Kai Sotto and Carl Tamayo are looking forward to their next encounter after failing to share the court during the battle between the Hiroshima Dragonflies and Ryukyu Golden Kings in the Japan B. League Wednesday night at the Okinawa Arena.

The 7-foot-2 Sotto rued the missed opportunity of playing with Tamayo after his Gilas Pilipinas teammate was benched during the Dragonflies’ 86-78 victory.

Sotto, for his part, started the game and logged 10 points, three blocks, two rebounds and a steal in 19 minutes of action.

“To be honest, I’m just excited for this next game because I felt good in this game, even though that it wasn’t my best game. That wasn’t our best game,” Sotto said during the availability session with Philippine media.

Tamayo, meanwhile, said he doesn’t have any hard feeling over his squad’s decision to stick to the game plan.

“I think the team played really well. We kept our composure. The game plan that Coach Dai (Oketani) told us, my teammates really did well,” Tamayo, who is fresh from an impressive stint in the East Asia Super League Champions Week, said.

“They were focusing on a game plan defense, especially on transition defense. We had good ball movement and they had a really great game today.”

Tamayo added that he will do everything to prove that he deserves to be inside the court.

“I just came here. I understand Coach Dai, you need to gain his trust to be able to play on the court. I’ll just keep working hard, so I’ll be prepared anytime if Coach Dai needs me,” he said.

Still, Sotto believes that Tamayo will not be sitting out for long.

“It’s understandable. It’s his first game, his first year and he came in towards the middle of the season, so it’s understandable. I know how good Carl is and the coach knows how good he is,” Sotto said.

“You just got to watch out for Carl because he’s a really good player.”