Zenit U21 advances to the Final Four of the VTB United Youth League
The youth team of the blue-whites secured a victory over PARMA-M in the third and decisive game of the quarterfinal series. A successful performance on their home court allowed the St. Petersburg team to join the top contenders of the VTB United Youth League who will compete for the title in the Final Four. Here’s a closer look at their triumph over the team from Perm.
On the eve of this win, on April 20, the second game of the quarterfinal also took place in St. Petersburg. It turned out to be an extremely tough contest, with a hard-fought battle lasting all 40 minutes. However, in the final quarter, the visitors launched a decisive run that sealed the outcome — PARMA-M claimed the win with a score of 75:80, tying the series. This set the stage for the pivotal game of the showdown.
In today’s game, Zenit U21 seized a comfortable lead right from the start and never relinquished control, already holding a 17-point advantage by halftime. In the remaining time, Roman Knyazev’s squad only extended the gap, sealing a blowout win — 100:70.
The top scorers for Zenit U21 were Dmitry Chikishev (18 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds), Ivan Kasyanov (15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block), Artemiy Koshev (15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) and Mikhail Dulkay (13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal).
Roman Knyazev, Zenit U21 head coach:
The series turned out to be an interesting one. We stayed true to our tradition of creating our own obstacles. I’m happy we managed to climb out of a tough situation once again. These moments build character and forge real, solid players. For many of the guys, this was their first playoff experience, so nerves played a role. We were very inconsistent in the first two games, and the quality of our basketball suffered.
I have to give credit to our opponents — they have excellent players and were clearly well-prepared for us. But in the final game, we were united as one. That includes the players who didn’t make the roster and supported us from the stands, our families, the entire staff, and of course, the guys on the court. Everyone stepped up. Our bench depth helped us during a tough stretch when the starters got into foul trouble. This shows we have a strong roster, and I’m confident that will help us in the upcoming Final Four.
Artemiy Koshev, Zenit U21 guard:
After yesterday’s loss, our mindset for the game was through the roof. From the very start, we gained an advantage through our team efforts both on defense and offense. We managed to maintain our focus and win the decisive match. This series showed that when the team stays locked in from the opening whistle to the final buzzer, a lot goes right — most importantly, we executed the coach’s game plan. We’ll now have a few days off and then begin preparing for the Final Four.
The decisive matches of the VTB United Youth League will take place in Moscow at the Basket Hall. In the semifinal on May 3, Zenit U21 will face CSKA Junior. In the other semifinal, MBA-MAI-Junior will play against Pari Nizhny Novgorod-Junior. The bronze medal game and the final will take place on May 4. Information about the start time of the games will be published later.
