Euphoria flooded the mouth! Basketball players are in the semifinals for the second time in history

In the entire series, Ústěčí perfectly healed the wounds that Beksa inflicted on them in the two quarter-final battles in the seasons, which in 2018 and last year they dominated each time 4:3 per match.

The fantastic monument, which was modeled almost to perfection by coach Jan Šotnar during the season, conquered the weakened team, which had been missing Kameron Chatman since the second game, 83:64 and joined the long-time hegemon of the domestic scene from Nymburk and its North Bohemian rival from Děčín as the third semi-finalist of this year season.

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“First of all, I thank Pardubice for that series, because I think that although there were some interventions that were tough, it was on the edge of fairness and it was not heated at all. It was a tough five games. When we got to the playoffs Pardubice, of course we didn’t rejoice, because we know that the team is good. They had a bit of bad luck in the season, which also accompanied them a little in the playoffs, when Kameron Chatman was injured,” said a happy Šotnar, who was aware that his opponent was not at full strength at key moments.

Even so, he recalled important facts. “Secondly, even in those first games where they were complete, we led by eighteen points at halftime and dominated that opening contest.” After all, Petr Šafarčík, one of the Pardubice supporters, also agreed with this. “I would like to congratulate Ústí. They progressed fully deservedly by an essentially clear difference of 4:1,” he acknowledged the strength of Šotnar’s selection. “He deserved it for the whole season. Whether it’s the players for their efforts, for the way they work on the field as a team, or the coach, because the team has a clear handwriting and is well led. I think everyone can see that,” he bowed the conquerors of Pardubice.

Sluneta went after the set goal from the first minutes. She allowed her opponent to take the lead only in the beginning (3:5), gradually built up a lead of up to eleven points and dominated the first quarter 23:13. Its dominance grew in the second ten-minute period for a fifteen-point lead, yet the East Bohemians went to the cabins only with single-digit losses (34:41). The main conductor of the Ústí orchestra at that time was Lamb Autrey, who had already hit four triples during the opening period.

After the break, Ty Nichols, the league’s most valuable player, took over, ably seconded by captain Ladislav Pecka. “I think we came at the opponent today with a clear head, 100% concentration. Of course there were some lapses, because Pardubice are a good team and they didn’t give up until the last minute,” described the busiest Czech player of the Ústí team. Even in the third act, they let the guests within range several times, but the last part of the game clearly belonged to the choice of Jan Šotnar, who in the end extended his victory to the nineteen-point mark. “We maintained a certain cushion quite comfortably and at the end we rounded it off with simple baskets and kept the momentum,” added Pecka’s assessment.

“I told the players that the playoffs are starting from scratch, but those ten months of work will show somewhere. And in my opinion, it showed in that series. We played better basketball, we played more as a team and we were more cohesive. That’s why we’re advancing semi-final. As I told the boys, we will now look at Ostrava and Opava, we will prepare for that. Our dreams and goals do not end there,” Šotnar continued in his speech.

“I wish Ústí nothing but the best for the rest of the playoffs, because they beat us rightfully. I will definitely be watching them, because I think they can make it very far,” Šafarčík added in another tribute.

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“It’s been a tough season, we’ve had a lot of problems and today’s game I can say that we tried, we didn’t give up and we fought until the end. But every time we got close and closed the gap below 10 points, we missed that one two steps moreover, to even the score. We already lacked strength and sometimes concentration. Today, the better team deservedly won and advanced to the semi-finals,” acknowledged the strength of Sluneta’s coach Vanja Miljkovič.

Ústěčtí has ​​to wait for its semi-final opponent. If Opava manages to turn around the Silesian derby with Ostrava (so far 1:3 in matches), the North Bohemians will enter the fight for a medal in Opava, Děčín would then challenge Nymburk. However, on the assumption that the Ostravas would pull off the surprise, a North Bohemian derby would be on the agenda in the semi-finals, a spicy series of four wins would start in Ústí nad Labem.

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Basketball, Kooperativa NBL, Quarterfinals, Game 5:
SLUNETA Ústí nad Labem – BK KVIS Pardubice 83:64 (23:13, 41:34, 65:54)
Estuary: Autrey 23, Nichols 20, Pecka 15, Rowan 7, Johnson 6, Martin 5, Nábělek 3, Žikla and Karlovský 2 each
Pardubice: Vyoral 15, Pekárek and Šafarčík 10 each, Marshall 8, Škifić, Potoček and Švrdlík all 6 each, Burda 3
Threes: 30/11 – 27/9. Free throws: 5/4 – 11/9. Rebounds: 36 – 32. Fouls: 15 – 14. Attendance: 1,378.
Final score of the series: 4:1.