Skipped Podčetrtek and qualified for the final tournament of the Spar Cup
Cedevita Olimpija defeated Terme Olimia Podčetrtek in the quarter-final match of the Spar Cup with 103:55 on Tuesday in the home Arena Stožice and secured a place in the final tournament of the foursome. The end of the Spar Cup season in the 2020/21 season is specific due to the coronavirus pandemic, which was the … Continued
Cedevita Olimpija defeated Terme Olimia Podčetrtek in the quarter-final match of the Spar Cup with 103:55 on Tuesday in the home Arena Stožice and secured a place in the final tournament of the foursome.
The end of the Spar Cup season in the 2020/21 season is specific due to the coronavirus pandemic, which was the main reason for the suspension of the competition and the postponement of the final tournament. Unlike previous seasons, the quarterfinal fights do not take place according to the system of two matches, the best eight teams of the Nova KBM League competed for a place in the final tournament in one quarterfinal match. The Dragons were not too bothered by this, on Tuesday they defeated Terme Olimia Podčetrtek on the home court with 103:55.
For the third time this season, the Ljubljana team defeated the team from Podčetrtek. The victory of the Dragons was never in question, as the team of head coach Jurica Golemac showed a serious approach from the very beginning, gained a high advantage in the first quarter, and then just calmly and without turmoil brought the match to an end.
Kendrick Perry and Luka Ščuka were the top scorers for the Dragons, with 14 points each.
In its showcases, Cedevita Olimpija has 20 titles of Slovenian cup champions. The people of Ljubljana won their last in 2017, and then for three years in a row the cup laurels took place in Koper. Last season, Koper Primorska defeated Cedevita Olimpija in the final of the Spar Cup in Kodeljevo with 93:84.
STATEMENTS AHEAD OF THE GAME:
Jurica Golemac, head coach of Cedevita Olimpija:
“It is very important that we played with the right approach from the very beginning, as we should in every match. Congratulations to the players for winning. Now it really starts, we must not relax. We have arranged the minutes nicely and we are moving even stronger. In the semi-finals, we will face Krka, which is always an unfavorable opponent. It’s played in one game, and we have to play our basketball, intensely, physically, and win.”
Alen Hodžić, player of Cedevita Olimpija:
“Such matches are very specific as they are played on only one win. If you don’t come to the match completely focused, anyone can surprise you. We were focused, we showed our quality, and now we move on, step by step. We want to achieve our goals. We will play against Krka like against any other opponent, maximally motivated and we hope to win.”
SPAR CUP, QUARTERFINALS
Stožice Arena (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Tuesday, May 11:
CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA – TERME OLIMIA PODČETRTEK 103:55 (32:16, 25:19, 26:8, 20:12)
Cedevita Olimpija: Radović 4, Perry 14, Duščak 4, Murić 4 (5 assists, 4 rebounds), Blažič 13, Brown 3 (4 rebounds, 4 assists), Hodžić 9, Jones 11 (6 rebounds), Ščuka 14 (10 rebounds), Dimec 8 (6 rebounds), Marinković 13, Rupnik 6.
SPAR CUP, SEMIFINALS
Saturday, May 22:
KRKA – CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA
