Zrinjski HT Claims 2018 Bosnia Division I Title

 On May 23rd Zrinjski HT Mostar defeated Igokea Aleksandrovac 77-73 in Game 4 of the finals to bag the 2018 Bosnia Division I title. This ends the 5-year reign of Igokea as league champions. The stunning albeit well-earned victory by Zrinjski marks a new chapter in Bosnian hoops. The league is no longer playing under the shadow of a dominant superpower but is now more competitive than it has ever been in recent years. To their credit, Zrinjski has played well as an organization throughout the 2017-18 season.

Igokea may have had the homecourt advantage in this game, but Zrinjski brought the hunger and the desire to win and it translated well into the action on the hardwood. Zrinjski trailed the defending champions by two points after three periods. They rallied in the fourth to seize the initiative and the win. The eventual victors claimed their title on the shoulders on some impressive shooting, it was their best weapon to silence the roaring home crowd that was cheering on Igokea. They took the game via some long-range bombing. Zrinjski HT dropped 12 3-point shots compared to just five from Igokea. The hosts managed to keep the contest from turning into a massive blowout via their trips to the free throw line, where they made 22-of-29 shots. In the end, Zrinjski’s solid offensive effort was enough for them to be Bosnia and Herzegovina’s new champs.

Aleksandar Sokolovic and Marko Ramljak led the charge for Zrinjski as they scored 21 and 19 points, respectively. Ramljak in particular, had the hot hand for his team as he accounted four five of the team’s 12 3-point shots made. Sven Smajlagic chimed in with a double-double, notching 13 points and 10 boards for his team.