And then there was drama in overtime. Sutjeska went on the attack, Kris Martin missed the winning shot, and former Sutjeska basketball player Vladimir Tomašević went on the attack. But Miljanić and Von managed to win the ball together, and then Von assisted captain Filip Barović, who scored in the last second to cause an eruption in the Nikšić hall. Sutjeska took the lead 1:0, and the second game is on March 25 (20) in Tuzla. The quarterfinals are played on two triumphs, and the eventual winner is on April 1 (20) in Nikšić.
"A tough and high-quality game. In the end, we managed to win. We gave it our all and deserved to celebrate. We showed character, because we were losing by five points with 68 seconds left in regulation, and then we managed to win overtime and in the end, we won," Slobodan Miljanić summed up his impressions after last night's match.
This duel was also difficult because Sutjeska met Sloboda exactly two weeks ago in the last round of the regular season, when the team from Tuzla won (82:78).
"There was some pressure, but we coped well. There was a bit of nervousness, because we lost to them two weeks ago. But our team is a combination of youth and experience and we managed to cope with it," said Miljanić.
Miljanić is clear – this victory is a team victory.
"I would say that we achieved victory through team play. We have a system in which someone will always stand out. We work according to that system and when that happens, one of the players will stand out. Last night it was the two or three of us, next game it will be someone else. And that is why, among other things, we are a difficult team to scout," Miljanić pointed out.
There were about 3,000 people in the Sports Center, the support was great, it was a pleasure to play with such support, and in the end, together with the fans, we celebrated a significant triumph.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the fantastic fans. They were our sixth man at all times, they helped us a lot. Thank you for that. I hope that next time there will be even more people who will support us and be the wind at our backs until the end of the season," said Miljanić.
When it comes to upcoming commitments, the match against Jedinstvo in Bijelo Polje, in the 24th round of the First Montenegrin Basketball League (Sunday at 1 pm), and then the second match against Sloboda.
"We hope to finish everything in two games. We are going to Tuzla to try to win and we will do our best to make it so. We want to reach the semi-finals and we will do our best to finish the job in Tuzla," concluded Miljanić.
