By MARK REY MONTEJO
Kai Sotto delivered another sterling performance but it wasn’t enough as the Kogishaya Alphas succumbed to the Akita Northern Happinets, 78-69, in the Japanese B.League at the CNA Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Sotto, 22, tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds – his fourth double-double output in seven games – along with four blocks in 34 minutes of play that was all put into waste as the Alphas sank deeper at the B1 standings with a 1-6 win-loss record.
Despite Akita seizing the early momentum, Sotto and his team made improbable stops and managed to come within striking distance, 41-37, before the break.
The 7-foot-3 Sotto even orchestrated an assault to give Kogishaya a 58-49 lead early in the fourth, before the Happinets regained the momentum with a 21-6 blitz to grab the 76-67 upperhand — enough to lead them to the win.
In other games, AJ Edu and the Nagasaki Velca squeaked past Bobby Ray Parks and the Osaka Evessa, 81-79.
Edu had a quiet six points on top of three rebounds and two assists for Nagasaki, which improved to 5-2.
Parks, meanwhile, had 21 points in a losing cause as Osaka absorbed its third straight defeat for 4-3.
