Without brotherly love: the Lithuanian national team, which reached the conclusions, did not spare the Latvians

This was the second of three games in the “Baltic Way” tournament dedicated to the centennial of Estonian basketball. On Sunday night, the hosts will still face the Latvian national team, which is considered a stranger to this tournament.

Constantly filling …

Although the Latvian “on paper” front line certainly did not look worse than that of Estonia, both Marekas Blaževičius, who started from the first minutes, and Laurynas Birutis, who entered the game from the reserve bench, gave a great tone to all matches from the first minutes. Two towers of the Lithuanian national team dominated the penalty area and only scored 18 points in the first half, while on Friday they scored only 15 in all matches.

Probably not even the second, but the Latvian third team in terms of capacity, Robertas Štelmaher had to ask for a short one minute break after the Lithuanian rumble in the first quarter, but that did not help either: after 10 minutes, the Lithuanians were at 23:12.

Our “brothers” managed to relive the attack shortly after making some long shots in the second quarter, but the Lithuanian national team did not need to turn their heads towards him: our attack mechanism worked perfectly and two beautiful M. Grigonis triples They crowned the wonderful first half. In total, the Kaunas player executed three triples during the first part of the match and scored 14 points, while the Lithuanians led 49:27.

The Latvians started the third quarter with more intensity, and one of the team’s most experienced basketball players, Kaspars Berzinš, gladly started the attack on his shoulders. Section 11: 3 D.Maskoliūnas was forced to request a meeting, after which the situation in the square did not improve: the Latvians had approached 8 points at one point and only the last minute of the quarter allowed for easier breathing – 59:46.

In the last quarter, the Lithuanians activated their defense, and the triples of M.Grigonis and T. Sedekerskis and some excellent passes by L.Lekavičius destroyed the last intrigue. Halfway through the half, our team led again by more than 20 points (72:51) and the remaining time of the match was only a formality: after 40 minutes of the match, the scoreboard recorded the victory of the Lithuanian national team with the result 82:59.

Party progress:

Quarter IV: Lithuania – Latvia 82:59 ((23:12, 26:15, 10:19, 23:13))

40 min. Lithuanians celebrate victory with result 82:59.

37 min. K. Berzinš nails two triples. In turn, Lithuanians accumulate two points each (78:57)

36 min. L.Lekavičius is already registering the fifth effective transfer, this time making an “alley-oop” transfer to T.Sedekerskis. All that was missing was an effective gear (74:51)

35 min. Luke not only distributes the transfers perfectly, but also the profit points himself: 72:51.

	KĘSTAS RIMKUS, 24-second journalist in Tallinn
	Incidentally, the game is also watched by Estonian basketball legends: Martin Muursepp and Gert Kullamae, as well as by the President of the Estonian Basketball Federation, former coach of Kaunas “Žalgiris” Jaakas Salumets.

33 min. It is fun for every basketball player that enters the field to join the game. Here L. Lekavičius passes T.Sedekerskis, who notices three points: 65:49.

31 min. The fourth three-point M.Grigonis – 62:46.

	KĘSTAS RIMKUS, 24-second journalist in Tallinn
	D.Maskoliūnas considers his most important men on the field, because the difference of 23 points was reduced to 8. Both coaches show more and more emotions: D.Maskoliūnas due to signs of relaxation in defense, and R.Štelmaheris sometimes He remembers Š.Jasikevičius with his anger and demand.

After the third quarter: Lithuania – Latvia 59:46 (23:12, 26:15, 10:19)

30 minutes. Great end to the quarter! Initially, M. Kalnietis makes a good pass to L. Birutis, and in a quick attack, E. Ulanov takes a triple hit and again it is possible to breathe a little easier. 59:46.

28 min. It’s unpleasant, but we have a live match again. 54:44.

26 min. M. Grigonis breaks the silence in the attack with a strong foray into the basket. 54:40.

25 min. Another Latvian triple and D. Maskoliūnas request a meeting; all thoughts of relaxation should be removed (52:38)

23 min. Leaders are emerging in the Latvian national team: K. Berzinš and E. Lasenbergs playing at Pasvalys, who together scored more than half of the team’s points. 52:35.

22 min. Lithuanians share the ball perfectly and sometimes even make too many extra passes: A.Butkevičius might have thrown himself, but his back passes the ball to L. Lekavičius, who wins a colon. 52:30.

After II quarters. Lithuania – Latvia 49:27 (23:12, 26:15)

	KĘSTAS RIMKUS, 24-second journalist in Tallinn
	M. Grigonis nodded with satisfaction as if to say: why didn’t I fall so much yesterday? After hitting 1 of 9 in a match with the Estonians, this time the leader of the Lithuanian national team scored 14 points in 9 minutes, and the last three points, after a series of misleading actions, was in the locker room for the Latvians in terms of football.

20 minutes. The Latvians reached their fourth long shot, but half ends with two long-range M. Grigonis bombs: Lithuanians face the break with a 22-point lead.

	KĘSTAS RIMKUS, 24-second journalist in Tallinn
	“Gražulis” often slurps Latvian fans with a drum and an inscription on the back of his shirt from his mug, and R. Štelmaher waves his hands like a helicopter: the beauty coach doesn’t see his team in the game . Lithuania is rampant in the square, making better use of their middle forwards: M.Blaževičius and L.Birutis have already scored 17 points together.

17 min. A.Butkevičius, who has taken over the ball, scores a quick attack and how he hands the ball over from his point count to T. Sedekerskis, who opens at the plate – we are ahead 41:24.

15 minutes. M.Blaževičius works on both sides of the square and asks for a change of smell. Latvians start to hit, but the advantage is certain: 37:24.

13 min. Latvians finally find opportunities to excel, but for Lithuanians this is not the case, because the attack works like a textbook: 33:19.

11 min. Marekas continues the work started by L. Birutis in the penalty area, and after two points from A.Butkevičius with a foul, the Lithuanian lead reaches record heights: 28:12.

	KĘSTAS RIMKUS, 24-second journalist in Tallinn
	Perhaps the Lithuanian stock market is narrower? Latvians are shooting a bow, hitting only 4 of 18. In fact, this is more energy in the Lithuanian defense than yesterday. And because of the balls, the Lithuanians are fighting more this time (15: 8).

After the first half. Lithuania – Latvia 23:12

10 minutes. Lithuanians on the attack look great again, but unlike yesterday a solid defense is also nice. After the first quarter we are the first 23:12.

8 min. Our “brothers” have a slightly stronger front line than the Estonians, but it seems that L. Birutis is feeling much more comfortable today: he is already winning the sixth point and the Lithuanian advantage is becoming double digits. 19: 8.

7 min. The Latvians scored three points, but the Lithuanians scored twice (!!) points in one attack. Yes, even six. Free kick, two points free and three points after the penalty: we are ahead 15: 6.

6 min. The tandem of R. Jokubaitis and L. Birutis, which has already become a classic, works perfectly again: a high ball for the tower of the Lithuanian national team, which adds the first points: 9: 3.

	KĘSTAS RIMKUS, 24-second journalist in Tallinn
	M.Blaževičius started his second match on the Lithuanian national team much more actively. The 18-year-old midfielder defeated the best player of the Latvian national team K. Berzinša in the defense without ceremony, who had to complain to the referees. Furthermore, Marek is persistent in attacks.

5 minutes. Latvian basketball players only score the first points of the game halfway through.

4 min. The Latvian attack is still unsuccessful, and on the other side of the square M. Blaževičius scored two points with a foul: 7: 1.

3 min. The first game points released after the dribbling profit R.Jokubaitis – 4: 1.

2 minutes. The Lithuanian points account is opened with two exact shots by T. Dimša.

The Lithuanian national team will start the match with the following five: Rokas Jokubaitis, Mantas Kalnietis, Tomas Dimša, Tadas Sedekerskis and Marekas Blaževičius.

KĘSTAS RIMKUS, 24-second journalist in Tallinn

The second and final test for the Lithuanian national team in the eyes of Tallinn. This time there will be even fewer spectators, but the huge tricolor again covers the podium behind the basket and there are groups of individual Lithuanian fans, so the basketball players in our country will feel the support. The team plans to travel home immediately after the game, by bus overnight. In a couple of hours we will find out what the mood will be like on the Tallinn-Palanga night bus. Good match!