Cibona juniors team finish on fourth place

At the Croatian Junior Championship Final Tournament in Zagreb’s Dubrava district, Cibona suffered a heartbreaking 102–101 overtime defeat to Kvarner in a dramatic semifinal clash. The team from Rijeka showed they would be a tough challenge for the Cibos right from the first half. The drama reached its peak in the closing moments of regulation and continued into overtime. Cibona forced the extra period thanks to a three-pointer by Bruno Bubalo, who later also had a difficult attempt to win the game. In overtime, Zdravko Perić led Cibona’s charge, but Jura Milevoj responded for Kvarner with a personal run of seven points. With 12 seconds remaining, Borna Burek knocked down a three-pointer to give Cibona a 101–100 lead, but Tomislav Vučković scored the basket that sent Kvarner into the championship game.

Kvarner was led by Milevoj with 20 points, Vučković with 18, and Loren Jugovac with 17. For Cibona, Borna Katanović scored 26 points, while Burek added 17 and Perić contributed 16.

“Our biggest problem was that we didn’t come out with enough intensity in the first half. They got several easy drives to the basket, which allowed them to find their rhythm, and later they hit some very difficult shots. We spent the entire game trying to close the gap and eventually managed to take the lead. In the end, Kvarner was a little luckier and more composed. Congratulations to Kvarner and to my players as well. There is no giving up because we still have a chance to win a medal”, said Cibona head coach Edi Rački after the dramatic semifinal.

In the third-place game and battle for the bronze medal, Cibona lost against Zadar 85–72. Zadar was led by Šime Grbin with 23 points and Alexander Božiković with 17. For Cibona, the top performers were Borna Katanović with 22 points and Zdravko Perić with 15.

“Zadar lost to Cedevita Junior in the semifinals, but their game was less dramatic than ours. I tried to get some energy out of my players, but the loss to Kvarner clearly left its mark. It was a tough game and, honestly, not a particularly attractive one. Congratulations to Zadar on a well-deserved victory. It wasn’t easy for them either, but they managed to find a little more energy and strength than we did. They stayed focused and earned the bronze medal”, Rački said.

Statistics are available HERE and AT THIS LINK.