After a difficult start, BC Prievidza turned things around quickly and beat local rivals MBK Handlová in dominating fashion for the first TIPOS SBL win of the young season.

Think UNC vs. Duke or Ohio State vs. Michigan, the Slovak edition. For the BC Prievidza fanbase, there are no games bigger than the historic duels with neighboring MBK Handlová. The gyms will be packed in either town and the traveling support will be considerable.

For the first annual meeting in the 2024/2025 season and the 147th “derby” overall, two thousand spectators flocked to Športová hala in anticipation of a heated contest. The visitors came out with tremendous energy and got off to a flying start, converting at an incredible rate early on and leading 25:16 after the first quarter.

Now, however, it was time for the hosts to bounce back big-time. While MBK’s uber-physical defending resulted in more and more foul trouble, BC’s superior individual quality began to shine through. In particular shooting guard Daishon Smith proved to be unguardable for the guests. He finished with a game-high 30 points (while dishing out six more assists) and used his quickness to get to the free-throw line at will.

In the second half, things began to click even more for the home team. Dealing with the flu, BC wing Keith Jordan now elevated his game to 1997 NBA Finals status of his famous namesake and contributed 22 points and a fair amount of spectacular dunks.

Even the so-called garbage time was anything but trash. It gave Prievidza youngsters like Rado Teličák, who calmly knocked down back-to-back threes, and Patrik Hričo, who converted an acrobatic lay-up after a bullet pass from Denis Krestinin, the opportunity to join the festivities.

All in all, BC outscored the opposition 78:40 through the last three quarters and send MBK back to their side of the mountains with a resounding 94:66 victory. See you soon for “derby” no. 148…

Photo: Vladimír Králik, Ladislav Szibilla