BARAĆ: “WE CAN BE PROUD OF EVERYTHING WE’VE DONE THIS SEASON”

The basketball players of Mega MIS were defeated in the second semifinal game of the ABA League against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, ending the season in the regional competition just one step away from the grand final, 69:94 (26:19, 11:28, 16:29, 16:18). Marko Barać’s team opened the match excellently, leading 9:0 and ending the first quarter with a seven-point advantage, but a strong response from the opponent followed, which managed to pull away towards the end of the second quarter. Mega attempted to stage a comeback without the help of injured captains Uroš Plavšić, Lovro Gnjidić, and Stefan Miljenović; they fought hard but failed to threaten the lead of the more experienced opponent, thus ending the season in the semifinals, which is still an exceptional result. In the end, it was 2-0 for Crvena Zvezda, which became the first finalist of the ABA League for the 2023/24 season.

Mega MIS coach Marko Barać shared his impressions at the press conference after the game:

“Congratulations to Crvena Zvezda on the victory and reaching the final. Regardless of the difference, I want to congratulate my players on their fight. We reacted between these two games, which showed in the first quarter; we played exceptionally well in that part until five seconds before the end when we made a naive foul and, in that period, conceded four points, going into halftime with a smaller gap. In the second quarter, we began to feel the effects of our short rotation, especially the lack of guards. At times when we needed a calmer attack, we made mistake after mistake, which Crvena Zvezda knew how to punish on the other end. From that moment on, the second half was under their control. We tried to play until the end but also to give valuable experience to some new players, which will mean a lot to them. This marks the end of our ABA season. We can be proud of everything we’ve done despite tonight’s result. We didn’t have enough strength for this series, considering all the problems and injuries we faced. Even the biggest optimists among us at the start of the season couldn’t dream that we would go this far. Congratulations to the entire organization on a fantastic season and the people who helped select the team from talented players. To the whole club for the perfect organization in all structures and finally, alongside my coaching staff, to the players who played a fantastic season,” said Barać.

Mega MIS achieved an exceptional result by reaching the ABA League semifinals, and the Super League of Serbia awaits them to conclude the season, where they will face Partizan in the semifinals.

Photo: Mega MIS/Ivica Veselinov