Lokomotiv Kuban repeated the best result in the VTB United League

Basketball players of Lokomotiv-Kuban were unable to prolong the final confrontation, handball clubs played differently in the repechage series, but the rugby teams of the Krasnodar Territory were lucky. These are the main events in playing sports for the Kuban teams.

No continuation

The final of the VTB United Basketball League ended in the fifth match. Lokomotiv-Kuban failed to turn the tide of the series after three defeats in a row. Kazan UNICS in a home match has achieved the first championship in its history.

The last match of the series turned out to be the most productive – 98:89 (26:17, 32:20, 19:28, 21:24). At first, it seemed that the case could end with the complete defeat of Krasnodar, which would be in strong contrast with the entire course of the final, which was held as intensely as possible. Famously started UNICS, the first half of the match went one-sided. The gap to the big break exceeded twenty points – 58: 37.

Krasnodar, of course, did not stop playing. Loko’s mentor Alexander Sekulich has released more Russian players. In the third quarter, the gap has halved. UNICS, however, was able to pull away again.

In the fourth period, the situation escalated, the gap again narrowed to ten points. A brawl with the participation of the Frenchman Louis Labery and the Krasnodar American Okaro White almost broke out, the rivals limited themselves to jolts and conversations. As a result, the ball went to the hosts, who confidently brought the match to victory.

At Loko, Jaylen Burford scored 22 points, Okaro White – 21, Chris Horton – thirteen, Zakhar Vedischev – ten. The hosts scored 34 points from the Macedonian Nenad Dimitrievich, who became the most valuable player in the series.

This silver for Loko has a slightly sour taste. It seemed that the Krasnodar team was capable of winning the final. Alas, three equal matches were left for UNICS. In decisive moments, Kazan proved to be more reliable. Nevertheless, Lokomotiv Kuban repeated its best result in the history of the VTB United League, which took place exactly ten years ago. Given how difficult the season was at first, it’s fantastic.

“It seemed to me that UNICS went into today’s match with the mindset “if you lose, you die,” and this is how our team should have started the game,” said Alexander Sekulich, head coach of Lokomotiv-Kuban. – In the second half, we seemed to be able to arrange a chase. But for the Kazan team, Nenad Dimitrievich came to the fore – he showed why he is the most valuable player of this final and, perhaps, a big world star in the short term. I want to express my deep gratitude to our players – what they have achieved and how they fought. In the playoffs, we had to start every series away, which is very difficult, but we got to the final and there we had every chance to win in the second, third and fourth matches. It is a pity that we did not have enough for this experience. I think that I was lucky to be a mentor to these guys – promising Russian players, each of whom is able to grow into a star, and American legionnaires who played great and gave everything to make the team as a whole and each of the partners better.

Bronze medals were won by CSKA, who beat Zenit in the series with a score of 4: 1.

It became known that the contracts with Loko were extended by Andrey Martyuk and Jaylen Barford.

It is interesting that on Sunday the final match of the Euroleague, the main club basketball tournament of the continent, took place. The winner was Real Madrid. Two players from the Spanish club previously played for Loko: Americans Nigel Williams-Goss and Anthony Randolph. And Olympiacos, who lost in the final, is headed by the Greek specialist Georgios Bartzokas, with whom Loko reached the Euroleague Final Four and took third place there.

Light “creaks”

In the handball championships, quickly, within a week, semi-final series passed both for the first – fourth places, and for the fifth – eighth. Both Krasnodar teams played only in the second fours.

The first to enter the fight was the male SKIF. The team seemed to have not moved away from the defeat in the quarterfinals from Viktor from Stavropol. Recall: there the Kuban lost twice with a minimum score and dropped out of the fight for medals.

In a new confrontation, SKIF unexpectedly lost on its site with a solid difference to Astrakhan Dynamo. The red card for one of the team’s top scorers, Tran Xuan Vieta, also had an effect. The result is 31:26 in favor of Dynamo.

– We didn’t get a realization, didn’t score clean goals, – complained the head coach of SKIF Dmitry Karlov. “Moreover, these unused chances turned into goals against us, which we got in fast breaks.

The return game in Astrakhan reminded me of the militant SKIF. Krasnodar were close to the overall success. We systematically walked towards it, we didn’t manage to take a big lead, but we got to the cherished milestone step by step – 28:23 two minutes before the end. Tran Xuan Viet, who returned to action, scored nine goals. True, we needed another advantage goal for the final victory. Alas, two attacks ended with goals from the hosts, and SKIF did not score again. The score was 28 : 25 in favor of the Krasnodar team, but the Volga players stepped further in terms of the sum of the meeting.

“It was a good game on our part. For the entire match, only four losses were made, the guys were concentrated, – Dmitry Karlov praised his wards. – We could have got the necessary difference, but we didn’t score two penalties, we didn’t convert one-on-one. By and large, we lost too much in Krasnodar. Play there, as here, the outcome of the series would be positive.

Now SKIF will play for the seventh place against SGAU-Saratov.

A sensation rumbled in the medal semi-finals: for the first time since 2001, the championship title will go to non-Chekhov Bears. The most titled club in Russia lost to CSKA Moscow, in which a significant number of talents from SKIF continue their careers, and Oleg Khodkov from Krasnodar leads the team. In the final, the army team will play against other “clubfoot” – “Perm Bears”.

Women’s Kuban looked like a clear favorite in the games with Stavropol, even though Krasnodar did not manage to oppose anything to Lada in the quarterfinals. Denis Saifulin’s team passed this stage with slight “squeaks” and will compete for the final fifth place, which they took in the regular season.

In the first match, which took place away, the “yellow-greens” achieved not a decisive, but a significant advantage. The team was actively supported by a group of fans who arrived from Krasnodar.

In the regular season, the “yellow-greens”, by the way, lost sensationally in Stavropol. Now they have never lost in the score in the first half, and by the break they were leading – 18: 12. Three goals in a row by the hostesses in the debut of the second half forced Krasnodar to take a time-out. However, this measure did not bring the team to its senses. Soon the score equalized – 19:19, and then “Stavropol” took the lead – 22:21. In the end, “Kuban” started up. The penalty was converted by Diana Golub, and Valeria Sobkalo completed the fast break — 28:24, the guests took the lead. At the last minute, the teams exchanged goals – 29:25 in favor of Kuban.

– Happy with the win. But the game in the second half is a disgrace. The girls slipped from a team game to an individual one – and everything stopped working out, – Denis Saifulin, the coach of Kuban, noted after the match.

At home, the game was reversed. The teams had an equal first half. The guests even led in the end – 13:12, but Kuban managed to score twice and not concede until the break. In the second half, the hosts gradually strengthened the advantage, bringing it to six goals – 28:22. In the end, the lead remained – 33:27.

Thanks to our fans. They motivate us to play, even if only for fifth place. But what to do, life does not stand still. Today, all the girls from the application for the match went to the site and got practice,” said Denis Saifulin.

Ahead of the “yellow-green” game against “Dynamo-Sinara” from Volgograd for fifth place. From personnel news, it is worth noting that the captain of Kuban, Yana Savinova, extended the contract with the club.

The final of the Women’s Super League will be predictable, repeating previous seasons: CSKA and Rostov-Don will meet in it.

Second chance for Bogatyrs

The tournament in the federal league among women’s rugby-7 teams has ended. This is the second strongest division in the country. Argat from Ust-Labinsk won the season. In the final fourth round, which took place in Moscow, the Kuban team took first place and confirmed its leadership during the season. The key match of the Kubans was held in the semi-finals against the main rival – CSKA-2 from Moscow. “Argat” won with a score of 30: 0, and in the final game they beat “GUOR Shchelkovo” with a score of 24: 14.

In the men’s tournament of the Major League Rugby-15 (also the second strongest division), Krasnodar “Bogatyrs” will continue to fight for victory. The team did not have a performance in the southern zone. Krasnodar twice lost to Grad Petrov from Taganrog and took second place. But the winners of the last Major League draw received a wild card for the Final Four, where Grad Petrov, Kazan and the St. Petersburg team will also play. The tournament will be held June 9-12 in the Northern capital.