Vardar secured a narrow 35-34 victory against Pelister in Bitola, with a last-second goal by Horriha, marking their return after a three-year absence and boosting their chances of winning the championship. The intense derby featured a total of 26 penalty shots, with Pelister taking 15 and Vardar 11.

Vardar dominated most of the match, preventing Pelister from ever taking the lead.

In the second half, Vardar created a significant advantage with a 4-0 run, leading to their largest lead of the game at 24-20 in the 39th minute.

Pelister fought back in the final minutes, tying the game at 34-34 with a goal from Kuzmanovski with just 38 seconds remaining. However, Horriha scored the winning goal for the team from Skopje right before the final buzzer.

Krnsmancic was Vardar’s top scorer with 11 goals, including 10 from penalty shots. Horriha and Borozan each contributed seven goals, with Borozan excelling in the second half. Goalkeeper Espinha also played a crucial role with 11 saves.

Manaskov led Pelister’s scoring with 10 goals, followed by Kuzmanovski with nine and Tajnik with six.