MKS Dabrowa Górnicza – SLUNETA Ústí nad Labem 102:98 (30:29, 19:17, 20:28, 33:24)
Referees: Zubák, Izák, Bullo (all Slovakia)
Attendance: 320
Scorers – Górnicza: Persons 25, Cabbil 18, Williams 14, Kulikowski 12, Carvacho, Slupinski and Wilczek each 8, Konaszuk 7, Kucharek 2, Wojciechowski 0
Scorers – SLUNETA: Pecka 20, Autrey 18, Nichols 16, Haiblík 15, Karlovský 9, Rowan 8, Žikla 5, Nábělek 4, Martin 3, Johnson 0
The first quarter of the match was marked by ultra-offensive play from both sides. The fans gathered in the Dabrowa Centrum hall to witness the quick transition and effective construction of subsequent throwing actions. The key figures in the first part of the game were Ladislav Pecka for Sluneta and Xeyrius Williams for MKS, who scored 9 points each in the first quarter alone. Ultimately, the first part of the match ended with a minimal lead for the hosts from Dabrowa Górnicza, 30:29. In the second part of the game, the players of both teams still showed great willingness to play, although their effectiveness slightly decreased. At the beginning, Sluneta’s players managed to take a slight lead, but about halfway through this part of the game, MKS scored an 8-point run, crowned with a power dunk by Nicolas Carvacho, thanks to which they regained the lead, which they did not relinquish until the end of the second quarter, and they went into the break with a score of 49:46.
After the change of sides, the guests from the Czech Republic scored a great series of long-range shots (they executed their 3-point shots very well throughout the match, with an efficiency of 48%), thanks to which they took the lead 57:53 after less than three minutes of the third quarter. The cheerful Sluneta players started playing much more freely and effectively, which meant that at their peak they were already leading by nine points (69:60). MKS needed a longer moment to get the situation under control and return to the fight to turn the tide of the competition. The fourth quarter of the match turned out to be decisive when, led by their leader Tyler Persons, the MKS basketball players managed to regain the lead and lead to the final success in the form of a 102:98 victory, thus sealing promotion to the Final Four from first place in the group.
Post-game quotes:
Boris Balibrea, coach of Górnicza: “We are happy that we advanced from first place to the Final Four and that this game finished without injuries.”
Nicolas Carvacho, player of Górnicza: “I know it was a tough game. We came back from Zielona Góra two days ago, but we found a way to get a win, and that’s an important thing.”
Jan Šotnar, coach of SLUNETA: “It was a tough game. Guys from MKS were playing very well, but for us, it was a tough game because obviously we wanted to win, but the road was 6 hours. At the beginning, we started well, but then the treat appeared, and we were lazy on the defense. We make some tough shots, but the opposing team also. We tried our best and appreciate the guys.”
Lamb Autrey, player of SLUNETA: “It was a tough game, but a really good game. We want to win, we come there to win. The first half was really good. They are a really good team, they play very well. Came out to the couple, miss shoots. All together, I’m proud of how we look. Good luck for MKS.”
