Balkan continues its positive performance since the start of the new season in the National Basketball League. Petar Zlatanovic’s boys forged their fourth success of the campaign after they prevailed over Spartak Pleven with a final 89:85 (24:21, 20:16, 19:23, 26:25) in front of their supporters in the “Arena Botevgrad” hall. . The meeting was part of the program of the fifth round of the home championship.
The match pitted two of the leading teams in the league during the current campaign, and after this match, Balkan already has a balance of 4-1, while Pleven has an asset of 3-2.
The match turned into an extremely dramatic one, and its outcome was reached in the last minutes. Neither team managed to secure a more serious lead in the final period, but still the champions showed their character and managed to take a fragile lead. A three-pointer by Karl-Johan Lipps became the key to the home team’s success, because with it, Balkan led 85:81 with 46 seconds remaining until the final whistle. The Estonian also distinguished himself with important successful shots from the penalty line, thanks to which his team maintained its lead until the final whistle.
Karl-Johan Lips scored 25 points for the Balkan victory. Malik Topin added 23 points and 6 rebounds, and captain Dimitar Dimitrov scored 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Nikolay Stoyanov scored 22 points on 9/9 shooting for Spartak Pleven. Rodney Purvis scored 15 points, Andrew Gordon contributed 13, and Stanimir Marinov finished with 12 points and 5 assists.
