Yoma 58b - turn to the right

The gemara learns the principle that "all turnings should be to the right" from the cows that supported the Yam shel Shlomo, from Melachim א. Near as I can tell from the pesukim, the cows were not facing in the counter-clockwise (=right) direction, but directly outward from the center. If so, the only way the gemara can do its derivation is simply from the order chosen in the verse.
If so, why did the gemara chose this verse from Melachim, when it has a perfectly good example from the degalim in Bamidbar (chapter 2)? East, then South, then West, then North. But that's clockwise.

Now I see that this question is asked by Tosefos 17b, d"h v'ha. They actually bring a different posuk, the migrash of the Leviim's cities (which also goes around to the left). And they answer, the drasha is based on the word פונים in the posuk in Melachim.