Results of Final Four 2025 Day 1.
Basket Hall hosted the start of the VTB Youth League Final Four 2025. Semifinal games were played on the Day 1.
CSKA Junior took revenge on Zenit-M for losses in last 3 seasons.
CSKA and Zenit faced each other in the VTB United Youth League Playoffs for the 4th consecutive time. In 2022 and 2024 the teams battled in the final, and in 2023 played in Quarterfinals. The St. Petersburg team won all 3 clashes.
Only 4 players from last year’s champion team represented Zenit-M at this Final Four – Egor Yevstafiev, Semen Burinsky, German Muschinsky and Mikhail Dulkay. In addition, the St. Petersburg team came to Moscow with a debutant coach – Roman Knyazev, although he has been working in the Zenit system since 2017, he is only leading the youth team for the first season.
Egor Yevstafiev and Ivan Kasyanov allowed Zenit-M to score 10 points midway through the first quarter and gain a 9-point lead. However, the Moscow team quickly got back into the game – by the end of the opening quarter, the 9-point difference had changed to a minimal advantage. Surprisingly, CSKA-Junior managed to win the quarter with only 1 three-pointer in 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, CSKA-Junior offense was led by the players who received special attention. They were Nikolai Natcvlishvili (regular season MVP) and Ilia Ermakov (17-year-old guard who will spend next season in the NCAA). Natcvlishvili dominated the rebounding, used team play and made shots well (and even scored 4 points in one possession!), while Ermakov showed phenomenal efficiency. But it was not enough to take the lead – Zenit-M managed to score as many points as the opponent due to offensive rebounds and long-range shots. By the halftime, the teams had 46 points each.
Offensive rebounds in general were the key factor in this game. The teams totaled for 40 offensive rebounds – 23 by CSKA-Junior and 17 for Zenit-M. But the third quarter was no less important in this game, which was won by the Moscow team 30-18. Natcvlivshili and Ermakov continued to score points, while Zenit-M tried to find a player to lead the team.
It turned out that a 14-point deficit comeback was real in such game. At least the St. Petersburg team managed to regain the intrigue – 2.5 minutes before the end, the teams were separated by only 2 points. But good defense, made shots, Natsvlishvili and Ermakov allowed the Moscow team to win. 93:89 – CSKA-Junior takes revenge on Zenit-M and advances to the final! The VTB Youth League will have a new champion!
CSKA Junior vs Zenit-M. Game stats
CSKA Junior vs Zenit-M. Highlights
MBA-MAI-Junior reaches the final for the second time in 3 seasons
MBA-MAI-Junior lead over the season was not surprising – Maksim Ogarkov, Matvey Padius turned into a star and showed incredible high offensive efficiency this season (at least leading the league in points and field-goal percentage). Pari NN-Junior’s appearance in the Final Four came as a surprise to many – Nizhny Novgorod earned it after defeating CSP-Khimki-2 in the Quarterfinal series 2-0.
On the other hand, Pari NN-Junior had the most players who played in the VTB United League this season (among the Final Four teams). CSKA-Junior and Zenit-M didn’t have such players, MBA-MAI-Junior were limited to Maksim Ogarkov. Pari NN-Junior had 3 such players – Georgy Shilokhvostov, Vladimir Semenchenko and Aleksandr Shenderov.
Despite the familiar names in Nizhny Novgorod, MBA-MAI-Junior, had the lead. The Moscow team 10 points in the first 2.5 minutes forced Ilya Rodionov to call the first timeout of the game. With the efforts of the bench, which was noticeably more active than the starting five in the first half and managed to turn a double-digit deficit into a tie by the beginning of the second quarter.
The Moscow team had only one bench player scoring points. That player was Matvey Padius, the top scorer of the team (15.2 points). Padius had scored 13 points by haltime, and his team still regained a small lead – 34:28.
After the halfitme Matvey Padius didn’t score a single point, while the Moscow team’s offense only became more efficient. Maksim Ogarkov made 13 rebounds and scored 17 points.
But the Moscow team’s defense is worth noting. Aleksandr Afanasyev team forced the opponent to make 22 turnovers (!), most of which were in the second half. At the same time after the halftime Pari NN-Junior scored only 12 points. The game ended with 29-point difference.
MBA-MAI-Junior vs Pari NN-Junior. Game stats
MBA-MAI-Junior vs Pari NN-Junior. Highights
Leaders of Day 1 in efficiency
38 eff. points – Nikolai Natcvlishvili (CSKA-Junior) – 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, 10of 16 FGM, 2 of 2 3-PTM
30 eff. points – Makaim Ogarkov (MBA-MAI-Junior) – 17 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 8of 12 FGM
29 eff. points – Ilyia Ermakov (CSKA-Junior) – 21 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 8/12 from the field, 3/4 from beyond the arc
22 eff. points – Egor Yevstafiev (Zenit-M) – 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5of 11 FGM, 3 of 9 3-PTM
Moment of the Day
Zenit-M’s 7 blocks in the first half is one of the best in VTB Youth League history.
Photo of the Day
CSKA head coach Andreas Pistiolis was one of the spectators of the Semifinal game between CSKA Junior and Zenit-M. The game was also attended by Casper Ware and Livio Jean-Charles.
Final Day Schedule
14:00 (Moscow time). 3rd place game. Zenit-M vs. Pari NN-Junior
17:00 (Moscow time). Final. CSKA-Junior vs. MBA-MAI-Junior
