Aisin forward J.R. Sakuragi had a game-high 23 points, including two key free throws in the final minute, to lift the SeaHorses to a 66-61 victory over the Hitachi Sunrockers in Game 1 of the JBL playoff semifinals at Yoyogi Gymnasium No. 2 on Saturday. Aisin, the two-time defending champion, made 51.1 percent of its shots from the field. The Sunrockers shot 38.8 percent.
In the other semifinal matchup, Panasonic forward Jerald Honeycutt came up with 20 points in just 20-plus minutes as the Trians defeated the Link Tochigi Brex 91-81 in the first game of their series. Yuta Tabuse scored a team-high 16 points for the Brex.
The semifinal round features best-of-three series.
