Red Star wins Eternal Derby in Adriatic Action

Belgrade,Serbia – Basketball fans got a special treat as Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) Telekom Beograd and BC Partizan NiS Beograd took to the hardwood in Adriatic league action and closed another chapter in the Eternal Derby. So far this season, Red Star has had the better run in the ABA and were considered favorites in this encounter. That is of course, true if you were asking fans cheering in the red and white section of the arena. Much to the dismay of Partizan’s supporters, Crvena Zvezda did in fact come to prevail in this game, 76-67. The win keeps Red Star’s 10-0 record intact, while Partizan remains in a struggle to find its form at 5-5.

Partizan was the early aggressor and scored the first five points of the contest. Their advantage was short lived, as it did not take long for Red Star to clamp down on defense, allowing them to take over control of the game. At the end of the first period, Red Star put up 19-14 lead. Partizan had a difficult second quarter as Crvena Zvezda stifled their offense and held them to just eight points. At the end of the first half, Red Star compiled a comfortable 38-22 lead.

When the clubs returned from the halftime break, Partizan was still unable to chip away at the lead. It was only in the fourth and final period that they woke up and posed a serious threat. Unfortunately, the rally they mounted was too little too late and Red Star held on to seal the victory.

Despite the loss, the game’s Most Valuable Player came from the Partizan camp. Milan Macvan finished with a game-high 20 points. He also took down seven rebounds. His excellent effort was not enough to lift his team. Milenko Tepic added 13 points of his own and Nikola Milutinov chipped in with 10.

Crvena Zvezda’s offense was more balanced. Branko Lazic led his team 15 points. Boban Marjanovic, Jaka Blazic, and Charles Jenkins each contributed 13 points.