Krasnye Krylia wins Russian Cup

Krasnye Krylia has claimed victory in the Russian Cup for the second year in succession with an 86-80 triumph over Spartak St. Petersburg.

Wednesday’s final in Vladivostok was a close fought affair but ultimately Krasnye Krylia emerged victorious to claim their second consecutive Russian Cup, an accolade that pushed them into joint second for the most successful team since the cup was reformatted and organised by the Russian Basketball Federation. UNICS Kazan has also claimed two cup titles, but both teams trail behind CSKA Moscow as the Russian giants have claimed the cup four times.

Both Krasnye Krylia and Spartak had come through a tough Final Four but it was apparent from the tip-off that neither team was in the mood to give quarter to the other. The commitment and physicality from both sets of players ensured that the game was close throughout, and during the first half both teams traded the lead until Both Krasnye Krylia went in at the midway buzzer with a slender 45-42 lead.

Spartak St. Petersburg hit back immediately after the second half resumed to lead 48-45, but the superiority was to be short lived as Krasnye Krylia found another gear and reeled off 13 points without reply to lead 58-48. However, in a game as frenetic as this even a 10 point cushion was not enough to ensure an easy passage to victory.

Spartak responded with a 10 to 2 run of their own to narrow the margin and eventually Greek international Loukas Mavrokefalidis downed two free throws to leave the score sitting at 60-60. St. Petersburg continued its resurgence when Zackary Wright netted at the buzzer to send Spartak into the 4th with a 65-63 lead.

During the 4th Krasnye Krylia managed to reclaim the lead with American small forward and shooting guard Evgeny Kolesnikov scoring two huge shots from range to put the score at 81-76. From that point Krasnye Krylia kept Spartak at arms left and sealed a close victory.

Chester Simmons has been in fine form recently and managed to secure a double-double in the semi-finals. The American continued his recent hot streak with an impressive personal performance in the title decider. The player finished the game as the highest scorer with 26 points and backed up his scoring with 4 rebounds.

Aaron Miles was named as the Final Four MVP including the final and semi-final. While Miles only scored 11 points in the title match, his fine performance dictated the play for Krasnye Krylia.

Next up for Krasnye Krylia is the Eurochallenge Final Four, where the Russian team could pick up a second title in just 11 days.