With a sensational victory against Buducnost Voli last Saturday, the biggest in the club's history, SC Derby's basketball players, at the end of the regular season of their first appearance in the ABA League, were in a position to fight for a place in the playoffs, which this year was "expanded" to six teams. .
The chances, admittedly, are not too great, Andrej Žakelj's team has two victories less than Igokea and FMP, and in order to achieve this feat, they would have to take off a big away "scalp".
Perhaps the real opportunity is tomorrow in Laktaši, against the direct rival, Igokea, which lost to "Morača" in the first part of the season (93:90).
The basketball players of SC Derby are full of self-deprecation, as can be seen in the words of the player Erik Nilo.
"I have a feeling that we can win everyone in the ABA league. It just depends on us, if we play our game, if we stick to the agreements from the dressing room. We have to play hard, we have to fight for 'nobody's' balls and have perseverance during the entire match, because we are playing against a team from the Top 6", said Nil.
Igokea, however, is the favorite, not only because it plays on home turf.
"We are going to a difficult away game against a team that, even after the departure of Starks, plays at a high level. Igokea is a quality team, with a big "size", which does not suit us too much, but we will prepare for that. As a team, they are very well led, uncomfortable so that a difficult match awaits us, but I hope that our energy will be at the same level as in the previous matches, and then we can match our opponents", said Studenet coach Andrej Žakelj.
Igokea would confirm their place in the Top 6 with a win.
"We opened the door to the playoffs two rounds ago, but looking at the fact that there were some surprises in the last round and that there are still games left, it can be said that nothing is known yet. As a coach, I don't want to be dependent on others , we depend only on ourselves and tomorrow's game is the first test from which we can reach the goal and make it to the playoffs. The SC Derby team is a debutant in the league, but also the most pleasant surprise. However, looking at the roster and the team they have at their disposal show that it is a group of very good and quality players, and the result they achieved this season speaks in support of that. A team with strong bodies and excellent energy, with an aggressive defense all over the field, they don't allow the opponent anything easy, and they proved that in the last round beating Buducnost Voli. We must, I told my players, understand this game as if the best team in the ABA league is coming to us," said Igokea coach Dragan Bajić.
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