BARAĆ: “A BITTER TASTE REMAINED BECAUSE OF RELAXING IN THE LAST QUARTER, BUT AFTER AN EXTREMELY LONG AND SUCCESSFUL SEASON, WE FOUND THE MOTIVATION TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL”

Mega MIS basketball players defeated Metalac in Valjevo in the last round of the group stage of the Super League of Serbia and thus secured a place in the semi-finals of the playoffs as the first placed in Group B, 78:90 (28:25, 14:29, 9:24, 27: 12). Marko Barać’s team, after a slightly weaker opening of the game, established control in the middle of the second quarter, and already in the third they reached a significant 27 point surplus. In the decisive quarter, the home team cut the deficit in half but did not seriously threaten Barac’s team’s victory.

Mega MIS ended the match in Group B with a score of 5-1, secured a place in the playoffs, as it has an advantage in head-to-head battles with the Borac Mozzart team, which has four victories and one defeat before the last round match against Vojvodina. The Novi Sad team currently has a record of 2-3, while Metalac ended the competition in the Superliga without a win (0-6).

Coach Marko Barać gave his impressions at the press conference after the fifth victory and achieved placement in the semi-finals of the Serbian Super League playoffs:

– I congratulate my players on the victory and commend the hosts. They showed pride and the desire to fight until the end, and I’m glad the audience could recognize and reward that. I’m sure they can feel good after this game. I was left with a bitter taste because of the evident relaxation in the last quarter. Some more experienced players in my team are very young, and the just-coming players are practically juniors. It is not a significant lapse, but enough that they enter one or two attacks or defenses with less than 100 percent. It immediately starts to affect their confidence, and getting it back all the way is challenging. This was seen through how they went for the drives expecting a foul and missed open shots that they usually hit… It is unacceptable to drop down like that and underestimate anyone, especially in a situation where we were interested in finishing with a bigger difference. Our season was very long; we were the first in Serbia to start preparations, there were ups and downs, and after a very successful season in the ABA league, I think we managed to find enough motivation, professionalism, and desire to respect every opponent in the group to the end and achieve a result and the goal we wanted,

Barać said.

Branislav Terzić, the first-team player of Mega MIS, pointed out that the surplus of 12 points was not satisfactory in the end:

– It is always challenging to play in Valjevo; it is essential to win in any way. We had a 27-point difference, and we managed to squander the advantage in the last period. We finished the game with 12 points, which was not enough for our goal. However, we achieved our goal of being the first in the group. I would like to thank the audience, congratulate the Metalac team, the coaching staff, and our team,

Terzić added.

Photo: Mega MIS