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Golden Kings lose a pair in KyotoDate Posted: 2012-04-06  The Ryukyu Golden Kings are in shock. They knew going up against the second-ranked team in the Eastern Conference wouldn’t be a cakewalk, but they weren’t prepared for the Kyoto Hannaryz to dump them 83-76 on Saturday. With the season down to its last couple of weekends, the Golden Kings figured on a better Sunday, but the Hannaryz held on for a 79-75 win. For a team used to dominating, it was a stunning weekend. Anthony McHenry, Dzaflo Larkai and Narito Namizato each had only 13 points for Okinawa on Saturday, and only Naoto Kosuge with 19 had a bright Sunday. Normal team leaders Dillion Sneed and Anthony McHenry each scored only 11. The Golden Kings are already playoffs-bound, but that wasn’t the point. Okinawa slips to 34-12, and are 17-7 on the road. What hurt Sunday was going only 50% --8-for-16—from the free throw line. Kyoto’s stock continued to soar, posting a 28-16 record as they chase the Eastern Division leading Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix, who have a 30-13 record. The Osaka Evessa, who hold second place in the Western Conference, split a series with the Miyazaki Shining Suns. With an 83-61 drubbing by the Shining Suns on Saturday, Osaka squeezed by on Sunday to win 93-90, and protect a 30-14 record. To the north, the Phoenix pushed their record to 31-13 with wins over the Akita Northern Happinets, 92-81 and 85-71. The Happinets are still eyeballing the playoffs with their 29-19 record. Elsewhere, the Iwate Big Bulls wrapped up a series with the Chiba Jets with an 85-78 win. Neither team is in the playoffs hunt. The red hot Saitama Broncos rallied Sunday after being spanked hard on Saturday, when they lost 101-61 to the Sendai 89ers. On Sunday, Saitama found its shooting range and pulled off an 82-69 win, showing that despite their 12-31 record, worst in the league’s 10-team Eastern Conference, they still can play basketball. The Toyama Grouses split a series with the Susanoo Magic, winning 72-61 and losing Sunday 75-70. The Shimane Susanoo Magic holds a 24-22 record, still hoping for a playoffs berth. The Shinshu Brave Warriors were on top of their game, easily outpacing the league’s worst team, the Takamatsu Five Arrows, with 94-86 and 92-81 wins. Shinshu’s now 17-27, while the Five Arrows are 2-42. The Shiga Lakestars swept a pair from the Oita HeatDevils, 82-80 and 87-70, to improve to 28-16. The Fukuoka Rizing also swept their series with the Niigata Albirex BB with 97-94 and 73-72 wins. |
   
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