Game out of competition

In the match with Greece, Igor Grudin saved key players

The Russian women's team entered the final match of the first stage of the European Championship in Italy against Greece with an absolutely calm soul and easily prevailed - 86:47. After the French women’s victory over the “Squadra Azzurra” (64:48), no collisions in the meeting with the basketball players of Hellas could shake our leadership in the group and change the already accomplished fact of reaching the next stage with two wins in the asset – against the “tricolors” and the hosts of the competition . Since the Greek women lost to Italy in a personal match, any of their exploits in the match with Russia did not save them from having to pack their bags and go home. That's why Wednesday's game was essentially a training game.

Grudin gave the opportunity to spend more time on the court for the girls who mostly sat on the bench during the battles with France - Marina Karpunina, Irina Sokolovskaya, Ekaterina Lisina and her namesake Demagina. Center Irina Osipova took her breath away and showed off a lot under the shield - she became the best scorer of the meeting, scoring 21 points, and made a dozen rebounds. Olga Arteshina made seven (!) blocked shots. Demagina converted all four attempts at long-range shots, but there is hardly any point in admiring such ultra-precision in a game against an outsider - more serious opponents will not allow her to fire at the hoop without resistance. It’s easy and safe to decide to shoot from behind a six-meter arc when your team is leading by 20-30 points, but the player’s psychological state is completely different when the match is evenly contested.

The rather low overall class of the Greek team made it possible not to worry about the result even in the match, which, due to tournament circumstances, turned into an ordinary sparring match. The Hellas national team has only one basketball player of a respectable level - attacking defender Anastasia Kostaki, who has already tried her hand at the Russian Super League in the ranks of the Samara team, which moved to the capital in the off-season, and Dynamo near Moscow. Previously, naturalized Russian Maria Samorukova played for Greece, but now she is not part of this team.

The start time of our team’s matches in the second stage is already known, which will no longer take place in Chieti, where they had to play in some antediluvian hall with unwashed parquet, but in another small town of Ortona. The Russians get two full days off and on Saturday evening at 18.30 they meet with the third team of Group “D” - Serbia, which is formally playing its debut official tournament. The separation of Montenegro occurred only in May last year, although few people pay attention to such nuances. Moreover, our upcoming opponent in basketball terms is the full legal successor of the national federation of the former union state.

Grudin’s team will also have to meet with Belarus and Spain on October 1 and 3. There are no doubts about our entry into the playoffs (to be held in Chieti), thanks to victories over France and Italy it is practically sealed, then the fun begins. If four years ago at the European Championships in Greece, Russia only needed to win the quarterfinals to qualify for the Olympics, now only gold medals are needed. An additional world selection already in 2008 is a waste of money, nerves and time.

Vladimir ILYIN