Head coach Roman Pivarník leads Zbrojovka into the Battle for Moravia against Olomouc this Saturday. Photo credit: Zbrojovka.
Brno, Feb 21 (BD) – Brno rivals meet in women’s hoops Final Four, mmcité+ Brno starts Group A2 on Feb. 28 and the Brno sports schedule.
Given the recent snow and the overnight freezing temperatures, one could argue that winter has finally arrived. Nevertheless, the truth is that the spring football has returned as well.
On Saturday, it is the Battle for Moravia: FC Zbrojovka Brno will host Olomouc at 3 p.m.
Wear your long johns and, of course, your team scarf.
Rafael Acosta, a Uruguayan midfielder, was added to the team during the winter break and he will wear Zbrojovka colors for the first time at home on Saturday.
The health and game availability of other new top players, however, is in doubt. New-addition 24-year-old Konstantin Bazeljuk, a Russian striker from Moscow, has a toe injury. Bazeljuk made a positive impression on the team when he scored two goals in a preparation game at Vienna Rapid on Jan. 30. Francisco Gomes, who showed himself to be a solid defender in six games last fall, is also questionable.
Zbrojovka is in 14th place in the 16-team league with 15 points. 1.FC Slovácko also has 15 points. Fifteenth-place FC Vysočina Jihlava (13 points) and 16th-place FC Baník Ostrava (11) are in the relegation zone.
Brno enjoyed a successful winter of preparation, including winning the Winter Cup as part of a nine-game unbeaten streak.
“We need to be consistent, careful, and collect points,” Brno head coach Roman Pivarník said (translated from Czech). “There are a lot of teams to play where we can pull in some points. The second thing is to keep improving and meeting the medium-term goals, to play, to improve and to deliver results.”
When HET Liga play restarted on Saturday, though, Zbrojovka fell to Bohemians Praha 1905, 1-0, because of a penalty-kick goal.
The Bohemians goal came in the 63rd minute. Dominik Mašek took a ball into the box. Zbrojovka goalkeeper Dušan Melichárek came out to challenge him and was called for the foul when he reached out to arrest his forward momentum. It was the Bohemians’ first league goal in 270 minutes of play, yet it was good enough to move them up into sixth place in the standings.
Pivarník, who pulled the team out of the basement in his seven games during the first half of the season, said he was generally satisfied with his team’s performance against Bohemians. “Bohemians never play lightly,” Pivarník said. “We managed to deal with it, both with the environment and with the Bohemians game.”
On Sunday, March 4, Zbrojovka will travel to Sparta for a 6 p.m. start.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
KP Brno, Žabiny Brno to Meet in Nilfisk Final 4
Play pauses in the ZBL for a week as the four surviving teams of the Czech women’s basketball cup gather at Sportcentrum ČUS in Nymburk for the Nilfisk Final 4 on Sunday and Monday.
Žabiny Brno play KP Brno in the first semi-final game on Sunday at 3 p.m. DSK Basketball Nymburk face Sokol Nilfisk Hradec Králové at 6 p.m. The winners will play for the title on Monday at 6 p.m. The consolation game will be Monday at 3 p.m.
In league play, KP Brno hit an even century when it beat visiting SBŠ Ostrava 100-52 on Saturday. All 10 players who saw time on the court scored.
“I wanted to have a convincing result to give the players confidence for the Final Four of the Czech Cup,” said KP Brno coach David Zdeněk.
Šujanová Edita led the team with 19 points. Tereza Lančová added 17 points, which is her season best. Both played for only about 20 minutes. Overall, Brno was 33 of 44 from 2-point range and 16 of 19 from the free throw line.
On Friday, Žabiny Brno travelled to Karlovy Vary to beat BA K. Vary, 56-65. Bays Whitney (15 points), Tea Buzov (14) and Pavla Švrdlíková (13) all scored in double-digits.
Technic Brno, who lost to Sokol Nilfisk H. Králové, 63-104 , on Sunday, has a game at home tonight when they host BK Lokomotiva Trutnov at 7 p.m.
Technic Brno (2-16) has slipped to last place in the league. Trutnov (4-14) is in ninth place.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
mmcité+ Brno Gets Schedule for Group A2
After losing to Olomoucko, 94-85, to finish the regular season of the Kooperativa NBL with a 6-16 record, mmcité+ Brno will continue in Group A2 with the other teams that finished in the bottom half of the league standings.
mmcité+ Brno starts on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at NH Ostrava at 5:30 p.m. They return home to host Fio banka J. Hradec on Saturday, March 3.
In Group A2, Brno will play home and away games with SLUNETA Ústí nad Labem (11-11), BC GEOSAN Kolín (10-12), USK Praha (9-13), NH Ostrava (6-16) and Fio banka Jindřichův Hradec (1-21). In early April, two teams from Group A2 will rejoin the top half of the league for the Play-Offs. The bottom four teams will move into the Play-Out Bracket; the last-place team from the Play-Out Bracket will play the top two teams of the lower league to retain the right to stay in the Kooperativa NBL next season.
Olomoucko was extra motivated to win for their season prospects when they hosted Brno on Saturday. The victory guaranteed that Olomoucko would be in Group A1, which guarantees that they will stay in the league next year. The other 11-11 team, SLUNETA Ústí nad Labem, will play in Group A2 and still have to earn their keep.
Mladen Primorac and Canyon Barry both scored 21 points for Brno, which shot 70 percent (26 of 37) from 2-point range as a team.
BRNO SPORTS RESULTS
Quick results for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the past week. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018
— Men’s Basketball: Olomoucko 94, mmcité+ Brno 85
Friday, Feb. 16, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: BA K. Vary 56, Žabiny Brno 65
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: KP Brno 100, SBŠ Ostrava 52
— Men’s Football: Bohemians 1905 1, Zbrojovka Brno 0
Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: Technic Brno 63, Sokol Nilfisk H. Králové 104
BRNO SPORTS SCHEDULE
The schedule for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the next two weeks. All dates and times subject to change. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: Technic Brno X Loko Trutnov, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018
— Men’s Football: Zbrojovka Brno X Olomouc, 3 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: KP Brno X Žabiny Brno, 3 p.m., semi-final of the Nilfisk Final 4 in Nymburk
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Monday, Feb. 26, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: Consolation final of the Nilfisk Final 4 in Nymburk, 3 p.m.
— Women’s Basketball: Final of the Nilfisk Final 4 in Nymburk, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018
— Men’s Basketball: NH Ostrava X mmcité+ Brno, 5:30 p.m.
— Hockey: Kometa X Plzeň, 6 p.m.
Friday, March 2, 2018
— Hockey: Olomouc X Kometa, 5:20p.m.
Saturday, March 3, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: Žabiny Brno X U19 Chance, 4:30 p.m.
— Men’s Basketball: mmcité+ Brno X Fio banka J. Hradec, TBD
Sunday, March 4, 2018
— Women’s Basketball: Technic Brno X KP Brno, 5 p.m.
— Hockey: Kometa X Litvínov, 5 p.m.
— Men’s Football: Sparta Praha X Zbrojovka Brno, 6 p.m.
The Brno Sports Report is published every Wednesday. All dates and times are subject to change. Most of the stories are about the traditional “English-speaking” team sports — football, hockey, baseball, basketball, American football, rugby, etc. — but it is also about the interesting local spectator and participation sports — tennis, badminton, running, horse racing, swimming, rock climbing, biking, etc. If you have any suggestions for what should be included, please comment below or send an email to brnosports@gmail.com.
