The victory on the 20th anniversary of Macedonia's
independence all but sealed an improbable place in the quarterfinals for the
former Yugoslav republic and a shot at qualifying for next year's Olympics in
London.
"Before the tournament, no one expected us to do
anything, so we tried to take advantage of that," McCalebb said.
After a time-out, McCalebb dribbled the ball as the clock
ticked down before driving to the basket and putting in a left-handed layup for
the win.
The guard led all scorers with 27 points.
"Everybody in the gym knew they would play
pick-and-roll and that McCalebb would drive to the left and still we couldn't
stop him," Georgia coach Igor Kokoskov said.
McCalebb, who was born and raised in New Orleans, never
played club basketball in Macedonia but led Partizan Belgrade from neighboring
Serbia to the Euroleague Final Four. He is now with Montepaschi Siena and also
guided the Italian team to the Final Four.
Macedonia, looking for a playmaker after injuries to two
players, offered him citizenship last year.
"He is a fantastic player," Macedonia coach Marin
Dokuzovski said.
With a 3-0 record in second-round Group F, Macedonia has
virtually secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
Four teams from each group will advance to the
quarterfinals. The two finalists will qualify directly for the London Olympics,
while the next four teams will play an additional qualifying tournament.
Georgia (0-3) played without Atlanta Hawks center Zaza
Pachulia, the team's second leading scorer, who has been ruled out for the
tournament because of a left calf injury. The Georgians also lost point guard
George Tsintsadze to a left knee injury midway into the second quarter.
"They've beaten better teams than Georgia, but it's a
tough loss," said Kokoskov, an assistant with the Phoenix Suns.
"Maybe it's better to lose by 20." Macedonia led by 14 in the third
quarter but Georgia pulled back to within two in the fourth before McCalebb
stopped its 14-2 run with two quick baskets.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who led Georgia with 20 points, made
two free throws to tie the game with 16 seconds on the clock.
Macedonia called a time-out and McCalebb never let the ball
out of his hands until scoring the winning basket.
"Bo can always find solutions," Dokuzovski said.
"The Independence Day gave us extra motivation but it also put additional
pressure on us."
