After losing its first 13 games of the season, the Polish side finally tasted victory in Round 14
Trefl played spoiler role in style: ’Can’t wait for another game’
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There are no more winless teams in the BKT EuroCup after Trefl Sopot went on the road and ran past Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius 74-97 on Wednesday night.
“Finally! It took us 14 games," said team captain Jaroslaw Zyskowski, who paced the team with 20 points, shooting 4 of 5 from three-point land, and also had 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
“Guys were passing the ball, I was open, I just knocked down the shots. That’s what I do. I am just happy I was making the shots."
The outcome came as a shock to most. After all, a team with 13 losses in as many games went on the road to down the Wolves, who are fighting for every win in the middle of a tight playoff race in Group A. But it was Trefl, a team seemingly with nothing to play for, coming out as a 23-point winner.
“We deserved it,” Trefl head coach Zan Tabak stated. “In so many games this season, we gave our maximum. In so many games, we got really close and we didn’t get it.”
But on this night, they did. And how so.
The key was the third quarter, one which started with a close-range basket from Wolves big man Marek Blazevic. But then Trefl did not allow another field goal the rest of the quarter, and for more than 10 minutes in total. A 1-16 run opened a 17-point lead, which grew to 20 points in the fourth quarter as Trefl cruised to its first win of the season.
If you ask Zyskowski, or anyone else on Trefl, it was a long time coming.
“In the first games of the season we were so close to winning, but unfortunately we were always losing in some crucial moments,” Zyskowski said.
“So, it feels great. I think we played the best game in this competition, offensively and defensively. I am very proud of my team.”
“I believe we got better offensively, more relaxed. We played without pressure,” Tabak explained.
That should trigger alarm bells for future Trel’s opponents. Next up is Bahcesehir College Istanbul, a side fighting for first place in Group A and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
After that, it is Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and Dreamland Gran Canaria, all teams in the fight for playoff places, as well as aiming to secure the best possible position in the standings.
It all makes already eliminated Trefl in a position to play the perfect role of spoiler, something the team already did on Wednesday night and plans to do again in coming weeks.
“We all are gonna believe we can actually win at this level,” Zyskowski said. “I can’t wait for another game.”