A historic result was recorded in the B division of the Regional Basketball League (RKL). Vilnius district basketball club (7-2) confidently defeated Marijampole SC (2-7) on its court with a margin of 213:50 (60:8, 42:17, 51:11, 60:14), thus rewriting league records. Such a result became a record not only in the league, but also in the history of Lithuanian basketball, but it caused controversial assessments both among the leaders of the league and among the teams.
The club from the Vilnius district showed cosmic pace from the start of the match, scoring as many as 60 points in the first half. The hosts secured an impressive lead even before the break, leading 102:25. The Marijampolė SC team consisted of young people aged 15-18, with an average age of 16,7 years. This was significantly different from the Vilnius district team, whose average age was 20,8 years. The coach of the losing team shared his regret: "It's the first time I've seen such an approach to a match. Rivals could have behaved differently, showed more respect. RKL is a great environment for young people to develop, but the pressure and pace they maintained throughout the game was too much for our team.
Yes, we knew that the match would be difficult, but this behavior of the opponents is incomprehensible to us," said the coach.
Regardless of the result, Marijampolės SC adheres to its mission to develop young players. "RKL is a great environment for young people to grow. We are not here to win every game. Our priority is to develop young players, give them experience. However, the attitude of the opponents and constant pressure during all matches do not correspond to the principles of sports ethics. It was a shock for the children," the coach said.
The coach of the Vilnius district team defended his team's choice to play at full capacity. "We had two choices: either we didn't concentrate when we arrived and just "played", or we used the match as a useful training for future fights. We chose the latter option, because it doesn't make sense otherwise. How can I motivate my players if I tell them not to play at full strength?" asked the coach rhetorically. The head of the team also expressed a strong opinion about the opponents' decision to compete with a weak team: "We think that their choice is disrespectful to us. If you're coming to a game, why bring a lineup that can't compete? We set a goal of scoring 200 points to keep our guys interested in the game and they did that. We are in this league because the level here is high. If Marijampole SC wants to participate with such an attitude, they should rethink their strategy," said the manager.
The director of the regional basketball league was happy with the attention he was getting, but emphasized that it was important to maintain a balance. "We are happy with the attention we are receiving - we have been working for a long time, increasing the league's awareness and prestige. Setting records is always a joy - after all, that's what everyone strives for. It's a pity for the Marijampole club and the youth who play there. The coach is a true basketball fanatic who devotes himself to the education of children. The goal of the team to participate in our league is to provide experience to the schoolboys on the court against men, thus facilitating the transition from schoolboy basketball to men's basketball. A result like yesterday will certainly reduce the motivation for young people to play basketball. The Vilnius club debuted in the league for the first season and already shows a strong desire to step up and move up to the A division or even further."
