Basketball players from Bosnia won the title of champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the return match of the play-off final on Sunday evening in Sarajevo, the Students were defeated by Igokea after overtime with 100:97, but they won the title thanks to the victory in the first match in Laktaši with a difference of six points and a better overall goal difference.
Igokea dominated the first half in which they had a 17-point advantage, and after 20 minutes it seemed that the guests would be able to defend last year’s title. Igokea’s aggressive defense forced the home team to make errors in their attacks, and with accurate shots they constantly increased their advantage, which in the first minutes of the second half amounted to 23 points.
Then followed the incredible return of Bosnia. The students played an aggressive defense, Plummer and Atić played in the attack, so Bosnia managed to get back to only eight points behind by the end of the third period.
The fourth period brought real drama. Bosnia came to five points on several occasions, Igokea came back to seven, and in the last minute, the guests had a lead of six points and had an attack for the title, but Rorie missed a shot for three points.
Given that 40 minutes ended with the same difference as the first match in Laktaši, extra time was played in which the great point-for-point battle continued. As in the regular part, Igoke had an attack for the title, but Rorie made a mistake when passing and Caruthers converted the stolen ball into a basket for a four-point deficit.
On the other side, Pierre-Lois hit only one free throw and missed the opportunity to win the second overtime, and West, after a “quick” foul by Igokea, used both free throws two seconds before the end for the final 97:100 and a big celebration for Bosnia.
The students thus returned the title to Sarajevo after 18 years and ended a successful season after winning seventh place in the ABA league.
The most efficient for Bosnia were Plummer and Kovačević with 15 each, Atić with 13, West with 12 and Young with 11 points, and for Igokea Pierre-Lois with 23, Milosavljević with 21 and Rorie with 14 points, Fena writes.
