BARAĆ: “HEROIC TRIUMPH”

The Mega MIS basketball team secured their fourth consecutive victory in the ABA League, defeating SC Derby in a thrilling comeback during Round 23 at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall with a scoreline of 88-79 (22:23, 18:29, 24:19, 24:8). Under the guidance of coach Marko Barać, the team found themselves trailing by a double-digit margin in the first half, facing a 14-point deficit early in the third quarter. However, during those moments, they showcased their determination not to surrender, saving their best for last. With a stellar performance in the decisive quarter, Mega completed the comeback. In a nail-biting finish, after a fierce battle, they broke through the opposition’s defense, remained focused in crucial moments, and rightfully secured a highly significant victory. With this result, Mega MIS enters the final three rounds of the league stage in the regional competition with a record of 13-10. Additionally, they gained an advantage in head-to-head matchups against the team from Podgorica, which suffered its 12th loss (11-12), thus making another significant step towards securing a playoff berth.

Coach Marko Barać shared his thoughts at the post-game press conference:

“A very important victory for us. As mentioned in the pre-match press conference, we faced many personnel issues following the previous game against Cibona. I expected these guys, who had been working and training diligently since July, to showcase the character necessary for victory through accumulated hard work. SC Derby is an excellent, well-selected team with a deep bench and numerous options, so perhaps this may sound exaggerated, but this was truly a heroic triumph. In the first half, after a good start, we played somewhat softer and failed to find the right distribution of minutes and tasks, but in the second half, we corrected all of that, primarily defensively. In the second half, SC Derby scored 27 points. After a strong performance in rebounding in the first half, we managed to control it in the continuation. We were better in all aspects of offensive rebounding, second-chance points, and everything. I believe we deservedly won. I wish the guests luck in the future, and we continue where we left off,” said Barać.

In the upcoming 24th round of the ABA League, Mega MIS will face Crvena Zvezda as the away team on Monday, March 25, at 8:00 PM.

Photo: Mega MIS/Ivica Veselinov