Looking ahead, Kairys: “We will continue our struggles in the local championship and we must be prepared for it” / News

Photo: FIBA

Photo: FIBA

Photo: FIBA

Photo: FIBA

Photo: FIBA

Vilnius “Rytas” (1-4) woke up too late in the decisive duel of the Champions League. Led by Andrew Goudelock, the capital’s basketball players came close to salvation, but Vilnius had a lack of precision in the last minute of the game.

At the start, Donald Kairis’ students lost to Peristeri (2-3) of Athens 74:81 and lost all theoretical opportunities to advance to the playoffs.

Goudelock, who scored 23 points for the Greek club, made no secret of his disappointment at a post-match press conference, but was proud of his teammates’ combativeness.

“It is a disappointing loss for our team. We knew the price of this match and we really wanted to win. We made too many mistakes and took the decisive assault too late. At the end of the match we showed a great game, I am proud of how my team fought and we will try to learn from such defeats. “

“Rytas” strategist Donaldas Kairys saluted his opponents after the match and highlighted the main reason why he had to be in the role of chasing players throughout the match.

“I would like to congratulate Peristeri. The rivals played a good game at the most important moment, when both teams needed a victory, said strategist number 43. – For us, this game was like a roller coaster. We started the game well, both Physically and emotionally, we controlled the situation, but we got stuck in a deep hole, and the main reason was the loss of balls, which the opponents took advantage of a lot. The only aspect that we controlled was the rebounds, but the component of this game itself it just wasn’t enough to win. “

– What was the decisive factor in deciding the outcome of the match?
– Obviously, both at the end of the game and in the middle of the last quarter, we gave the initiative to the rivals. It’s not easy to get back into the game when you’re 15 points behind, but our defense was too chivalrous, especially when the referees allowed a physical fight. We had to take advantage of that before doing it.

– Could you rate this season?
– We still have the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and a match in the Champions League. Unfortunately, the door to the playoffs is already closed for us. In the final round we will do our job, but it is a pity that we cannot continue with the Champions League fights. Be that as it may, we are still continuing our struggles in the local championship and we must be prepared for that.

Press conference:

Match summary: