WABA U17: Studio Zagreb Misses Buzzer-Beater for OT in Virovitica Drama

The WABA U17 League action continued with thrilling matchups across the region, but nothing matched the pure drama witnessed in Virovitica. In the most sensational game of the day, Studio Zagreb nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback against Cinkarna Celje, erasing a 14-point second-half deficit before agonizingly missing a buzzer-beating three-pointer that would have sent the game into overtime, allowing the Slovenian side to escape with a narrow victory.

 

2026-27 WABA U17 League – Week 2

Saturday, October 10

Group A

Virovitica (Vladimir Nazor)

Studio Zagreb-Cinkarna Celje 58-61 (10-14, 16-15, 12-20, 20-12)   FULL STATS

The Slovenian champions controlled the tempo for most of the night and led throughout the entire second half. Cinkarna Celje established their largest lead of the game in the 32nd minute, pulling ahead 52-38 after a dominant stretch.

Aljasa Sodin led the team with 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Nea Mlinaric and Nusa Brodnik added 14 and 11 points.

However, Studio Zagreb refused to go away quietly. Behind a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds from Pia Petra Pivic, the visitors launched a furious late-game comeback. With just thirty seconds remaining, Studio Zagreb cut the deficit to a single point.

The pressure shifted to Celje’s Julija Flajnik in the next possession. She showed nerves of steel, drawing a foul and calmly sinking both free throws to extend Celje’s lead to 61-58. Studio Zagreb had one final chance to force overtime, but Mia Mihalj’s three-point attempt missed the mark as the buzzer sounded, allowing Celje to celebrate a narrow but well-deserved win.

 

Virovitica-Futurosa #Forna 65-92 (17-18, 11-24, 18-26, 19-24)   FULL STATS

The turning point came in the second quarter. After trailing 20-21, Futurosa #Forna took control. Futurosa unleashed a blistering 13-0 run, turning that final deficit into a commanding 33-21 lead Virovitica never recovered from.

Carlotta Amendola led Futurosa’s balanced attack with 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting inside the arc, while Amelie Nemec added 14. Futurosa punished Virovitica with aggressive defense, forcing turnovers and dominating the boards 58-43, including 28 offensive rebounds that created constant second-chance opportunities.

Virovitica tried to stay competitive through Lavinia Subota and Iva Marosevic, who each scored 15 points. Still, they couldn’t match Futurosa’s depth and blistering transition game, which sealed the comfortable 27-point win.

 

Kranj (Planina)

Sistema Rosa Pordenone-Feniks 47-73 (13-25, 11-16, 15-18, 8-14)   FULL STATS   FULL GAME VIDEO

From the start, Feniks found their rhythm by exploiting interior matchups, shooting 45% (24/53) from the 2-point range and converting 31% (5/16) from long distance. In contrast, Sistema Rosa Pordenone struggled heavily from the field. Despite a notable 50-46 rebounding advantage, including 26 offensive boards, the Italian team went just 2-for-26 (8%) from beyond the arc and 16-for-49 (33%) from the 2-point range, making it impossible to match Feniks’ efficiency.

Teodora Njezic led all scorers with 21 points and was incredibly efficient, shooting 7-of-10 from the paint and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Anabela Topic contributed across the board, scoring 18 points with 3 assists and 2 steals, while Anja Sljivic delivered a strong double-double, anchoring the paint with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Asia Bertolo led Pordenone with 12 points and 5 rebounds as the only player with double digits.

 

Triglav-Posusje 74-61 (17-14, 16-13, 28-17, 13-17)   FULL STATS   FULL GAME VIDEO

Triglav dominated the rebounding battle, 57-42, anchored by a phenomenal individual performance in paint protection. This glass-cleaning dominance gave Triglav second-chance opportunities and kept them at the free-throw line, where they converted an excellent 25-of-31 (81%) attempts. Posusje, meanwhile, struggled immensely from the stripe, shooting a cold 6-of-22 (27%). They also could not find their rhythm from beyond the arc, hitting just 19% (5/27) of their three-pointers. Despite Petra Ivankovic’s spectacular scoring output for Posusje, Triglav’s depth and balanced teamwork secured the double-digit win.

Mila Ana Milic delivered the performance of the night with a massive double-double. She scored 17 points and pulled down an unbelievable 21 rebounds (18 defensive). Julija Krizaj added 14 points, Maja Pompe scored 13, and Tara Kosec added 10 off the bench.

Petra Ivankovic led Posusje with a game-high 31 points, shooting an incredible 9-of-11 (82%) from the 2-point range, though she struggled from deep (3/18 3PT) and from the line (4/10 FT). Marta Orec had 11 points.

 

Foto: ZKK Virovitica