Khokhonik's record and the battle of leaders: 10 highlights from the Super League's game week.
Dnipro Defeats Kyiv in Leader's Clash
In Dnipro, the top two teams in the current tournament standings faced off. The intrigue of the match was heightened by the fact that a victory for Kyiv-Basket could allow them to overtake their opponent in the standings.
The team coached by Zabirchenko played this crucial match without their leader and captain Burenko, who was unable to recover from a cold in time. They didn't win, but showed a very good performance and were in contention for victory.
In the decisive moments of the game, the X-factor for the hosts was the experienced Konev. Young Sushkin had a fairly solid match, but during the clutch time, Yegor lacked a bit of composure and experience. Ultimately, the reigning champions triumphed (75-71) and solidified their position at the top. Dnipro's first loss of the season is once again postponed. And will it even happen at all…
Zaporizhzhia Wins Twice
Experienced Valerii Plehanov has repeatedly led his team out of tough situations. Once again, in the latest bubble, the "white-greens" significantly improved their win-loss record. Initially, Zaporizhzhia defeated Old Lutsk, and then in Dnipro, they achieved two victories in two matches.
In the first game, the Zaporizhzhia team overcame the championship outsider Hoverla (73-60), and yesterday they surprisingly defeated Kyiv-Basket (75-69). Valerii Plehanov promised surprises for the opponent before the match, and he delivered. Currently, his team has again overtaken Old Lutsk in the tournament standings. And Kryvbas is not far behind.
Cherkasy Monkeys: Not Very Confident, But Victorious
The home court of the "Budivelnyk" sports palace has turned out to be lucky for the Cherkasy team. At least in this bubble. Under the guidance of Dmytro Nahornyi, they achieved two victories and secured third place, surpassing Rivne.
Ultimately, the "monkeys" and the Rivne team faced each other. The "weakened" team of Mykhailo Pereverzii, affected by injuries and illnesses, managed to put up a fight thanks to their leader Solovyi. However, Agafonov and company managed to win (69:65).
0Cherkasy also managed to solidify their success the next day. The "monkeys" managed to defeat Old Lutsk for the second time this season (72:64). The victories of the Cherkasy team were not overly convincing, but the main thing is the result.
Crisis of Results and Injury Series for Rivne
The reigning silver medalists of the championship are experiencing an unpleasant "streak" of four consecutive losses. In Cherkasy, the Rivne team came close to at least one victory, but it didn't happen.
However, there are objective reasons for this. Mochalov, Fuller, Herasymchuk, Tymoshchuk, and later Ponosov have all been sidelined due to health issues. The Cherkasy monkeys defeated Rivne by four points, while Kryvbas won by two.
1In the match against Kryvbas, the "white-reds" played with a rotation of just seven players. Mykhailo Pereverzii expressed satisfaction with his team's effort despite the result. After all, there are still plenty of matches ahead.
Khokhonik Sets Season Record for Assists in the Super League
In the modern Super League, a good playmaker is half the team. Zaporizhzhia is fortunate to have such a player. Andrii Khokhonik is the brain and engine of Plehanov's team.
In this bubble, the Zaporizhzhia guard confidently led the game, dishing out assists. Initially, in the match against Hoverla, Khokhonik recorded 7 assists, and in the game against Kyiv-Basket, he set a new season record with 14 assists.
Kyiv-Basket "Caught by the Grapes"
Dmytro Zabirchenko may not be Andrii Agafonov, but he knows how to deliver impactful and expressive press conferences. Once again, after the loss to Zaporizhzhia, the coach did not hold back his colorful remarks.
What Will Change in Hoverla
Ivano-Frankivsk's Hoverla-Prikarpattya recently achieved their first victory in the championship. It seemed that the crisis was over and everything would change, but things did not turn out as expected.
In the bubble in Dnipro, the Prikarpattya team lost twice again. While the loss to the champion Dnipro was anticipated, in the match against Zaporizhzhia, the management and fans were certainly hoping for a different outcome.
2Lutsk Lacks Its Agafonov
Old Lutsk is slightly improving its situation with the number of victories. Dmytro Chaykovskyi's team recently defeated Rivne and in the opening match of the Cherkasy bubble, overcame Kryvbas, taking revenge on Vorona's squad.
In the match against the Cherkasy Monkeys, the Volyn team also sought revenge for their earlier defeat in the championship. They were unsuccessful. Lutsk's coach Dmytro Chaykovskyi noted that in a competitive match against the "monkeys," his team lacked size to secure the victory.
Rosters Are Depleting, Injuries Are Increasing
The injury of Euroleague champion Lesor from Panathinaikos shocked the basketball world. However, European basketball still has a good supply of qualified players. The Ukrainian Super League continues to experience a severe shortage of talent. There are fewer qualified players with Ukrainian passports, American players are not coming as willingly, and those who do come do not always meet expectations.
This week continued the unfortunate trend of injuries, ailments, and illnesses. This has critically impacted the results of Rivne. Burenko (Kyiv-Basket), Horobchenko (Dnipro), Ponosov (Rivne), and Lypovtsev (Old Lutsk) are among the players who faced health issues.
Notably, Nazar Kholod from the Cherkasy Monkeys suffered an injury that brought tears to the young forward's eyes.
Basketball Follows Boxing
And where would we be without the Usyk – Fury fight? Even in basketball. In the aforementioned match between Dnipro and Kyiv, the hosts took to the court wearing shirts emblazoned with "Usyk." After the Ukrainian champion's victory, basketball players from various teams shared themed stories on their social media.