BARAC: “EXCELLENT REACTION AND LEVEL OF COMPETITION IN THE SECOND HALF”

Mega MIS basketball players continued with outstanding performances and results in the ABA League, as they recorded their fifth consecutive victory in the 24th round by defeating the league leader Crvena Zvezda 83-89 as guests in the Štark Arena (18:24, 30:17, 21:22, 14:26). Marko Barac’s team was even in a double-digit deficit in the third quarter, but they refused to give up. They cut the deficit by half by the final quarter, and then, with excellent play on both ends of the court, they managed to turn the game around in just three minutes. There was a great battle, but Mega broke the resistance of their opponents with a 9-0 run in the final minutes and achieved a significant victory. Mega MIS now has a 14-10 record with two rounds left in the regular season, and they are certain to participate in the regional competition playoffs. Crvena Zvezda remains at the top of the table, balancing 20 victories and four losses.

Mega MIS coach Marko Barac shared his impressions at the press conference after the match:

“In the first part of the season, we played well against Crvena Zvezda. We were practically in the game for 40 minutes, and in the end, it could have gone either way, but they were better in the closing moments. We felt that we could compete, and that’s how we prepared. We opened the match excellently, very smartly in attack, defensively responsible, and the first quarter ended as we wanted. In the second quarter, driven by some moments and excessive confidence, we tried to be bigger masters than the masters across from us, which is impossible for now, and we made a few mistakes, allowing Zvezda to turn the game around by the end of the second quarter. However, the reaction of my team in the second half was excellent, as well as the level of competition with such a shortened rotation tonight, because our most important defensive player, Malovec, fouled out early, but the players on the court handled all of this incredibly. I told them in the locker room that I’ve talked a lot these days and that anything else I would say would spoil their five minutes,” Barac said.

In the next 25th round of the ABA League, Mega MIS basketball players will host Split. The match is scheduled for Sunday, March 31, at 6:00 PM.

Photo: Mega MIS/Ivica Veselinov