Bijelo Polje and the audience that filled the stands of the "Nikoljac" hall enjoyed the exciting final, great basketball, a showdown between two American masters and two of Montenegro's best clubs.
Finally, a new victory for the basketball team of Budućnost Voli against SC Derbi, which brought the Montenegrin champion the 17th Montenegrin Cup trophy - 105:104.
The "Blue and White" thus returned this trophy, after it was won last year by a younger team from Podgorica.
The Montenegrin champion was once again led by McKinley Wright, who did not play the previous two matches due to injury - the point guard who arrived in Podgorica from Dallas scored 34 points, thus "erasing" the excellent game and 30 points of Eric Neal, a guy who was born in the aforementioned city in Texas.
The cup goes to the blue and white part of Podgorica, Buducnost showed that even when tired, they can "pull through" tough matches, and SC Derbi, who never gave up, made the final one to remember.
Even though it was the third match in three days, both teams were in high spirits from the start, so there were great moves, actions, and three-point shooters on both sides, which is why it is not surprising that the score after the first half was 54:50.
"Students" started the match better, leading 15:9, but Rajt and Petar Minić quickly got things back on track with three-pointers. On the other hand, Emir Hadžibegović made two three-pointers for his Bijelo Polje team, and SC Derbi kept the lead until the 12th minute.
Then captain Aleksa Ilić scored for Buducnost's first lead (28:27), and after four consecutive points from Wright and one of Fletcher Magee's "crazy" three-pointers with 37 seconds left until the break, they had a double-digit lead for the first time (54:44).
Derby had an answer then too, and Erik Neal, with two consecutive three-pointers and a total of nine points in a row, brought his team to minus one (54:53) at the beginning of the third quarter.
Nil continued to score, and the moment he scored his 27th point, the "students" took the lead again (63:62).
Soon, SC Derbij's point guard had to be benched due to personal foul problems, and from then on, the game was practically basket for basket, with the teams taking turns in the lead - for Buducnost, along with Rajt and Megi, Kamenjaš also played, and on the other side, Luka Bogavac, Filip Andjušić, David Mirković and, above all, the experienced Nikola Pavlićević.
The finish itself brought an open fight, without guards, both teams hitting three-pointers... Buducnost had a 98:92 lead with just under three minutes left, but SC Derbi came back once again with a three-pointer by Pavlićević (98:97).
After several consecutive mistakes by Kamenjaš in attack, with a minute and 10 left, the score was 101:101. Pavlićević had a chance to put the "students" in the lead with a layup, but the BiH center redeemed himself with a key block.
Until the end, Luka Bogavac had no luck outside the 6,75 line, and Wright was calm from the free throw line, thus putting an end to his great evening and the triumph of the "blue and white" in an exciting final.
THE FUTURE LOVES - SC DERBI 105:104 (24:26, 30:24, 21:25, 30:29)
Bijelo Polje - "Nikoljac" Hall. Audience: 2.000.
Buducnost: Ilic 13, Megi 21, Minic 3, Knezevic, Ticic, Slavkovic 7, Zivaljevic, Krivokapic, Ferel 11, Jovanovic, Rajt 34, Kamenjas 19.
SC Derby: Sudar, Nil 30, Pavlićević 17, Andjušić 2, Bogdanović 3, Hadžibegović 15, Vučeljić 6, Grbović 2, Nikolić 6, Bogavac 18, Mirković 5.
Bonus video:
