Škerović is overjoyed: What we had in the younger teams is now being reflected at the senior level

Four wins and two losses - this is the balance of the best Montenegrin women's basketball team in the first phase of EuroBasket qualifications after tonight's triumph against Bulgaria (70:66).

Jelena Škerović's team now faces six more matches in the second phase - in November this year and February next year - in which they will try to continue their continuity and fight for a place in the European Championship for the ninth time in a row from Sava.

The victory over Bulgaria in Bar brought additional confidence, and the coach did not hide her satisfaction with what her team showed.

"The impressions are really positive and we can be satisfied with this qualifying 'window', especially after the first one in which we recorded two defeats. And then we saw that the differences were not big and that the little things were decisive, and it was precisely those details that we managed to fix. We were mentally prepared and it showed on the field," said Škerović.

Montenegro achieved a good result with a significantly changed squad, with a large number of young players, who took advantage of the opportunity.

"We played a very good match with a rejuvenated team. The conditions were not easy, which was especially felt in the third and last quarter when we had problems in attack, but we gave our best in defense. The girls fully deserved this victory," emphasized the coach.

She particularly highlighted the contribution of the young basketball players who, in previous matches, against Ukraine and Azerbaijan, as well as now against Bulgaria, showed that they can be seriously counted on.

"They really responded in the right way. They were on the wider roster for a long time, mostly in the role of reserves, but now they have received more playing time and shown that they are ready to take on responsibility. Nikolina Ilić, Milena Bigović, Sanja Akšam and Ksenija Šćepanović have taken advantage of the opportunity. What we had in the younger teams is now slowly coming to the fore at the senior level. Of course, they need more work and international experience, but it is clear that Montenegrin basketball has a great future," said Škerović.

The draw for the next phase is expected on July 23rd, and it is clear that Montenegro will not have seeding status, which means a more difficult path to the goal.

"The expectations are always the same - to give our best, to play our best and to never give up. Also, it is important that through each qualifying cycle some young player makes a step forward and gains experience. The next phase will certainly be much more difficult because strong teams await us, but we will talk about that when we see our opponents," concluded the coach.