In the semi-final clash of the Serbian Cup on the court of Cair Arena in Nis, Crvena Zvezda outplayed Cacak 94 by 87:52.
Djordje Majstorovic did not appear for the Cacak 94, and it’s worth noting that this was the first-ever encounter between Crvena Zvezda and Cacak 94 in history. From interesting information, it is worth mentioning that the defeated team had Mladen Pantic in their lineup, the oldest player at this year’s Serbian Cup, born in 1982.
Cacak 94 had significant support from as many as 90 boys from the youth categories of the club who came to Nis to support their team. As for Crvena Zvezda, it is noteworthy that Milos Teodosic returned to the team after a hiatus due to injury.
Although Nemanja Nedovic opened the game with a three-pointer from nine meters, the next few minutes belonged to the opponent. Stojan Dodic and Nikola Gasic gave ΔaΔak 94 a 7:3 lead. The Red and Whites only scored three points in the first five minutes of the game. Cacak’s team managed to maintain their lead until the end of the first quarter, but Milos Teodosic first hit a three-pointer and then assisted for 15:15.
At the beginning of the second period, Luka Mitrovic scored twice with a foul, leading to a turnaround. Consequently, coach Djordje Micic called for a timeout. However, after returning to the court, the Red and Whites showed much aggression in defense, limiting their opponent to a small number of points. Yago dos Santos stepped up, bringing the largest lead for Crvena Zvezda so far. The score at halftime was double-digit, 35:23 in favor of the Belgrade team.
Crvena Zvezda found their shooting rhythm right from the start of the second half, hitting four three-pointers in the span of four minutes and creating a 16:3 run. This propelled them to a then-largest lead of 51:38, turning the game into a one-way street early in the third period. The only question remaining until the end of the game was the margin by which the Red and Whites would emerge victorious.
In the end, they secured a place in the final where they have the opportunity to win their milestone tenth Serbian Cup title. In the closing moments, junior player Andrej Kostic scored six points, much to the delight of the present audience and Crvena Zvezda fans in the Cair Arena.
Andrej Kostic, Crvena Zvezda junior, enters the gamsle for the first time to big ovations π΄βͺοΈ#kkcz pic.twitter.com/S7Ovi9cfEM
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) February 16, 2024
The top scorer in the winning lineup was Luka Mitrovic with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Dalibor Ilic contributed 13 points, Nemanja Nedovic stopped at 11, and Dejan Davidovac scored ten points. In the Cacak 94 team, Stefan LakicΒ stood out with 11 points as the only double-digit scorer in the defeated team.
In the second semifinal clash of the Serbian Cup at 9:00 PM in the Cair Arena in Nis, Vojvodina and Partizan will take to the court.