BARAĆ: “WE DO NOT HAVE JUST A FEW PLAYERS, BUT THE WHOLE TEAM”

Mega MIS basketball players are in the finals of the Radivoje Korać Cup! After a great fight and a remarkable turnaround in the last quarter, they defeated the FMP SoccerBeta team in the Čair hall in Niš – 67:86 (24:20, 16:10, 14:22, 13:34). Marko Barać’s team did not open the game well. Still, they consolidated in time and reached a turning point. However, at the end of the first part, the Panthers regained the advantage, Mega was losing by 17 points, so the rival met the big break with a 10-point lead. An intense rush repulsed FMP by Mega in the third section, but it was only a foreshadowing of the storm of Baracevi’s chosen ones. With a series of threes, they took control, broke the rival’s resistance, and scored as many as 34 points in the last 10 minutes, thus winning a place in the finals, where they will play the better of the duel between Partizan Mozzart Beta and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet.

Coach Marko Barać expressed his impressions after the great victory:

– A big victory for us despite a slightly worse start, where FMP threw us out of our attacking rhythm, and we failed to adapt. There was a drop in energy when it came to protecting the rim, where they dominated rebounding in the first half, even though it was one of the main tasks for today’s game. When we found a solution to those attacking things, there was a lot more energy, and the tall players joined the pressure we had on the ball in the second half; it was a different picture as far as rebounds were concerned. In the announcement, I mentioned that there are not just a few players on our team but practically the entire team. That showed tonight; some guys who are a very important part of our team took responsibility, scored some shots in the second half, and helped a lot to win. I congratulate all the players again on a good game, a great turnaround, and an important victory, and I wish FMP to achieve its goals in other competitions,

said Barac.

When asked by the journalist and the performance of the players from the bench, he added:

– It is very important that it happened, only it is not my reserve players, but my players. From first to 12, everyone contributed today. Some players are slightly higher in terms of statistics when it matters. However, the way the players work and train, who have a little less playing time, and the energy they bring to the gym every day indicated to me that this could happen,

Barać pointed out

Next comes the grand final, scheduled for Saturday at 9:00 p.m., against Partizan or Crvena Zvezda.

Photo: Mega MIS/Ivica Veselinov