After nearly five months, the Mornar basketball team has finally secured their second victory of the season—their first since early November last year. This win breaks their stagnation and signifies their readiness to fight as long as there remains a glimmer of hope for survival in the AdmiralBet ABA League.

However, the Barani still face significant challenges. They sit at the bottom of the standings, trailing by two wins compared to their rivals Krka and Cibona, and hold an unfavorable head-to-head record against both teams, complicating what seems like a dire end-of-season scenario.

Their recent victory against Krk has lifted the team’s spirits and demonstrated that the impressive performance of Mihaila Pavićević against Partizan—where they nearly pulled off an upset at the Belgrade Arena—is not merely due to a lackluster showing by the top team. The only question that remains is whether the “sailors” reacted late to the anticipated turnaround.

– I regret that we didn’t start playing like this sooner. It’s clear that we performed well in the last two matches, and this victory has boosted our confidence. That gives us hope entering the final five rounds and sets a positive tone for our next match—Pavićević remarked.

Mornar is set to visit FMP tonight at 7 PM in the 26th round—a victory could prove significant, especially as Krka hosts Split and Cibona faces Red Star.

– FMP is a strong team with a great coach, so this away game will be challenging. We must stay focused for the entire 40 minutes and believe we can achieve a crucial victory. Our squad has faced many issues, and our rotation is short, but as I’ve mentioned—the shorter the rotation, the better we play. I’m confident that those able to play will give their best—Pavićević emphasized.

The winger, Aleksa Ćubić, also shares an optimistic outlook ahead of the away clash in Železnik:

– We face an extremely tough game against a young team that plays aggressively on both ends of the court. We need to execute our game plan and impose our rhythm. If we can replicate our performance from the game against Krk, we will have a shot at securing a vital victory—Ćubić stated.

Following the matchup with FMP, the Montenegrin representative will tackle games against Dubai, Split, and Igoke in “Topolica,” along with an away game against Zadar.

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