BARAĆ: “A FAIRLY ONE-SIDED GAME, WE COULDN’T MATCH SPARTAK’S EXPERIENCE, TOUGHNESS, AND HIGH QUALITY”

The basketball players of Mega MIS failed to extend their winning streak, as they were defeated in a tough away game in Subotica by Spartak Office Shoes with a score of 86:110 (17:28, 23:31, 28:30, 18:21). Marko Barać’s team fell behind after the opening 10 minutes and couldn’t close the gap by halftime. In the third quarter, they responded well offensively but couldn’t match their opponent defensively, who entered the final break with a significant advantage. Mega MIS tried in every way to stage a comeback in the decisive quarter but was unsuccessful, returning from Subotica with their sixth loss of the season (6-6), while Spartak recorded their seventh victory in the 12th round (7-5).

Mega MIS head coach Marko Barać shared his thoughts at the post-game press conference:

“Congratulations to Spartak on a well-deserved victory; they controlled the game from the very beginning, and it was quite one-sided. We couldn’t match their experience, toughness, and high quality. Even in preparation, I spoke about that team with great respect—they are very well selected, excellently coached, and tonight that proved to be too much for us. We failed to find enough solutions in the most sensitive positions on the team. It’s difficult to play without the much-needed toughness in the paint or enough players capable of organizing and connecting the game in offense. Spartak scored an enormous number of points from the paint—they are among the top teams in the league in that aspect, second in points scored from the paint. However, they managed to surpass their already high average by 10 points tonight and scored an incredible number of easy points.
We haven’t yet reached the level where we know how to compensate for the clear lack of toughness in every game. So far, we’ve mostly managed, but that wasn’t the case tonight. We must keep working, find a way to play with or without key players in crucial positions. Every team has a bad day, especially such a young team. Besides being young, our team is also relatively new, with a large number of new players, and when one or two players fall out of the rotation, we fail to find alternative solutions. Once again, congratulations to Spartak, and I wish them the best of luck in the continuation of the season,” said Barać.

In the next, 13th round of the ABA League, Mega MIS will host Cibona, with the match scheduled for Friday, December 12, at 6:00 PM.

Photo: Spartak Office Shoes/Mirjam Jegić Patarčić, Aleksandar Šećerov