The race to avoid the bottom, more interesting than the race to the top

Trepça's 13-game winning streak has almost closed the race for first place in the regular season of the Kosovo Super League in basketball.

Seven rounds before the end of the regular season, Trepça has 39 points in first place. Bashkimi is second with 35 points. It is almost unbelievable that the “firemen” could lose four of the remaining seven matches, which is a “scenario” for their removal from first place.

Most likely, in the playoffs, Trepça will start from the first position and Bashkimi from the second. For the other positions, the race is much more interesting. Especially interesting is the race to escape the last two positions. The eighth, respectively the last, position sends to the second category. The penultimate, respectively the seventh, sends to the playoffs.

Currently the last is Rahoveci 029 with 28 points. The penultimate is Sigal Prishtina with 29 points. Prishtina is the most successful team in the country, which has constantly fought for trophies. But currently it is in the zone that does not ensure its stay in the elite.

Golden Eagle Ylli is in fifth place and Vëllaznimi is in sixth place with 29 points. GO+ Peja has 31 points in fourth place, while Bora has 32 in third place.

The results of the 21st round, played on Friday and Saturday, have made the race to escape the last positions even more interesting.

On Friday, Rahoveci 029 won 75:69 against Golden Eagle Yllit, while Vëllaznimi won on the road against Peja with a score of 85:74. On Saturday, Bora defeated Bashkimi i Prizren with a score of 86:71, while Trepça, with a last-second basket, made by Shawn Jones, defeated Sigal Prishtina in the capital with a score of 86:84.

Prishtina coach Dushan Dublevic said that the loss to Trepca was due to the limited player pool. Prishtina is dealing with injuries to several basketball players.

"We played well against Trepça and we are on a good path for the rest of the season. We were a better team than Trepça, but we were unlucky. Prishtina will be better. We also need a big player in the five position. He will come on Tuesday or Wednesday. The injured players will also return. Nobody will beat us at home in the rest of the championship," said Dublević.

Due to Kosovo's match with Slovakia, there are no Super League rounds next weekend. The 22nd round of the Super League takes place on March 4 and 5. Other changes are expected in the teams, almost in all.

But Trepça currently seems unstoppable. In addition to winning the Kosovo Cup with a convincing victory over Baksım in the final, Adis Beqiragiqi's team is emerging as the big favorite to defend the championship title.

Meanwhile, the race to escape the last two positions will be fierce in the remaining seven laps, respectively in the fourth part of the regular edition.

"Now we have more time to prepare the team even better. We will continue the fight to remain in the Super League," said Rahovec 029 coach Goran Samargjiev.

The teams from first to sixth place play in the playoffs. The first and second place qualify directly for the semi-finals, while the other four teams start in the quarter-finals.