In the season in which they did not defend the title in the ABA league, in which they played the Euroleague (with six wins in 30 matches), the basketball players of Buducnost Voli returned the Montenegrin championship title to Podgorica.
In a dramatic third match, Petar Mijovic's players defeated Mornar 76:72, and solved the final with 3: 2 in wins, as two years ago against the same rival. Buducnost came to the 12th championship title since Montenegro's independence, and this season they also achieved the double crown after winning the Cup of Montenegro.
Mijovic, who took over the team after Jasmin Repesa left at the start of the Super League, won the first independent trophy in the senior competition. The team from Bar was in the game to defend the trophy until the last moment, although Buducnost was the favorite, it was a situation where one ball decided the winner.
Buducnost led 2:0 in the series, Mornar equalized for 2:2, so the decision was made in the fifth duel of the two best Montenegrin teams. The finale was played in a great ambience at "Moraca", with about 2,500 spectators, of which a couple of hundred fans were from Bar, but the match ended in the shadow of a serious injury of Filip Barovic, who injured his knee after a little more than three minutes into the third quarter. The strong player from Niksic was unlucky when he attacked the hoop, and in the duel with Uros Lukovic, his knee buckled and Barovic fell on the floor. Barovic started to strike the floor with his fist, and all the basketball players of Mornar were worried, but the action did not stop. On the other side, Marko Mugosa scored three points (with whistles from the stands), and only then the game was interrupted.
Check-ups will show the severity of the injury, but the grimace on the face of the great fighter does not promise that his absence will be short. In less than an hour after the match, Barovic was led by the hands of a physiotherapist out of the hall.
Barovic is seriously in the risk of missing the World Cup in China, which is played in September. It is more bad luck for the team from Podgorica after the recent injuries of Aleksa Ilic, Nikola Ivanovic and Petar Popovic.
As for the final match, although it seemed that the game was decided just less than seven minutes before the end, when Buducnost led 64:51, Mornar managed to score for 71:70, 28.3 seconds before the end.
Then a real drama took place - Sead Sehović missed a shot, but the ball in the attack was caught by Nemanja Gordic and a foul was made. He hit both throws with 11.1 seconds before the end for 73:70.
Nikola Rebic, on the other side, made the difference in points 73:72, 6.8 seconds before the end, and returned hope to the guests.
Everything was decided when Strahinja Micovic made a deliberate foul at Gordic, at a time when the Podgorica team tried to get the ball under their hoop. There were protests by the players from Bar towards the judge Radomir Vojinovic, who decided on the doubtful foul.
Gordic hit one of the two throws, and then, after getting the ball on the side, and after being fouled again, shot for the final 76:72
Buducnost Voli - Mornar 76:72 (22:18, 16:13, 22:19, 16:22)
Podgorica - Hall: "Moraca". Audience: 2,500. Judges: Vojinovic, Rutesic, Savovic.
Budućnost Voli: JACKSON 13 (6-4), SU. ŠEHOVIĆ 3, BAROVIĆ 13(2-1), Se. Šehović 5 (2-1), GORDIĆ 21 (9-7), Starovlah, Z. Nikolić 3 (2-1), Pajović, Drobnjak 5 (2-2), Bell 8 (2-0), D. NIKOLIĆ 5 (2-1), Žugić.
Mornar: JELENIĆ 14 (4-2), MIĆOVIĆ 5 (4-0), Mijović 3, MUGOŠA 8, Marljukić, Pavić 8 (2-1), Vujošević 4, Cenović, Živanović, Kostić, REBIĆ 17 (7-6), LUKOVIĆ 13 (9-7).
Text by Sasa Joncic, on May 30th, 2019, read more at Vijesti
