Cibona cadet team defeated Zadar and advanced to the final, where they will have the chance to defend title

Zadar held a 20-point lead over Cibona in the 18th minute after a three-pointer by Frane Bajković made it 47:27. The Wolves were brought back to life by three-pointers from Zdravko Perić and Ante Garac, with Garac hitting a buzzer-beater at the end of the first half to cut Zadar’s advantage in half.

In the second half, Cibona completed the comeback through Ante Ćosić, Garac and Perić, going on a 12–0 run. Zadar still led by six points with seven minutes remaining and took their final lead at 76:75 after a basket and free throw from Luka Jerak. Garac and Ćosić restored Cibona’s advantage, while crucial three-pointers from Toma Dacer and Garac sealed a huge celebration for the Cibosi, who defeated Zadar for the first time in their third meeting of the season.

Garac delivered a brilliant performance, finishing with 27 points and 15 assists. Ćosić and Perić added 18 points each. For Zadar, Bajković scored 26 points while Jerak contributed 21.

Roko Anzulović, Cibona head coach: “We arrived at the final tournament with major health issues and focused on solving our own problems after coming here as the fourth-seeded team. Everything we prepared in the first half simply did not work, and Zadar were the top team for a reason. But in the second half, this team showed great character, and I’m proud of that. We’ll need to be much better in the final. I take my hat off to my players for coming back from such a big deficit”.

Cibona’s opponent in the final will be Split, who defeated Cedevita Junior 69:60. The final will be played tomorrow at 7:15 P.M. at Dubrava Sports hall.

Statistics can be viewed at THIS LINK.