BARAĆ: “THE EXPERIENCE OF BUDUCNOST DECIDED IN THE CLOSE FINISH; CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLUB AND THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION ON A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN THE ABA LEAGUE”

Mega MIS basketball players put up a great resistance, were in control for most of the match, but failed in the tight finish to defeat Buducnost VOLI in Sremska Mitrovica, and after the second loss, they were stopped in the quarterfinals of the ABA league playoffs, 80:82 (19:15, 27:14, 14:26, 20:27). Marko Barać’s team gained a significant advantage in the second quarter, they went to the big break with plus 17, briefly increased the edge in the third quarter, but then came the response of a more experienced opponent who cut the deficit in half with a big run. Nevertheless, Mega met the last 10 minutes with an excess of five points, but the guests turned the tables in the decisive period. It was an uncertain finale, Barać’s team refused to give up, but in the end, the champion of Montenegro kept the advantage and, with the second victory in the quarterfinal series, won a place in the semi-finals of the regional competition.

At the press conference after the match, Marko Barać once again referred to the tragic events that befell Serbia:

– I would once again like to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of all the victims in these tragedies that have befallen us in recent days and wish the injured a speedy and complete recovery,

Barać said.

He also analyzed in detail what happened on the court:

– I congratulate the Buducnost team on their victory in the game of two completely different halves. The players prepared well and were quite focused. We controlled almost all elements in the first half and looked very good as a team, as a playoff team should look. It was expected that the Buducnost would react in the second half. We had to withstand the first impact, with individual responsibility in one-on-one play and rebound. To control the offense by taking care of the ball, like in the first half when we had one turnover and seven steals. For some reason, the diametric opposite happened. We lost the ball on the first three attacks, giving the Buducnost team opportunities for easy points, without controlling the rebound for the entire third quarter and with minimal individual responsibility. When the game ended in a tie, with the experience that Buducnost has and the length of our roster, it was expected that the advantage would be on the guests’ side, which they knew how to use. I wish them the best of luck in the continuation of the competition, to my colleague Mijović to continue his excellent work in the second term, and congratulate my club and the entire organization on a successful season in the ABA League. It remains for us to continue our work, both in the Super League of Serbia and between two seasons in the ABA League,

Barać concluded.

In the end, Mega MIS basketball players were stopped in the quarterfinals, which they reached as sixth-placed in the ABA league standings with a 12-14 score. The 2022/23 season will be remembered as the first with playoffs achieved since 2016, but also for the historical series of triumphs from the second part, when nine victories were recorded in 10 matches.

Photo: Mega MIS