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The Punjab Warriors bounced back in style, securing their second win of the InBL Pro U25 season with a commanding 81-72 triumph over the Delhi Dribblers at the Thyagraj Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
Uche Dibiamaka led the charge with a game-high 20 points, while Boston Mazelin was lights out, sinking all four of his attempts from beyond the arc to fuel the Warriors' return to winning ways. The Dribblers struggled to keep pace offensively after a strong first quarter, further hampered by the absence of their playmaker, Alex Mudronja, as stated in a release from InBL Pro U25. The Warriors stormed into the first quarter, relentlessly attacking the paint through the powerhouse duo of Samuel Taane and Stokley Chaffee. Meanwhile, the Delhi Dribblers countered with a more aggressive defensive stance, ready to strike from deep with Sahil and Lachlan Barker firing from beyond the arc. Despite the contrasting strategies, the scoreboard stayed tight, with the Dribblers eking out a razor-thin one-point lead as the buzzer sounded. The intensity only skyrocketed in the second quarter as both teams battled to break the deadlock. It was a high-octane back-and-forth until the Warriors turned up the heat on defence, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on fast breaks. Manoj and Uche Dibiamaka lit up the three-point line, sparking an electrifying run that pushed the lead to 11. Just when it looked like the Warriors might run away with it, James Montgomery kept the Dribblers in the fight, trading buckets with Boston Mazelin, who drained back-to-back clutch threes to keep the Warriors ahead by 11 points at halftime. The Dribblers faltered at the start of the third quarter, struggling to find their rhythm while the Warriors pounced on the opportunity. Lucas Barker and Uche Dibiamaka wasted no time, draining deep threes to stretch the lead even further. With relentless hustle, the Warriors dominated the boards, crashing for rebounds and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities to keep the pressure on. As the quarter wore on, the Dribblers shuffled their lineup in a desperate bid for a spark, but the Warriors refused to let up. The Warriors remained relentless in the final quarter, stretching their lead to 19 points with stifling defence and lightning-fast transition plays. Lachlan Barker fought back with back-to-back buckets, cutting the deficit to 13 with just minutes remaining. However, Gurbaz Sandhu and Uche Dibiamaka sealed the deal with clutch plays down the stretch, ensuring a well-earned 81-72 victory. (ANI)
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