuing what we did well in yesterday’s game, where everyone played aggressive defense, and rather than making any major changes, we were conscious of continuing what we did well. There were times when we weren’t able to create a gap when the ball was switched, resulting in a difficult shot, but when a player who could attack came in, we were able to break it down and create an unmarked area, so I think having such a player helped us overcome the situation.
I’m honestly happy that we were able to finish our final home match with two consecutive wins. We believe we can’t win the championship unless we win all of our remaining games, so it was good to start off with two consecutive wins at home.
For the remaining four games, we have to do what we have been doing for 40 minutes, and we have a strong desire to win.
When I first came to Yamanashi after transferring from Niigata, I had a season where I was chasing just the one win that was right in front of me, but now I am in a position where I can aim for the championship. I think we were able to get this far thanks to a lot of people, and I feel like everyone on the team has figured out how to win. It will be difficult to win the championship if we don’t improve each game, so of course we want to win, but we also want to improve every day and play as a team in the remaining four games to win the championship.
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