Wheelchair Basketball Club Vrbas has advanced to the final of the tournament in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
After defeating Karmasi Istanbul 66–39 in their opening Group A game, the Banja Luka side recorded another convincing victory, beating hosts Sofia-Balkan 68–37 (17–9, 23–8, 12–10, 16–10).
The Bulgarian team had earlier defeated Karmasi Istanbul 54–51 and will now compete for third place, while Karmasi will play the bottom-ranked team from Group B for fifth place.
The opening quarter between Vrbas and the hosts was relatively low-scoring. After nearly six minutes, the score was tied at 4–4 before a three-pointer from Rekanović gave Vrbas its first lead at 7–4.
Sofia-Balkan responded to cut the deficit to 7–6, but Vrbas then took control. Švraka, Rekanović and Dizdarić found their rhythm, helping the Banja Luka team establish a 17–9 advantage after the opening 10 minutes.
Vrbas completely dominated the second quarter, steadily increasing its lead as the game progressed.
Late in the period, points from Švraka and Čolić sent Vrbas into halftime with a commanding 40–17 advantage.
The Banja Luka side remained in control throughout the second half, confirming its status as one of the leading contenders for the tournament trophy.
Vrbas recorded its biggest lead in the 35th minute, when an inspired Vlado Švraka scored to make it 64–30.
At the final buzzer, the scoreboard read KKI Vrbas 68, Sofia-Balkan 37.
Švraka led the winning team with an impressive 29 points, while Persin Elenkov was Sofia-Balkan’s top scorer with 20.
The final is scheduled for tomorrow at noon, with Vrbas set to face the winner of the FlinkStones–Proklinik Istanbul matchup.
Source: RTRS
