Battle for the Playoffs in Laktaši – Igokea m:tel host Split

AdmiralBet ABA League Round 17, Saturday, 28 January 2023:

IGOKEA M:TEL - SPLIT

Where? Laktaši Sports Hall, Laktaši 

When? 17:00

Story of the game: On Saturday afternoon, Igokea m:tel will be hosting Split at home in their Laktaši Sports Hall in Laktaši in the battle of two direct rivals for a Playoffs spot.

Currently, both squads hold 5 wins in their hands, just one less than Cibona, that are occupying the eighth place, the last in the Playoffs Zone. And besides the battle for a spot in the peak of the AdmiralBet ABA League season, the two will also try their best to win in order to end their negative streaks. While Igokea m:tel have lost 6 games in a row, Split have lost 2 and whoever wins this one will get a big boost of morale ahead of the remainder of the season.

History reveals, that the Dalmatians haven’t been likely to take 2 points home from Laktaši with them, as Igokea m:tel have prevailed in all 3 of the mutual encounters between the two sides so far in the regional league history.

However, if we take into account the experience from this season, it’s worth mentioning that Split were the ones to beat Igokea m:tel at home in Gripe (68:77).

This is also so far their only triumph against Igosi in the entire history of the regional competition.

Match-up in focus: For sure, the match-up in the limelight will be the one between Kendrick Ray and Shannon Shorter. The two fantastic guards have been shining so far this season, leading their respective teams in scoring, as Ray has been averaging 15.8 points and Shorter 18.2 per game. Kendrick Ray is currently also the third-leading passer of Igokea m:tel with 3.6 assists dished out per contest, while Shorter is also the top rebounder and second-leading passer of Split with an average of 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Head-to-head score in the regional league: In total 6:1; In Laktaši 3:0.