SC Derbij basketball players successfully resolved the first of ten finals in the AdmiralBet ABA League play-offs, after defeating Spartak Subotica last night in Podgorica - 83:77.
Led by Aleksa Ilić and Matic Rebec, who each scored 23 points, the "students" achieved their fourth triumph of the season. They broke the deadlock in the third quarter, which they ended with a nine-point lead (60:51), and maintained that lead in the fourth, at one point even having a 13-point lead (83:70).
"This is the first of ten finals that await us in the play-out phase. We missed the opportunity to be in a better situation, and tonight it was clear that we played in a convulsion. The importance of the game and the situation we are in affect the players. This victory is extremely important and I expect it to relieve us a little, so that we can at least partially show on the field what we show in the training process, primarily in terms of intensity and self-confidence," said SC Derbija coach Petar Mijović after the match.
A very important victory before the season resumes.
"Spartak is an extremely high-quality team. They played without Tomson tonight, but they are very tricky, especially with a lineup that has two four-pointers who can both shoot three-pointers at a high percentage, which forces you to constantly adapt. In the second half, we were at a good level defensively. I think the victory is deserved and very important, and it will be a good introduction to the continuation of the competition after the break," Mijović pointed out.
Spartak ended up in the playoffs, although they deserve more in terms of quality.
"I expected that we would play the game much better. From the first minute, we entered too softly on both ends of the field. We had a problem opening the attack, because they played very tightly. They did not allow us to have a good flow of the ball or to enter an organized attack. In the second half, through some easy penetrations and attacks from the "pick and roll", we managed to get to a certain rhythm, primarily through Henlan", said Subotica coach Vlade Jovanović.
Jovanović is dissatisfied with the defense, but also with the fact that his team had nine assists.
"However, we only had nine assists, which is below average. It all came down to a two-on-two game. On the other hand, I'm dissatisfied with our defense. We tried to change several defensive settings, but none of them worked. We allowed them a second and even a third attack through an offensive rebound, and they hit a few tough shots," concluded Jovanović.
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