Cibona dominates Zabok to secure third place in SuperSport Premijer liga

Following the Krešimir Ćosić Cup and the international break, KK Cibona returned to domestic league action in the final round of the SuperSport Premijer liga's second cycle. Facing KK Zabok at home, the stakes were high as only one point separated the two teams in the battle for the third seed.

Game summary: From a tight contest to a blowout

Cibona’s starting five—Palokaj, Čakarun, Katanović, Šiško, and Hepa—began the game with a 4:0 run. While Zabok stayed competitive through Širko and Črnjević, Cibona used a 9:0 run to build a 20:11 lead. However, the visitors fought back, ending the first quarter trailing by just one point (23:22).

The second quarter saw multiple lead changes. Zabok took a brief lead via Perkušić’s three-pointer, but Palokaj and Čakarun quickly responded. Despite a late push by Zabok's Tomas and Širko that put the guests up 37:40, Cibona regained composure to head into halftime with a 49:42 advantage, fueled by Skorić’s 12 points.

Second half surge secures the win

The third quarter proved decisive. Radovčić, Čakarun, and Hepa pushed the lead to double digits (55:44). Cibona’s dominance continued as Skorić and Katanović extended the gap to 74:56 by the end of the period. The final quarter was a mere formality, allowing Cibona to avenge their earlier season loss to Zabok and finish the second round with a 15-7 record.

Post-game reactions

Ivan Rudež, Cibona Head Coach: "We wanted to play tough and with confidence. This third position is very important to us. It shows we are heading in the right direction".

Borna Katanović, Cibona player: "We were in a close game for a while, but we pulled away in the second half. Congratulations to Zabok on a good fight".

The statistics can be found at THIS LINK.