BARAC: “WORK FROM TRAINING PAID OFF, VICTORY FOR OUR SASHA KOBZYSTYI”

Mega MIS basketball players kicked off the second phase of the league part of the ABA League by hosting one of the competition’s leaders, Cedevita Olimpija. With a fantastic performance, they secured another significant victory, concluding the calendar year 2023 in a perfect manner – 97:86 (14:23, 24:18, 27:21, 32:24). Marko Barać’s team gradually increased their intensity, trailing after the first 10 minutes. They started catching up in the second quarter and completely turned the game around in the third. However, they saved the best for last. Excelling on both ends of the court, they once again established a double-digit lead, took full control, and broke the resistance of their opponents. In the 14th round, they secured their seventh triumph (7-7) and handed the Ljubljana team only their fourth loss of the season (10-4).

“A very good win for us. We had a specific last week, primarily referring to the change in the roster. Nikola Topić left, we brought in a new player, and all of that had to be resolved on the go. However, these players have shown that it wasn’t accidental that they started training early in July. They are a very good training group, and now all that work is paying off. Regarding the game itself, there was a lot of tension at the beginning and some situations where we lacked fluidity in the offense. We missed easy shots, but in the second half, we played strong defense, developing good fast breaks from it. That brought us a lot of confidence and a high number of points. The key was that in the first half, we kept the score close and managed to reduce the opponent’s lead. In the second half, we found lineups that worked defensively very well. This victory is for Kobzystyi, who lost his father two days ago but sacrificed and stayed with us. Today he suffered an unfortunate injury, he was very devoted, and we are very grateful to him. Happy holidays and all the best in 2024, and great thanks to everyone who was at the game today,” said Barać.

In the next, 15th round of the ABA League, Mega MIS will visit the Borac Mozzart team in Čačak. The first encounter of Marko Barać’s team in the calendar year 2024 is scheduled for January 8, at 18:00.

Photo: Mega MIS/Ivica Veselinov