Kiefer Ravena celebrates two remarkable achievements after clinching victory in the Japan B.League’s B2 and now in the 43rd William Jones Cup.
2024 is definitely shaping up to be one of Kiefer Ravena’s best years yet.
After clinching the Japan B.League’s B2 championship with the Shiga Lakes, Ravena and the Strong Group-Pilpinas captured the 43rd William Jones Cup title against the feisty Chinese Taipei-A team via overtime, 83-79, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan over the weekend.
[Related: Strong Group survives Chinese Taipei-A in OT, claims Philippines' seventh Jones Cup crown]
Kiefer rose to the occasion during crunch time, spearheading a pivotal 12-4 run that was punctuated by a corner three-pointer with 13.2 seconds left in regulation. Strong Group managed to hold on to the victory in extra time, becoming the seventh Philippine team to win the Jones Cup.
“2 International Championships this 2024 😌 When no one else believed, God Did!!!!!! To everyone who didn’t, thank you for always pushing me to be better. You guys are the Best!” Ravena posted on Instagram.
“To All my teammates, you guys are special. We all understood how it took to win. It wasn't all beautiful but we stuck to it. Stayed the course and Eventually Won it all. 💯💯💯💯💯 Thank you Shiga and @stronggroupathl,” he added.
Strong Group-Pilipinas successfully completed the 8-0 sweep of the tournament, scoring the first William Jones Cup win for the Philippines since 2019.
“Lastly, I thought it was luck.. until I did it again,” Kiefer said as he takes another trophy this year.
It wasn’t luck, but his relentless dedication and unwavering perseverance brought Kiefer to securing two international championships in 2024.