BARAĆ: “FOR THE SECOND GAME, MUCH MORE FRESHNESS AND FOCUS WILL BE NEEDED”

Mega Superbet basketball players suffered a defeat in the first game of the Serbian SuperLeague quarterfinal series, losing to FMP 81:86 (16:24, 19:24, 22:24, 24:14) at TC Dejan Milojević. Marko Barać’s youthful team found themselves down by double digits after 20 minutes of play, responded well in the third quarter, but failed to reduce the deficit. The visitors increased their lead at the start of the final period, taking more than a 20-point advantage, but Mega did not give up. They kept fighting and closed the gap to just three points. However, they lacked the strength for a major comeback and lost the series opener 0-1 in the domestic championship quarterfinals.

Mega Superbet coach Marko Barać shared his impressions at the post-game press conference:

– Certainly, the short break between a very exhausting series against Budućnost affected us, as we didn’t have enough time to recover and prepare for the game. On the other hand, as always, we try to include some new young players to gain much-needed experience, and from that perspective, I can be satisfied. But for the second game, much more freshness and concentration will be needed to play better against a team like this. I congratulate the team from Železnik on the victory. The score is 0-1, we move forward,

said Barać.

First-team player Ilija Milijašević also shared his thoughts:

– I congratulate the FMP team on a deserved win. We started the game very poorly, especially defensively, considering we allowed almost 50 points at home, which is unacceptable in such games. Later, we raised our energy level; as soon as we pressured the defense in the second half, we came back from 20 points down, which shows we have character and that we could do it. We have a bit more time to prepare and rest for the next game, in which we need to play better energetically and defensively to try to get the win,

added Milijašević.

The second game of the Serbian SuperLeague quarterfinal series between Mega Superbet and FMP will take place on Wednesday, May 21, at 18:00 in Železnik.

Photo: Mega Superbet