Hiroshima earn EASL postseason berth

c/o EASL

Half of the EASL Final Four field has been confirmed, as the Hiroshima Dragonflies blew out the San Miguel Beermen, 94-63, on Wednesday night at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza.

Nick Mayo and Keijiro Mitani each scored eighteen points to lead to the B.LEAGUE champions to their fourth win in five games in Group A. Kerry Blackshear Jr added a near triple-double with twelve points, fifteen rebounds, and nine assists, while also nabbing three steals.

Combined with the 69-61 victory of Hong Kong Eastern against Suwon KT Sonicboom, the results guaranteed a top-two finish for Hiroshima, which is good enough to secure entry into the postseason scheduled to take place in March.

They join fellow B.LEAGUE side Ryukyu Golden Kings, who locked in their berth last Christmas. The two best teams of the Japanese top flight will have the chance to keep the EASL title still in their nation's hands, following the achievement of the Chiba Jets last year.

Hiroshima caps off their pool play action hosting the Taoyuan Pilots on January 22.

As for the Beermen, the defeat keeps them winless in continental play this season, and with their fourth straight loss, effectively eliminates them from making the semifinals. Reinforcement Torren Jones led all scorers with 24 points and thirteen rebounds, while JuneMar Fajardo was the only other player in double figures with twelve and nine rebounds.

San Miguel will attempt to secure a win on January 15 when it hosts Hong Kong Eastern, and then complete their continental participation by traveling to Korea on February 12 to face Suwon.