"Three very important games remain": Popović and Omelnitsky after the victory over Tambov
Zenit-2 head coach Oliver Popović shared his emotions after the home victory over Tambov (94:65). The game was played as part of Round 23 of the FONBET Super League regular season.
— I think the first quarter already determined who would win today. We started well, especially on defense. In the second quarter we also played well for about 7-8 minutes, then the substitutions didn’t quite work out. But our attitude to the game was completely different compared to the match against CSKA-2. So today we deserved to win. Congratulations to the guys — the mindset was right, both in defense and in offense.
— Will this victory help the team get ready for the decisive stretch of the regular season?
— I hope so, but this year we’re missing just a little bit. As you understand, our average age is 20, and some games didn’t go our way exactly because of that — because of experience. Unfortunately, we lack experience. At the same time, over the last three weeks we’ve had big problems with practices and injuries. Today we had a proper rotation. Three very important games remain: two away and one at home. We’ll try to finish either ninth or tenth to take part in the play-in.
Zenit-2 guard Georgy Omelnitsky also commented on the result of the match.
— It was a good game. From the very beginning we managed to set a good tempo and score points. We quickly built a solid lead, so the opponent had to chase us the whole game, and we managed to maintain the advantage. It’s nice to win a home game.
— You got quite a lot of playing time today. How would you evaluate your performance? Are you satisfied?
— I would have liked to make more shots. But overall it wasn’t bad. Of course, there were some mistakes, but we’re working and gradually getting better, so overall I’m satisfied. It’s nice that I managed to contribute at least a little, but as always, I want to be better.
— The team ended a five-game winless streak. Do you think emotionally this will have a positive impact on the final stretch of the regular season?
— I think so. The guys are already in a good mood in the locker room, everyone is smiling. I think building on this we’ll show better basketball and try to win the remaining games.
