By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Partizan NIS had a great start of the game but Crvena Zvezda mts bounced back and thanks to Billy Baron’s late-game heroics won 76-75 ending the Finals 3-1 and securing the Serbian League title.
Alex Renfroe‘s driving layup gave Partizan a 75-74 lead with 13 seconds left but Zvezda answered in the following offense. Baron used the mismatch he had against Stefan Jankovic and went straight to basket for the title-winning layup in the last second.
Baron was also the one to bank last seven points for Crvena Zvezda and finished with game-high 21 points on 7-11 shooting (4-6 triples).
Dejan Davidovac added 13 and Michael Ojo 12 points. For Partizan, Renfroe and Djordje Gagic scored 11 points each.
The hosts went ahead 23-16 after ten minutes and were up by a 14-point margin (36-22) in the second quarter. However, Zvezda cut the gap to 42-34 at halftime and continued after the break tying the game at 52 in front of the final period.
The game was interrupted with 8:32 remaining due to lightning hitting the building which made the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall’s roof leak. After half an hour, the game continued as the sides stayed balanced until the very end with Crvena Zvezda grabbing the win in the final second.