The Supercup trophy remains at Traunsee

The new season started for the OCS Swans Gmunden on Sunday the same way the last one ended in the spring. With another title, the 23rd in the club’s history.

Like last year, Anton Mirolybov’s team won the Supercup thanks to the hard-fought 82:77 against BC Vienna. In the final minute of the last quarter, the bear danced in the Gmunden Raiffeisen Arena. Benedikt Güttl managed to win the ball with the score at 77:77, and Toni Blazan coolly converted to take the lead. The Viennese hastily counterattacked, and when Daniel Friedrich was fouled after a failed three-point attempt, it was the captain himself who closed the sack with two converted free throws.

The Canadian newcomer Paul Emilien, who made a strong first impression, then made cosmetic results in the last seconds. “It was an intense game. After a great start, we slowed down offensively and defensively, but were back at full strength at the crucial moment,” said Friedrich. The Swans got off to a flying start. The first two points of the new season were reserved for the Icelander Orri Gunnarsson.

The Swans had their sights set sharply from the start. Five of six three-pointers found their target, so after ten minutes the score was already 28:16. But the Viennese didn’t give up and instead played even more aggressively. So we went into the last quarter with a 66:64 lead, where it went back and forth. But the triple champion from the previous season mobilized all his strength once again at the all-important moment.

“This performance makes me very proud,” said Coach Mirolybov, whose suit was soaked with sweat after the heated 40 minutes. The Swans had not fulfilled the wishes of Petar Stazic, manager of the Vienna team. “It’s my son’s birthday, I would like to come home with a trophy,” he said before the game. He preferred to stay where he has been doing quite well for a year: in Gmunden.