Warriors thwart Sharks in FIBL

MANILA, Philippines - MVP candidate Mukesh Mohnani scored 18 of his 27 points, while Lavesh Chandnani’s putback in OT shattered a 95-all deadlock to power the third-seeded Warriors to a pulsating 100-97 victory over Sharks and force a rubber match in the opening game of 2014 FIBL Canadian Cup playoffs at the Ynares Sports Arena Sunday afternoon.

With his team down by as many as 16 in the closing minutes, Mohnani scored 14 of his team’s next 15 points, including 11 straight to save his team from elimination in the tournament sponsored by the Canadian, makers of quality bed linens, pillows and  towels.

The Warriors established their inside dominance, out-rebounding their counterparts, 77-48, behind twin towers Kishore Mirpuri and Parmdeep Brar, who combined for 35 points and 42 rebounds. Chandnani finished with 23 points while Prateek Chandnani chipped in 11 for the Warriors.

Manoj Chandumal topscored anew for the defending champions with a career-high 45 points, but it wasn’t enough as he only had the surprising Ashwin Daswani (22 points) scoring double figures.

Ken Pessumal struggled with foul trouble, finishing with just three points and seven rebounds as the Sharks missed the inside scoring punch they sorely needed against the formidable Warriors front line.

The winner-take-all Game 3 is slated in Nov. 19.