WIN OF U18 MEGA BEMAX AGAINST ZALGIRIS IN A WARM-UP FOR THE JUNIOR EUROLEAGUE FINALS ON SUNDAY WITH REAL MADRID

Mega Bemax juniors recorded the third win at the Junior Euroleague Final Tournament after they defeated Zalgiris with 75:61 (16:15, 20:16, 20:9, 19:21). The players of the coach Branko Milisavljevic even before this victory on the “Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament” secured the finals, and on today’s match they in a great team edition where all players scored, to the key advantage came in the 3rd quarter where they got plus 16 points in order in the last 10 minutes to routinely brought the match to the end.

The most effective in the ranks of Mega Bemax were Petar Kovacevic with 14 points (7-7 from 2 points) and Marko Kljajevic with 13. In Zalgiris Modestas Kancleris had 16 points.

Although this win did not have a result significance for Mega which previously secured first place, the players of the coach Branko Milisavljevic advanced to the finals with all three victories without defeat. In the finals on Sunday at 10 am at the Fernando Buesa Arena, juniors of Mage will fight for the title with Real Madrid, which in decisive game for advance to the finals beat Crvena zvezda with 80:50.

Coach of U18 Mega Bemax Branko Milisavljevic was very pleased with the win against Zalgiris:

– I am very pleased that we approached to the match with Zalgiris despite the fact that even before the match, we secured a place in the finals. We played the most concentrated and team game, we managed little to rest main players, and I am especially glad that everyone took advantage of the opportunity on the field. Each move, each point is important, the players are aware of that. This team has a lot of heart, and this is seen in the support they provide to each other on the field and from the bench. Real Madrid is certainly a big favorite, they have shown it with the games in this tournament, but that does not change our approach and preparation for the match, and that we will surely go for the victory in the finals. Approaching the match, concentration, great energy on the field, it is important that we respect this as before. Whatever happens in the final, it will not change my opinion that these are great guys, a real team that never surrenders and that we can be proud of everything we have done so far,

said Milisavljevic.

After equalizing the first quarter in which the teams changed into the lead, in the second, Kljajevic scored 8 points with 2 triples in a short period, and Mega slowly takes control of the game. In the finish, Kovacevic is good from the paint and Bumbic with three pointer set the score after the first 20 minutes, 36:31.

Juniors of Mega resolved the match in the third quarter with excellent defense and points of Kljajevic and Kovacevic, and the advantage after the third quarter was 16 points, 56:40. In the last quarter, there were little problems in the attack in the first few minutes, Zalgiris with series 0:7 lowered the difference to 9 points, but Mega’s players denied the attack of the Lithuanian team after which they quietly took the match to the end for the final 75:61.

Mega Bemax: Music 2, Paunovic 6 (6 rebounds, 4 steals), Milojevic 4, Kljajevic 13, Agoc 4, Bumbic 7, Langovic 7, Andric 4, Markovic 5, Brekic 2, Kovacevic 14, Musikic 7 (5 rebounds, 5 blocks).

Žalgiris: Rimkus 5, Kancleris 16 (10 rebounds), Pankratjevas, Celka 2, Repsys, Rubstavicius 7, Murauskas 12, Macionis 2, Preibys 6, Stormark 3, Kriisa 8.

Photo: Euroleague