By NIKOLE JAVIER
Carl Tamayo shone brilliantly in his debut in Japan B.League’s All-Star Weekend after steering Asia All-Stars past Rising Stars, 127-115, on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Okinawa Arena.
The Ryukyu Golden Kings player erupted for a team-high 18 points including the final slam of the game to go with three rebounds and an assist to survive local Kai King’s 30-point explosion on the losing end.
The sophomore import and former University of the Philippines standout was the only Pinoy who breached the double-digit mark as Chuan Shin Ryu and Lee Dae Sung had 15 and 11 points, respectively, in the team’s balanced scoring.
Fukuoka Rizing Zephyr’s Greg Slaughter from the B2 division contributed nine points while Nagoya Dolphins’ Ray Parks Jr. added seven markers.
Yokohama B-Corsairs Kai Sotto and San-En NeoPhoenix’s Thirdy Ravena, for their parts, put on a show with a couple of highlight dunks to eventually finish with nine and five markers, respectively.
Levanga Hokkaido’s Dwight Ramos, who captained the Asian import crew, scored six points in the Filipino-dominated roster.
First-timer RJ Abarrientos of the Shinshu Brave Warriors, who had five points, highlighted his maiden stint with 10 assists and four rebounds.
Though the Asian All-Stars led for most of the game, they had to overcome a late startle from the Rising Stars as King fired shots from beyond the arc towards the end of the match.
It is not the first time that a handful of Filipino players took the driver’s seat in the All-Star weekend as Matthew Wright similarly led the squad to the victory last year.
