Polva and Viljandi HC advanced directly to the semi-finals
February 26, 2022
Four games of the fourteenth Baltic Handball League matchweek are in the books. Two Estonian clubs that have remained at the top of the table since the beginning of the season have maintained their positions. With their victories today, Polva Serviti and Viljandi HC secured direct berths in the BHL semi-finals. The remaining regular-season games will not be formulaic, but these clubs are still vying for a higher position and a potentially inferior opponent in the Final Four semi-finals. Varsa Alytus won today as well, defeating HC Vilnius on their home court. In the other game, HK Ogre faced Estonian SK Tapa. The hosts successfully defended their house walls and celebrated a narrow victory.
SK Latgols Ludza – Viljandi HC | 22:42 (8:20)
Marko Koks (Viljandi):
Today we wanted to secure a final four place, and we succeeded. Also, it was a good game for those players who came out of isolation.
SK Latgols – Kušners 5, Grebeņņikovs 5, Lipskis 4.
Viljandi HC – Varik 7, Pertelson 6, Maasalu 5.
| Home | GAME STATS | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | SHOTS | 54 |
| 47% | SHOTS EFFICIENCY | 78% |
| 2/3 | PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS | 4/5 |
| 67% | PENALTIES EFFICIENCY | 80% |
| 1 | YELLOW CARDS | 2 |
| 4 | 2 MIN SUSPENSIONS | 2 |
| 0 | RED CARDS | 0 |
Varsa-Stronglasas Alytus – HC Vilnius | 35:30 (18:13)
Gintautas Adamkevičius (Varsa):
We have achieved what we had hoped for. Thank you to the team for a fantastic fight and for fighting hard. It doesn’t matter that we had a solid lead in the first half; when playing against Vilnius, you have to stay focused from start to finish. We are happy that we managed to do that. The victory is gratifying, but the points lost in the previous matches are disappointing. We couldn’t field a full team, missing one or the other player due to injury or illness.
Varsa Alytus – Stankevičius 8, Adamkevičius 8, Eidukonis 6.
HC Vilnius – Drevinskas 8, Petronis 8, Lapinskas 4.
HK Ogre/HYDROX – SK Tapa | 35:34 (15:14)
Andris Molotanovs (coach, Ogre):
I’m happy that my team won. After a long time out, pivot player V. Rutka was back in the game and played very well. Today’s game was a good game in offense and defense. And we hope that tomorrow’s game will be as good as today’s.
Jens Ülesoo (Tapa):
The game was winnable, but some decisions played a huge role in the ending result. We will forget the negative things that happened today and try to play a smart and effective game tomorrow.
HK Ogre – Patsykailik 9, Haisa 8, Hovratovičs 5.
SK Tapa – Oolup 10, Ageni 9, Kosmirak 5.
| Home | GAME STATS | Away |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | SHOTS | 62 |
| 66% | SHOTS EFFICIENCY | 55% |
| 7/7 | PENALTIES GOALS/SHOTS | 3/6 |
| 100% | PENALTIES EFFICIENCY | 50% |
| 1 | YELLOW CARDS | 2 |
| 5 | 2 MIN SUSPENSIONS | 9 |
| 0 | RED CARDS | 2 |
Põlva Serviti – Raasiku/Mistra | 26:24 (10:11)
Ülljo Pihus (Polva):
It was a very intense battle. I think for fans and viewers, it might have been very nerve-racking. Similarly to last weekend, we played poorly in attack. We can be satisfied with the last 10 or 20 minutes, where our gameplan in attack produced a good result. With defense, we can be satisfied. We fought bravely until the final whistle. All the praises for the Raasiku team. They played very well. We can be satisfied with 2 points and are now looking forward to the last 2 games of the main round next weekend.
Põlva – Celminš 8, Sillaste 7, Pihus 3.
Raasiku – Naumenko 11, Zhitnikov 5, Anton 3.
