The Ryukyu Golden Kings managed to hold on for a close home win over the Meralco Bolts in EASL action.
Meralco vs. Ryukyu could really be an emerging rivalry in the East Asia Super League.
The Golden Kings survived a late Meralco charge Wednesday at the Okinawa Arena, holding on for a 77-74 victory as they opened their campaign in the 2024-25 EASL season.
Using a strong second quarter, Ryukyu zoomed to a 16-point halftime lead, only to see the Bolts come back in the second half behind the combined efforts of DJ Kennedy, Chris Newsome, and Allen Durham.
Durham got Meralco as close to three points with a pair of free throws with 42 seconds left, but those free throws ended up sealing the final tally as the Bolts couldn’t connect on a game-trying shot to end the game.
Vic Law and Jack Cooley paced the Golden Kings with 18 points each, with Law also adding 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Ryukyu got its first win of the new EASL season, and also regained the lead over Meralco in EASL head-to-head matchups, 2-1.
Kennedy fired 30 points for the Bolts, a strong bounce-back game after struggling from the field during their first win at home over the Macau Black Bears.
Durham and Newsome added 18 each for Meralco, who dropped to 1-1.
In the other EASL game of the day, the Hiroshima Dragonflies got their first win of the season, stopping the visiting Hong Kong Eastern, 78-67.
The reigning B.LEAGUE champions were in control essentially the whole game, led by the versatile Kerry Blackshear Jr. who finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Nick Mayo added 14 points for Hiroshima, while Masato Ichikawa and Ryo Yamazaki were good for 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Former San Miguel Beermen import Cameron Clark led the fight for Hong Kong with 24 points in a losing effort. The former Bay Area Dragons duo of Glen Yang and Kobey Lam combined for just 15 points in starting roles.