BARAĆ: “I AM PROUD OF THE PLAYERS FOR FORCING A DECISIVE GAME, THIS WILL NOT SPOIL THE GOOD IMPRESSION OF THE ENTIRE SEASON”

Mega MIS basketball players failed to secure a spot in the finals of the Serbian Superleague after losing to Partizan Mozzart Bet in the decisive game of the semifinal series at Aleksandar Nikolić Hall with a score of 96-68 (39-9, 8-28, 23-16, 26-21). Marko Barać’s team couldn’t match their rivals in the opening 10 minutes, finding themselves at a significant deficit. They responded well in the second quarter, winning it convincingly and halving the gap. However, shooting remained an issue for Mega, who hit their first three-pointer only at the end of the third quarter, allowing the black-and-whites to pull away again. The home team entered the final 10 minutes with a substantial lead, which they defended to secure the victory. Mega MIS lost the semifinal series 1-2, marking their last 2023/24 season game.

Mega MIS coach Marko Barać shared his impressions at the post-match press conference:

“First of all, congratulations to Partizan on a deserved victory and advancing to the finals. They opened the game exceptionally, as always with Željko Obradović’s teams. They effectively exploited their advantages against us and knew who to target initially. This gave them the result. On our side, we entered the game feeling overawed. In both directions, we lacked composure, and as the game progressed, we tried to make up for the deficit with single moves. In the second quarter, we started gaining composure from our attacks and sought open positions to bring the game into a rhythm where we had a certain chance. In the second half, Partizan repelled our surge, and everything that followed served me as a coach to distribute playing time and try certain players in positions that are perhaps atypical. Partizan skillfully closed out the match. Regarding us, with all the changes we made before the Superleague and the injuries, we are practically a new team, and this is evident on the court at this stage of the season. I am proud of the players for reaching the decisive game against a phenomenal team under such circumstances. There will be time to analyze our season, but this will certainly not spoil the impression and good feeling about the entire season,” Barac said.

Mega MIS player Filip Jović also briefly commented on the last match of the season:

“Congratulations to Partizan on a deserved victory. We started the game disastrously and tried to recover from Partizan’s big lead in the first quarter. We made some reactions, but it wasn’t enough. Good luck to Partizan in the continuation,” Jovic added.

Mega MIS thus played their last match of the 2023/24 season, in which they achieved excellent results and reached the semifinals of both the ABA League and the Serbian Superleague.

Photo: KK Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanović