Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings

The games at this stage are more interesting as they can be crucial for the final standings in Regular Season. Despite we already know who is stronger and who is weaker, there may be still last minute surprises and upsets. Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

Eighth-ranked Cacak 94 (13-13) used its home court advantage to challenge first ranked Vojvodina (22-4) on Wednesday. The visitors from Novi Sad managed to secure only one-point victory 73-72. However their fans expected much easier game. American guard Jared Cunningham (194-1991, college: Oregon St., agency: BIG) saved the victory by scoring 29 points. Forward Stefan Savic (200-1995) contributed with 13 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Vojvodina NS’s coach Milos Isakov-Kovacevic used an eleven-player rotation in such tough game. American guard Trey Pulliam (190, college: SDSU) replied with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists for Cacak 94. Vojvodina have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 22-4 record. Newly promoted Cacak 94 keeps the eighth place with 13 games lost. Vojvodina are looking forward to face OKK Beograd (#11) at home in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Cacak 94 will play against the league’s second-placed Spartak in Subotica and is hoping to prove to their fans that this time they can win.
Fifth-ranked Sloboda (14-12) used its home court advantage to challenge third ranked Vrsac (20-6) in Uzice. The visitors from Vrsac managed to secure only two-point victory 84-82. However their fans expected easier game. American guard Nelson Phillips (195-1998, college: Troy) scored 24 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Stefan Simic chipped in 16 points and 4 assists during the contest. American guard Djimon Henson (193-1998, college: Morehead St.) responded with 24 points. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Vrsac have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 20-6 record having just two points less than leader Vojvodina NS, which they share with Zlatibor. Sloboda lost third consecutive game. They keep the fifth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Radnicki KG and Joker. Vrsac will play against Radnicki KG (#7) in Kragujevac in the next round. Sloboda will play on the road against Metalac VL in Valjevo and hopes to get back on the winning track.
The game in Kragujevac was also quite interesting. Second ranked Spartak (21-5) played at the court of 5th ranked Radnicki KG (14-12). Spartak did not have too big problems and got a relatively easy victory 83-64 on Tuesday. Aleksandar Lazic notched 18 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort. Even 18 points by Trayvon Croft did not help to save the game for Radnicki KG. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Spartak have an impressive eight-game winning streak. Newly promoted Spartak maintains second position with 21-5 record behind leader Vojvodina NS. Radnicki KG at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the fifth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Sloboda and Joker. Spartak will meet at home Cacak 94 (#8) in the next round where they are favorite. Radnicki KG will play against Vrsac and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

There were no big surprises in other games of round 26: Metalac VL was smashed by Joker on the road 105-72. OKK Beograd won against Mladost on its own court 96-95. Dynamic VP managed to outperform Novi Pazar in Beograd 95-85. Sloga managed to beat Zdravlje at home 81-78. Zlatibor defeated Tamis PN on the opponent’s court 88-78.
The most impressive performance of 26th round was 31 points by Brano Djukanovic of Zlatibor.

Cacak 94 – Vojvodina NS 72-73

gschID: 1102048

Joker S. – Metalac VL 105-72

No shocking result in a game when seventh ranked Joker (14-12) crushed 9th ranked Metalac VL (12-14) in Sombor 105-72 on Saturday. Joker dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Metalac VL‘s 42. They outrebounded Metalac VL 53-30 including a 41-24 advantage in defensive rebounds. Joker looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists comparing to just 14 passes made by Metalac VL‘s players. Guard Ognjen Vukas (189-2003) notched 25 points and 6 assists to lead the effort and naturalized Hungarian forward Aleksa Brbaklic (195-1995) supported him with 19 points and 12 rebounds (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field). Joker S.’s coach Zeljko Lukajic felt very confident that he used 10 players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Even 22 points by American guard Terry Armstrong (200-2000, college: Arizona) did not help to save the game for Metalac VL. Forward Aleksa Popovic (206-1999, college: McKendree) added 22 points for the guests. Joker moved-up to fifth place, which they share with Sloboda and Radnicki KG. Metalac VL at the other side keeps the ninth position with 14 games lost. Joker will meet Dynamic VP (#10) in the next round where they are favorite. Metalac VL will play against Sloboda and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Metalac VL: T.Armstrong 22+2reb+3ast, A.Popovic 22+2reb+3ast, F.Djuran 8+1reb, O.Vojin 7+1reb, O.Aleksej 5+7reb, G.Djordje 3+3reb+1ast
Joker S.: V.Ognjen 25+3reb+6ast, A.Brbaklic 19+12reb+2ast, A.Jugovic 10+3reb+8ast, N.Kapetanovic 9+5reb+4ast, M.Milin 9+6reb+2ast, Z.Simmons 9+2reb

gschID: 1102049

OKK Beograd – Mladost ZE 96-95

Rather expected game when 13th ranked Mladost (8-17) was edged on the road by eleventh ranked OKK Beograd (10-16) 96-95 on Sunday. Guard Mihailo Petrovic (190-2003) notched 24 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the effort and swingman Aleksandar Pantelic (199-1998, college: Dalton St.) supported him with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Even 20 points and 5 assists by American point guard Kenny Dye (183-2000, college: Queens, NC, agency: BIG) did not help to save the game for Mladost. Forward Marko Milenkovic (200-1999) added 21 points for the guests. Four OKK Beograd and five Mladost players scored in double figures. Both coaches tested many bench players in such tough game. OKK Beograd maintains eleventh position with 10-16 record. Mladost at the other side keeps the thirteenth place with 17 games lost. OKK Beograd will meet league’s leader Vojvodina in the next round and they do not belong to the favorites in that game. Mladost will play against Zdravlje (#16) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Mladost ZE: M.Milenkovic 21+2reb+3ast, K.Dye 20+4reb+5ast, L.Gasic 14+6reb+3ast, L.Vasic 12+1reb+1ast, M.Milosevic 10+6reb+3ast, M.Cedomir 6+3reb+1ast
OKK Beograd: P.Mihailo 24+5reb+7ast, A.Pantelic 20+8reb+2ast, G.Lazar 16+1reb, M.Bogoljub 14+9reb+3ast, V.Marko 7+9reb+2ast, P.Milan 6+4reb

gschID: 1102050

Novi Pazar – Dynamic VP 85-95

Very predictable result when tenth ranked Dynamic VP (11-14) won against on the road 15th ranked Novi Pazar (6-20) 95-85 on Sunday. Dynamic VP shot 63.2 percent from the field. Dynamic VP had a 28-17 advantage in offensive rebounds. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. Forward Nikola Kostic (197-1996) notched 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists (on 7-of-8 shooting from the field) to lead the effort and forward Nenad Nerandzic (203-1996) supported him with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Dynamic VP’s coach Nikola Markovic used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Even 27 points, 5 assists and 4 steals by American point guard Jerome Green Jr. (180-2002, college: Auburn) did not help to save the game for Novi Pazar. Luka Vasic (203-1998, college: A&M-Commerce) added 18 points for the hosts. Five Dynamic VP and four Novi Pazar players scored in double figures. Dynamic VP maintains tenth position with 11-14 record. Novi Pazar lost sixth consecutive game. They keep the fifteenth place with 20 games lost. Dynamic VP will meet at home higher ranked Joker (#6) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Novi Pazar will play against Zlatibor (#4) in Cajetina and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Novi Pazar: J.Green Jr. 27+3reb+5ast, L.Vasic 18+3reb+2ast, G.Marko 11+5reb, A.Islamovic 11+4reb+1ast, D.Boyd 9+3reb+1ast, L.Stankovic 6+3reb
Dynamic VP: P.Uros 19+3reb+2ast, N.Kostic 17+8reb+5ast, N.Nerandzic 14+7reb+5ast, R.Aleksa 13+2reb+6ast, E.Penn 12+5reb+1ast, A.Ponjavic 12+1reb+2ast

gschID: 1102051

Radnicki KG – Spartak 64-83

The game in Kragujevac was also quite interesting. Second ranked Spartak (21-5) played at the court of 5th ranked Radnicki KG (14-12). Spartak did not have too big problems and got a relatively easy victory 83-64 on Tuesday. Spartak shot 61.5 percent from the field. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Radnicki KG‘s players. Bosnian forward Aleksandar Lazic (203-1996) notched 18 points and 5 rebounds to lead the effort and swingman Filip Barna (201-1999) supported him with 11 points and 8 assists. Four Spartak players scored in double figures. Even 18 points by American guard Trayvon Croft (185-1997, college: Parkside) did not help to save the game for Radnicki KG. Pavle Nikolic (200-2005) added 18 points for the hosts. Both coaches tested many bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Spartak have an impressive eight-game winning streak. Newly promoted Spartak maintains second position with 21-5 record behind leader Vojvodina NS. Radnicki KG at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the fifth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Sloboda and Joker. Spartak will meet at home Cacak 94 (#8) in the next round where they are favorite. Radnicki KG will play against Vrsac and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Radnicki KG: N.Pavle 18+4reb, T.Croft 18+3reb+2ast, K.Webster 11+3reb+6ast, M.Blagojevic 4+1reb+1ast, A.Cabrilo 4+1ast, D.Vuk 2
Spartak: A.Lazic 18+5reb+1ast, R.Dusan 12+5reb+3ast, M.Vojin 11+4reb, F.Barna 11+2reb+8ast, A.Marelja 9+7reb+1ast, M.Milisavljevic 5

gschID: 1102052

Sloboda U. – Vrsac 82-84

Fifth-ranked Sloboda (14-12) used its home court advantage to challenge third ranked Vrsac (20-6) in Uzice. The visitors from Vrsac managed to secure only two-point victory 84-82. However their fans expected easier game. American guard Nelson Phillips (195-1998, college: Troy) scored 24 points and 6 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and swingman Stefan Simic (198-1996) chipped in 16 points and 4 assists during the contest. American guard Djimon Henson (193-1998, college: Morehead St.) responded with 24 points and forward Aleksa Cubic (202-2000) scored 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Vrsac have a solid four-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 20-6 record having just two points less than leader Vojvodina NS, which they share with Zlatibor. Sloboda lost third consecutive game. They keep the fifth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Radnicki KG and Joker. Vrsac will play against Radnicki KG (#7) in Kragujevac in the next round. Sloboda will play on the road against Metalac VL in Valjevo and hopes to get back on the winning track.
Top scorers:
Sloboda U.: D.Henson 24+3reb, J.Finch 19+4reb+4ast, A.Cubic 14+9reb+4ast, D.Bozic 11+4reb, B.Petar 6+3reb+3ast, M.Mihailo 6+3reb+3ast
Vrsac: N.Phillips 24+6reb+2ast, S.Simic 16+3reb+4ast, Z.Jurcek 14+1reb, N.Djordjevic 10+3reb+1ast, J.Stevan 6+3reb+1ast, S.Stefan 5+4reb+3ast

gschID: 1102053

Sloga KR – Zdravlje 81-78

Not a big story in a game when 16th ranked Zdravlje (5-21) was edged by fourteenth ranked Sloga (9-17) in Kraljevo 81-78 on Saturday. Swingman Djordje Simeunovic (201-1996) notched 24 points and 7 rebounds to lead the effort and American guard Colin Dougherty (193-1996, college: Hobart) supported him with 17 points. Sloga KR’s coach Marko Dimitrijevic allowed to play the deep bench players in such tough game. Even a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds by American forward Scott Blakney (203-1998, college: Montana) did not help to save the game for Zdravlje. His fellow American import point guard Jordan Callahan (184-1990, college: Tulane) added 12 points and 5 assists for the guests. Four Zdravlje players scored in double figures. Sloga moved-up to twelfth place. Loser Zdravlje stay dead last with 21 lost games. Sloga will meet Tamis PN (#14) in the next round. Zdravlje will play against Mladost in Zemun and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Zdravlje: S.Blakney 20+10reb+1ast, T.Lazar 12+1reb+1ast, M.Dugalic 12+5reb+1ast, J.Callahan 12+1reb+5ast, D.Jovic 9+2reb+2ast, E.Harvey 8+2reb
Sloga KR: D.Simeunovic 24+7reb+3ast, C.Dougherty 17+3reb+1ast, J.Stamenic 10+2reb+1ast, K.Kangu 8+4reb+1ast, N.Stefanovic 5, S.Bogdan 5+2reb

gschID: 1102054

Tamis PN – Zlatibor 78-88

Everything went according to plan when fourth ranked Zlatibor (20-6) defeated 14th ranked Tamis PN (8-18) in Pancevo 88-78 on Wednesday. Zlatibor made 16-of-20 free shots (80.0 percent) during the game. Brano Djukanovic (196-1995) notched 31 points to lead the effort and forward Viktor Kovacevic (203-1999, college: West Liberty) supported him with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Even 19 points and 5 rebounds by swingman Branislav Terzic (196-1997, college: AIC) did not help to save the game for Tamis PN. Bosnian center Omar Pajic (205-1999, agency: PEPI SPORT) added 15 points for the hosts. Four Tamis PN players scored in double figures. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Zlatibor have an impressive five-game winning streak. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Vrsac. Loser Tamis PN keeps the fourteenth position with 18 games lost. Zlatibor will meet at home Novi Pazar (#15) in the next round which should be an easy win for them. Tamis PN will play against Sloga and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tamis PN: B.Terzic 19+5reb+2ast, P.Omar 15+1reb+1ast, B.Stanojevic 14+1ast, D.Rakocevic 10+3reb+2ast, P.Stewart 8+5reb+1ast, S.Cupkovic 6+3reb+2ast
Zlatibor: B.Djukanovic 31+3reb+2ast, V.Kovacevic 19+6reb+3ast, J.Rebec 15+3ast, A.Zahiragic 9+5reb+8ast, I.Smiljanic 5+1reb+1ast, M.Glisic 5+8reb