The basketball teams from Zadar and Dubrovnik have advanced to the semifinals of the Croatian basketball playoffs by defeating Kvarner and Samobor in their second quarterfinal matches. After a home victory of 90:70, Zadar, the current champions, secured the series with a 96:72 win over Kvarner in Rijeka, bringing their series to 2:0.
Boris Tišma led Zadar's scorers with 20 points, contributing nine rebounds and three assists. Vladimir Mihailović scored 16 points, while Adam Mekić added 12. On the Rijeka side, Lovre Bašić scored 15 points, and Josip Barnjak and Josip Jukić each contributed 12 points. Barnjak had seven rebounds, and Jukić had five.
Loncović and Andrić Lead Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik secured a 2:0 series lead over Samobor with a 77:69 win in front of their fans. In the first game, Dubrovnik won 86:81 as visitors. The first half was evenly matched, but Dubrovnik took a double-digit lead early in the third quarter, 55:40, which Samobor could not overcome. Dubrovnik dominated the third quarter with a 20:6 score.
Marko Loncović was Dubrovnik's top scorer with 23 points and six rebounds. Lukša Andrić added 19 points and four rebounds. Glen Thomas Burns led Samobor with 17 points and seven rebounds.
The second match of the series between Dubrava and Cibona is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 PM. Cibona leads the series 1:0 following their home win of 96:73. On Sunday at 7 PM, Zabok and Split will play the second match of their series. Split leads 1:0 after winning the first game 86:80 on their home court.
This playoff series is heating up! Who do you think will come out on top? Zadar and Dubrovnik seem unstoppable, but Split and Cibona have proven they can pull off upsets. Let's see how it all plays out!