Sharks, Gators hurdle FIBL openers

The Blue Sharks, winners of the last staging of the Filipino Indian Basketball League (FIBL) in 2010 prior to this year’s revival, and the Gators led the opening-day winners last Sunday at Ynares Gym in Pasig.

In the opener of the FIBL’s Canadian Cup, the Blue Sharks’ Manoj Chandumal battled fatigue and cramps to help his team fend off the rallying Kings, 88-83. Chandumal tallied 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

He was backed by Mahesh Mirpuri with 13 points and rookies Rahul Motwani and Parminder Sidhu with 13 and 11 points.

The Kings were led by Chand Daryanani, who tallied 20 points, including four triples, and Ajeet Singh, who also scored 20 points.

In the second game, Vladimir Singh, Dinesh Mohnani, and Sanjeev Gangwani combined for 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Gators posted an 89-80 victory over the Warriors. Singh scored 8 of his 21 points in the quarter where his team unleashed a 13-2 run that turned a 71-70 lead to 84-72.

Mohnani led the Gators with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists while Gangwani contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds.

The two winning teams swap opponents this Sunday with the Gators playing the Kings at 2 p.m. The Blue Sharks will seek their second win against the Warriors.