In the second game of the Croatian Championship quarterfinals, Dubrava stunned Cibona with a narrow 86-84 victory (21-22, 18-22, 24-29, 23-11), leveling the series at 1-1. The deciding third game will be played at Cibona's home court. The winner will face the better team from the Split-Zabok series, which Split currently leads 86-80. The second game between Split and Zabok will be played this Sunday.
The other semifinal matchup is already set, with Zadar facing Dubrovnik. The second game between Dubrava and Cibona was closely contested from the start, with Cibona maintaining a slight advantage throughout. With seven and a half minutes remaining, Cibona led 77-68, but Dubrava mounted a comeback, eventually tying the game at 82-82. With ten seconds left, Cibona's Kamaka Hepa missed both free throws, and two seconds later, Jean-Francois Rajaofera secured Dubrava's win with two successful free throws.
John Wright led Dubrava with 23 points and five rebounds, while Lovro Gnjidić added 20 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. For Cibona, Roko Serdarušić led the scoring with 14 points and six rebounds. Jan Palokaj and Justin Roberson each added 12 points, and Žan Mark Šiško contributed 10 points and 11 assists.
Zadar and Dubrovnik also secured wins in their quarterfinal games against Kvarner and Samobor, setting up their semifinal matchup.
Dubrava's comeback was electrifying! They're definitely the team to watch in this playoff run. Can Cibona recover or is Dubrava ready to clinch the series?