Five days after the shipwreck in the semifinals of the AdmiralBet ABA league against Crvena zvezda, Budućnost Voli found their lost pride and routinely took the lead at the start of the domestic championship playoff final.
Petar Mijović's team led for the entire 40 minutes and easily won against the city rival, SC Derbi (95:86).
Eric Green and Alfa Kaba started the match very well and influenced the advantage to increase continuously until the 13th minute, when Aleksa Ilic scored from the alley-oop for plus 13 (30:17).
Andrej Žakelj took a time-out, because his team had already completed the bonus in less than two minutes of the 2nd quarter, but even so, he did not have any solutions in defense, especially for the playful tandem - the American shooter had given 11 by then, and French center eight points.
Several times it was plus 14, only for Suad Šehović with a three-pointer and Tre Bel-Haynes with a basket from a difficult situation to increase the difference to 17 less than two minutes before halftime (46:29).
Then 19-year-old Jakša Pejović entered the game, who immediately entered the list of scorers, but the "students" finished the half with a series of 7:0 and went to the break with a more than acceptable minus 10 (48:38).
At the start of the continuation, it was "locked" after an unnecessarily rough foul by Andrija Slavković on Bel-Haynes.
The Canadian made two shots, and Green made a three-pointer in 53:38, after which he turned to the SC Derby bench and tried to provoke a reaction with a few words.
Fortunately, passions soon subsided, although both had objections to the trial. There was no excitement on the field either, because Budućnost practically had a double-digit advantage the whole time and took the first step towards the 15th title of the champion of Montenegro.
All SC Derbi managed to do was to go within eight twice in the last two minutes thanks to Nikola Pavlićević, but it was too late for anything.
The second match is on Tuesday, the final could potentially be over on Friday, when the third match is played. The fourth and possibly the fifth duel are on June 4 and 7, respectively.
In the winning team, Green was the most effective with 22 points, JJ O'Brien added 19, Bell-Haines 18, and Kaba 15 (all in the 1st half).
For the "students", Pavlićević and Andrija Slavković scored in double figures with 14 points each, Emir Hadžibegović with 13 points, and Danilo Tasić and Vasilije Baćović with 11 points each.
THE FUTURE LOVES - SC DERBI 95:86 (23:15, 25:23, 24:19, 23:29)
Podgorica - Hall "Morača". Spectators: 150. Judges: Vojinović (Nikšić), Ćetković and Kuburović (Podgorica).
Future Likes: BEL-HAYNS 18 (2-2), Joković, ŠEHOVIĆ 3, Glendža, KABA 15 (6-5), Janković, Pejović 2, Minic, O'BRAJEN 19 (6-4), Ilić 6 (2- 2), Drobnjak 10 (3-2), GRIN 22 (1-1).
SC Derby: Sudar 2, Megi 9 (8-7), PAVLIĆEVIĆ 14 (3-2), Ivanovic 4, VUČELJIĆ 6 (3-2), Slavković 14 (2-2), Hadžibegović 13 (4-3), Goranović , BAĆOVIĆ 11 (4-1), TASIC 11 (4-4), Mirković, DREŽNJAK 2 (2-0).
Bonus video:
