Adriatic League: Crvena Zvezda, Zadar win at home

Round 12 of Adriatic League action was closed out by two games. Serbian powerhouse, Crvena Zvezda Telekom Beograd plowed through KK Cibona VIP Zagreb, 75-58. The win takes Red Star to 9-3 and hot on the heels of league leader Buducnost (10-2). The loss for Cibona takes the Croatian club down to 13th place in the league standings as they are now 4-8, just a spot above cellar dwelling Sutjeska (3-9). It was not all bad news for Croatian teams in the Adriatic, KK Zadar pulled off a win at home against visiting BC Igokea Aleksandrovac, 69-60. The win helps KK Zadar retain their fifth position with their 7-5 slate. Igokea falls to the eighth spot, now with just five wins and seven losses.

Crvena Zvezda vs. Cibona, 75-58

This was an easy win at home for the defending league champions. Crvena Zvezda led from start to finish and received little resistance from their guests in this game. It was a well-rounded team effort by the red and white shirts, but Marko Simonovic paced Red Star with 19 points. Stefan Jovic was the best player for Crvena Zvezda, doing everything from everywhere with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Cibona had trouble taking care of the ball. They committed 24 turnovers compared to their host’s 19. Red Star is finally on the right track and are a serious threat to consider in this league. While their roster may not be exactly the same as the one that came up with the historic run last season, they still have the system and the moving parts to give teams enough of a headache on defense.

Zadar vs. Igokea, 69-60

Igokea came into the arena ready to rumble and they took advantage of Zadar’s slow reaction to open the game. Igokea built an early 14-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and looked poised to disappoint the home crowd. Igokea was able to hold their position and maintain their advantage. Heading into the the halftime break, Igokea led the home team 33-39.

Zadar’s coach Ante Nazor had rallied his troops during the break and they came out reinvigorated. They turned their defense up several notches in the third frame and smothered Igokea, outscoring them 17-6 to take the lead. The fourth quarter was more of the same story as the third. Zadar managed to do enough to hold on for the win.

Ivan Ramljak led Zadar with 12 points and eight boards. Nemanja Krstic and Milos Dimic scored 13 points apiece for the visiting Igokea.