Facts and numbers from the First and Second Stages of EUROHOLD Balkan League

The Second Stage in EUROHOLD Balkan League is over and we are ahead of the final games that will decide the champion. A total of 54 games have been played so far and we witnessed a lot of close ones, a lot heartbreakers and big fight between the teams. This system gave the teams a fair possibility to advance to the finals stages and also a chance to play international basketball from October to March. Finally we have six left and they all have their chances and ambitions to win it all.

This season in EUROHOLD Balkan League started with a new system and it proved to be very successful. It gave a possibility to the teams to have a chance to correct mistakes and each game counted. Due to the fact that the results from the First Stage were taken in to the Second, all teams played on their top until the last round and this is why we witnessed a lot of close and hard fought matches. The numbers and the statistics show that EUROHOLD Balkan League is one of the most balanced leagues in whole Europe in which each team can beat anybody.

KK Kozuv is one of the semifinalst and the team deserved its place better because of the performance they showed since the start of the campaign. The team from Gevgelija made historical nine wins in a row which was the main reason for their direct qualification for the semifinal. The run was stopped after a dramatic loss to Rilski Sportist which was then revenged so Kozuv is with 10-2 record so far.

KB Peja is the second semifinalist and is a team from which we witnessed all during the season. In three of the first four games they had, Peja played overtime. In almost all of the matches there was a drama and Peja proved itself as one of the teams from which you can expect everything. However in the end they got it together and won the last and most important game which put them in the Top 4 and gave them a big chance in the competition.

KB Sigal Prishtina and KK Kumanovo 2009 are the teams that improved the most in the Second Stage. They both won all of their four matches in it and are perhaps in the best possible form entering the quarterfinals. Kumanovo also is in a run of five straight wins and the confidence is high before the clashes with Rilski Sportist. On the other side Sigal made a lot of changes to the roster which turned out to be successful and the team is having big ambitions for this final part of the season.

SCM U Craiova is also one of the teams that improved its performance with the course of the season. At the start of year 2015 they changed a lot of the roster and that proved to be a key decision. The Romanians improved and even had the chance to qualify directly for the semifinal but lost at home to Kumanovo. However Craiova had some memorable victories with big margins against Sigal Prishtina, Mornar and Peja at home and also won Peja away with a very good performance.

BC Rilski Sportist had a lots of ups and downs in its performance and surprisingly enough after starting with three straight home wins, they lost the next three matches in their gym. The first one was against Kumanovo which is the team they are going to face in the 1/4 final. Rilski also had memorable wins like the one in Peja and mostly the one in Gevgelija which stopped Kozuv′s run of nine straight victories. The Samokov squad has both experienced and young players and they still have a lot to show this season.

The two Montenegrin teams - KK Sutjeska and KK Mornar are the ones who are out after the Second Stage. Sutjeska had a very good first season in the league and left positive impression. The team from Niksic fought hard in each game, played good basketball and introduced some nice young players like Aleksa Ilic which is one of the competition′s goals. Mornar also had some good games but unfortunately for them, they were hit with injuries before the start of the Second Stage. With the roster not being complete the team from Bar lost some close games which may have gone differently. Here also some young local players received a chance and example for that is Milija Mikovic.

Generally EUROHOLD Balkan League is happy with the level of the games, the level of the competition between the teams, the level of the officiating and the conditions which most of the clubs provide. Of course the management has some remarks and some important decisions that will be taken for the next season mainly in order to all the teams in good and correct conditions regarding the sports halls and the accomodations without giving any more possibility the conditions between the clubs to be unbalanced. EUROHOLD Balkan League expects that the last part of the season will be even more interesting than the ones so far and everything will be in the same high level as it was until now.

Here are some statistics and numbers from the First and Second Stages of EUROHOLD Balkan League: Stage 1 – Total of 39 games
Home wins – 24
Away wins – 15  - 38% of the games
OT – 4 games     10% of the games
Score - Home team 83.5 points Guest team 78.5 points
Points difference in the games: 1-5 points = 12 games                  5-10 points = 11 games
10-20 points = 10 games               20 and up = 6 games
60% of the games finish with 1-10 points difference   Stage 2 - Total of 15 games
Home wins - 8
Away wins – 7 – 46% of the games
Score – Home team – 81.1 points Guest team 78.8 points
Points difference in the games: 1-5 points = 6 games                5-10 points = 6 games                                                         10 and up = 3 games
78% of the games finished with 1-10 points difference
Total facts for the First and Second stages
Total games (up to now) - 54
Home wins – 32 games    
Away wins - 22 games - 40% of the games
4 Overtime – 8% of the games
Score – Home team – 82.30 points Guest team - 78.65 points
Points difference in the games: 1-5 points = 18 games                 5-10 points = 17 games                                                        10-20 points = 12 games              20 and up = 7 games
65% of the games finished with 1-10 points difference