Saga Ballooners — Hiroshima Dragonflies: 87:100, B League

Hiroshima Dragonflies claimed a 100-87 victory over Sagas Ballooners in B League action on Thursday, 25 September. The away side secured the win in front of their home crowd, shifting the balance between two closely matched opponents. Both teams had played 60 games each before this fixture.

Sagas Ballooners sit sixth in the standings with 32 wins and 28 defeats. Hiroshima Dragonflies occupy seventh place, one win behind but with a single additional loss. The gap between them remains minimal at this stage of the season.

The home side entered the match with mixed recent form. They had beaten Akita twice in early May, 87-70 and 85-72, but suffered losses to Okinawa Golden Kings and Nagoya Diamond Dolphins in late April. Those defeats came by margins of five and fourteen points respectively.

Hiroshima's last five outings showed greater volatility. They lost both matches against Toyama Graysoes in early May, by ten and seven points. Prior to that, they dropped two games to Chiba and recorded a solitary win against Siga in late April.

The result does not dramatically alter either team's position in the table. Both sides remain separated by a single game in the standings, with identical point totals listed. The victory gives Hiroshima a narrow psychological advantage over their nearest rival.