Yesterday, the National 3×3 Basketball Championship of Serbia concluded in Belgrade. After 26 qualifying tournaments, 14 teams met on the court in the center of the capital. Partizan Meta Force emerged as the tournament winner. Along with a prize of 240,000 dinars, the team earned the right to represent Serbia at the biggest event of the FIBA 3×3 circuit—the Wuxi Masters, which will be held in China in early October 2024.
Partizan Meta Force’s strong position at the start of the tournament was widely recognized. This was evident from the qualifying games, where the black-and-whites easily defeated their first opponents—3×3 GMS (21:6) and 3×3 Užice Zlatiborac (22:8).
However, in the quarterfinals, the team faced strong resistance from Pirot 3×3. The leading player on the court, as well as in disputes with the referees, was Dragan Bjelica. Thanks to him and his teammates, the Partizan Meta Force players found it difficult to take the initiative. Nevertheless, the black-and-whites won with a score of 22:16.
In the semifinals, Partizan Meta Force faced 3×3 Wolves. The game went relatively smoothly, ending with a score of 21:10 in favor of Partizan Meta Force.
The final game, scheduled for Wednesday evening, was played to a full house. Partizan Meta Force faced Hangzhou in the final, but the start was very tough for the black-and-whites. Within the first few seconds, the opponents opened the scoring and brought it to 0:3. A minute later, Bogdan Dragovic scored for his team, but Hangzhou continued to put pressure on them.
The biggest setback occurred in the second minute of the match when Milos Supica, evading a defender, severely injured his ankle. As a result, he was out for the entire game, leaving Partizan Meta Force without quick substitutions.
Six minutes before the end of the match, the score was 2:11 in favor of Hangzhou. Many understood that the gap was very large and the chances of victory for Partizan Meta Force were minimal, especially since the team had lost one of its players.
But Partizan Meta Force unexpectedly found a new burst of energy and began to score rapidly. The tension was palpable—at 10:14, Stefan Milivojevic almost got into a fight with Goran Vidovic. However, the conflict was quickly defused, and the teams continued to play.
Two minutes before the end, Hangzhou scored what turned out to be their last basket. They brought the score to 20 points—just one point away from victory. At the same time, Partizan Meta Force had only 16 points.
It seemed like everything was decided, but Partizan Meta Force did not stop. Within a minute, the black-and-whites managed to score three baskets and win with a score of 21:20.
As a result, Partizan Meta Force will represent their country at the Wuxi Masters in China in early October.
