“We don’t start and we sink into basketball without a quick game, a non-respect of the instructions from the first given”, sighed Jean-Marc Dupraz, already seeing during the first quarter his men in deficit of aggressiveness of the two sides of the field.
They grab the pole
The recovery would drive the point home, La Rochelle continuing its momentum effectively, after having struck a scathing 12-0 (13-12, 9th; 13-24, 12th). The Kayembe booster turned the heads of the locals and the yellow and black machine at full speed (14-28, 15th). Running after the score from the first seconds of the match, inconsistent in the interior sector, the Nantes people let Masters and his family keep the tempo (20-32, 18th; 33-47, 26th).
One could wonder if this Ermine was going to manage to get back in the saddle in this meeting, under penalty of living an infernal final round (40-54, 30th)… Completely off the subject and their basketball, the last five minutes of locals were only extending an impeccable pole to their hosts who, of course, grabbed it and took advantage of it to inflate their – already cozy – mattress (46-63, 37th). The money-time, although gently sloping, only confirmed the seriousness of a Stade Rochelais always impeccable in his racket, stepping on the head of the Whites on the rebound.
“Nice reward”
“With two elements less [Thinon et Tanghe, NDLR] and only our fourth match together, victory is obviously a nice reward, smiled Julien Cortey. But beyond the success, we erased what I didn’t like a few days ago against this same team from Nantes. The irreproachable state of mind, mutual aid, hard work and humility will help us move forward in the right direction. I’m very proud of what the players have achieved, with energy and heart. We know very well that we should not come to Nantes with a goal of winning at 90 points: we have less talent. Concentration and attention to detail will be key. »
