Was the Betclic Elite ready for a hot start to ADA Blois ? Probably not. Jonathan Rousselle is not surprised: “It will not be just a difficult team to maneuver at the start of the season. Blois has a game identity and a way of doing things which means that they will have a good first season, as is often the case with promoted players. »
READ ALSO. A crazy end to the match between the Espoirs de Blois and Dijon… Élise Prodhomme debriefs the last action
Were the Blésois prepared for a return to earth after four straight wins ? Yes and that’s for sure. From the inaugural victory against ASVEL, Mickaël Hay, a connoisseur of high level, had warned his players. An idyllic start to the season is not (always) synonymous with a promising season. Last year, Champagne Basket, victorious in four of its first five games, had experienced a similar trajectory, before collapsing and being relegated to Pro B.
“A good call to order”
“It’s now that we will see what kind of team we are and if we are able to react”proclaims Timothé Vergiat hot. “It’s a good call to order, we’ll take others”summarizes Mickaël Hay, the coach from Blois, especially as he has “Observed changes in attitudes in training this week. » ADA Blois has never seen itself more beautiful than it was. It is not in the DNA of the club, nor of the coach. In speech and in attitudes : the Blésois have remained true to themselves. During a slightly more difficult evening like those experienced this Saturday evening against Dijon (107-74 defeat), there is no question of flagellation or alarm either.
The addition is all the heavier (-33) since its arrival in LNB at the dawn of the 2016-2017 season, never ADA Blois had suffered such a defeat. More than the almost anecdotal setback against an almost intractable team, Mickaël Hay was attentive to the progress of his team over the minutes : “It may seem paradoxical. We kept our heads up in the second half. I don’t give a damn about the defeat because we knew how to react. It’s the story of a match: this defeat will help us learn. »
Aggressive on pick and roll, the Dijon defense put the Blois attack under the extinguisher. « We froze the ball too much, we wanted to make the difference on our own”breathes Timothé Vergiat, author of 10 points. “We did not find a rhythm in attack, we were on the street. » Nenad Markovic’s men were insolent from long distance to the point of signing a 14/18 in the second half. 21 successful 3-point shots (out of 34 attempts) is quite simply an LNB record, previously held by ASVEL (20) against Nanterre in June 2021. Between the rainbow shots of Jonathan Rousselle (6/9) and the insolence of David Holston (6/6), the Blésois struggled to stop the bleeding. “62% behind the arc, it happens once or twice in the season,” said Jonathan Rousselle. “As soon as we put a shot, Blois took a shot behind the head. »
“This victory is important, the way too”
The first shots, ADA Blois took them in the first half. Without a solution in attack, Paul Rigot (14 points) and his men took the broth in the 2nd quarter (8-28). “It’s the turning point of the game”, slips Nenad Markovic, the Dijon coach. With 7 balls lost in the 2nd act and 7 of the 8 points scored by rookie Amadou Sow, ADA Blois let go of the ballast and ended up letting the match slip away. Where Dijon achieves the almost perfect match, with only 6 lost balls and an already interesting background. “We mastered the match from start to finish but it wasn’t as easy as it might seem”summarizes Jonathan Rousselle. “This victory is important and the manner counts because we have managed to put in place what we want to do this season: defend strongly and plan to attack. » Collectively (24 assists, 131 evaluation) and defensively (74 points conceded), Dijon holds its reference victory of the beginning of the season, after having lacked consistency against Gravelines-Dunkerque and Le Mans. An evening in total contrast to that experienced by the ADA. The apprenticeship of the Blésois in the elite continues…
In Blois,
par
October 15, 2022 at 10:39 am
