Tskhum-Apkhazeti defeated Dinamo and will defend the title of champion against Rustavi

Rustavi and Tskhum-Apkhazeti will fight for the title of the champion of Georgia. Rustavi was joined by Tskhumi today, who defeated Dinamo in a tense meeting in the 3rd, decisive match of the semifinal series – 86:84 (Statistics) and gained the right to defend the title.

Tskhum-Apkhazeti is the current champion of the Super League. 2 years ago, when this team was playing under the name of Delta, it defeated Kutaisi in the final series and became the champion of Georgia. The club was renamed Tskhum-Apkhazeti and last season the team was an outsider, but the Super League was suspended 5 rounds before the end of the regular season due to a pandemic. After the season canceled, Tskhumi strengthened the team and the result is visible – the team coached by Nikoloz Cherkezishvili is still in the Super League final and will fight to defend the title.

The decisive match of the semifinal turned out to be very tense. The team coached by Muhammed Tachi defeated Kutaisi in the previous round and left this club behind the top four for the first time in the last 11 years. Dinamo also put solid resistance against Tskhum-Apkhazeti and equalized the overall score after starting the series with a loss. And as for the decisive match, everything was decided at the last minute today. Tskhumi was winning for the most part, leading by 12 points in the second quarter, but at the expense of fighting and dedication until the end, Dinamo managed to advance in the final period. 6 minutes before the end of the match, the team coached by Muhammed Tachi was winning 69:68.

Tskhum-Apkhazeti players put everything in the decisive minutes. We should distinguish the effective play of the young Nikoloz Chechelashvili and the experienced Giorgi Sharabidze, who was supported by American player Tyler Green. In the last minutes, Tskhumi gained a 4-point lead and flawlessly performed free-throws, taken by Dinamo to gain time and points. Accordingly, Nikoloz Cherkezishvili’s team gained victory and reached the final.

Tskhum-Apkhazeti did not have a statistically prominent leader. Three players – Sharabidze, Chechelashvili and Green – gained 15-15 points. Alexandre Phevadze scored 12 points and 11 rebounds. Nodar Gogodze had 12 points. Luka Bulashvili was the most effective in Dinamo with 30 points. Alonzo Walker scored 19 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Williams had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

The final series between Rustavi and Tskhum-Apkhazeti is up to 3 wins and Qvemo Qartli has the court advantage. The first and second matches of the series will be held on May 23 and 24 in Rustavi. The third match will be hosted by Tbilisi Olympic Palace on May 27. If necessary, the 4th match of the series will be held on May 28 in Tbilisi, and the 5th match will be held on May 30 in Rustavi.

The match for the 3rd place, in which Cactus will meet Dinamo, will be held on May 25, at the Olympic Palace.