Sendai’s Culver has the destructive power and tops the scoring list.
The Sendai 89ERS (16 wins, 12 losses), who had a good record of 8 wins and 2 losses in the 10 games played in December, will take on the Utsunomiya Brex (23 wins, 5 losses), who took the lead after the previous round, at home. The Saga Ballooners (14 wins, 14 losses), who are riding high with five consecutive wins in the West Region, will face the Gunma Crane Sanders (18 wins, 10 losses), who are ranked 4th in the West Region.
For Sendai, Jarrett Culver has been leading the team in scoring with an average of 24.9 points. He is a slasher who is difficult to stop once he hits a hit, as he has a wide shooting range that allows him to not only score from drives with his high 1on1 skills, but also make deep threes. Inside player Nathan Booth also supports Sendai’s offense, with a 3-point shooting success rate of 44.5%, tops in the league at the center position, and a free throw success rate of 94.6%.
Utsunomiya is currently on a five-game winning streak and jumped into the lead in the previous round. DJ Newbill is leading the offense with an average of 19.4 points and a league-leading 6.9 assists, but what makes that possible is probably the defense. It is well known that Shinji Takashima and Atsuya Ogawa, who returned in December, are holding down key players, but having veteran Yusuke Endo, who was also selected for the Best Defender Award, as their backup is a big help. With him in the back, Takashima and Ogawa can play aggressively, and Newbill can focus on offense.
Will Sendai be able to use Culver’s offensive power as a weapon to penetrate Utsunomiya’s defense? Also, their winning percentage at home is over 70%, so it will be interesting to see if they can pull off a victory with the support of their boosters.
Saga has high expectations for the Japanese trio of Kanemaru, Abe, and Tsunoda
Saga, which is ranked 7th in the West Region, had a losing streak, but has now returned its winning percentage to 50%. The driving force behind this is the Japanese trio of Kosuke Kanamaru, Ryo Abe, and Taiki Tsunoda. Kanemaru is 36 years old, and so far has reigned as the top shooter in the league with a 3-point shooting success rate of 46.5%. Since Abe transferred to Saga, he has regained his original scoring ability and has become the core of the offense. Tsunoda, a local player, is also a shooting guard, but averages 6.3 assists, which is the team’s top number, and the team is supported by the efforts of these three players.
Gunma has Trey Jones and Johannes Thiemann on the injured list, and Ko Flippin is also facing a difficult roster situation due to injury to the lateral collateral ligament of his left ankle. Under such circumstances, Terrence Woodberry, who joined midway through the match, contributed to the team in the previous round’s three-way game, scoring 21 points in Game 1 and 18 points in Game 2. In addition, ace Kelly Blackshear Jr. is leading the team in the major statistical categories of points, rebounds, and assists, supporting the current results.
Saga wants to keep up their winning streak here and compete against the top teams in the West Region. Gunma is tied with Alvark Tokyo in terms of winning percentage, and they must defeat Saga, who are doing well in enemy territory, in order to stay in the standings.
[B1 Section 18 Schedule]
■January 3rd
14:00 Ryukyu vs Mikawa @Okinawa Suntory Arena
14:05 Sendai vs Utsunomiya @Xebio Arena Sendai
14:05 Chiba J vs Toyama＠LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY
14:05 Osaka vs Koshigaya @Ookini Arena Maishima
14:05 Saga vs Gunma @SAGA Arena
15:05 A Chiba vs Shimane @Chiba Port Arena
15:05 A Tokyo vs Hiroshima @TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO
15:05 Sanen vs Akita @Toyohashi City General Gymnasium
15:05 Kyoto vs Nagoya D @Kyoto City Gymnasium
15:05 Nagasaki vs Yokohama BC @Happiness Arena
17:05 SR Shibuya vs FE Nagoya @ Aoyama Gakuin Memorial Hall
17:05 Kawasaki vs Hokkaido @Tokyu Dresse Todoroki Arena
17:05 Shiga vs Ibaraki @Shiga Daihatsu Arena
■January 4th
14:00 Ryukyu vs Mikawa @Okinawa Suntory Arena
14:05 Sendai vs Utsunomiya @Xebio Arena Sendai
14:05 Chiba J vs Toyama＠LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY
14:05 SR Shibuya vs FE Nagoya @ Aoyama Gakuin Memorial Hall
14:05 Shiga vs Ibaraki @Shiga Daihatsu Arena
14:05 Kyoto vs Nagoya D @Kyoto City Gymnasium
14:05 Osaka vs Koshigaya @Ookini Arena Maishima
14:05 Saga vs Gunma @SAGA Arena
15:05 A Chiba vs Shimane @Chiba Port Arena
15:05 A Tokyo vs Hiroshima @TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO
15:05 Kawasaki vs Hokkaido @Tokyu Dresse Todoroki Arena
15:05 Sanen vs Akita @Toyohashi City General Gymnasium
15:05 Nagasaki vs Yokohama BC @Happiness Arena
