The dark look, sitting on his bench during the last minute, Vincent Collet can only see the damage. Powerless. His team, which remained on 3 successes, experienced this Friday a real ordeal against the Chorale de Roanne. The latter confirms that she is indeed the Mets’ pet peeve. Already winners of their two duels last season, Jean-Denys Choulet’s players have also won both of the current year.
After stopping a series of 9 successes and blasting the Mets defense in the first leg (102-77), they brought out the heavy artillery to win (84-102), this Friday at the Marcel-Cerdan sports hall de Levallois on behalf of the 19th day of Betclic Élite.
It’s the second time the Metropolitans have scored more than 100 points. Each face the same executioner. Until now only the terrible armada of Monaco had managed to win on the floor of Levallois (in 9 games). A real nightmare… despite a gala Victor Wembanyama.
We had left him on a dull performance, far from his usual standards. Author of only 11 points during the difficult victory of the Mets in Fos (82-83) on January 18, Victor Wembanyama achieved his second worst mark of the season. A match in line with the previous two (15 points against Asvel, 16 points against Dijon) during which the albatross did not hover as usual over the meeting. But this Friday evening, for the return home after two trips, the spectators found the prodigy of French basketball, elegant and above all effective in attack and defense.
“Victor is a monster”, Ekitike under the spell
Present at the edge of the field, his “almost look-alike” from PSG Hugo Ekitike enjoyed the show. “It was my first basketball game and my first for Victor, confided the striker afterwards. It’s a shame he lost but he’s really impressive, you realize that even more when you’re close to the field. Basketball is a physical sport and Victor is a monster. But he also has an incredible technical ease. It was great. »
After making the audience roar – as usual – during the presentation of the teams, Wemby scored the first two points of the match and then chained the baskets for his team. By the end of the first quarter, he had scored half of the Mets’ points…having played less than 7 minutes. 11 points, as many as in the entire previous match at Fos. Above all he played fair, did not force anything, did not miss anything. Or so little.
But deprived of Tremont Waters and Hugo Besson – who join the long list of players in the infirmary – the Boulogne club was far too limited, too handicapped, to resist the fury of Roanne, its all-terrain defense and its shots a lot of. Too clumsy, the partners of Lahaou Konaté were pushed back 19 lengths after returning from the locker room (50-69, 23rd). But 9 points in a row – including 2 3-point shots – and a counter from Wemby gave hope to the Levallois public (68-74, 31st). A reversal of the situation seemed possible.
Came out the dark look
But the brightening will have been short-lived. The fourth quarter will have been a long way of the cross for the Mets tired by so much effort and limited in rotation. The 31 points (but 12 of 28 on shots in the end), 14 rebounds and 5 blocks from Wembanyama, out of the dark look, will not be enough to give a smile to the number 1 of the Mets.
“He can’t do everything, and fortunately because basketball is a team sport, he can’t depend solely on one player,” breathes Vincent Collet. When he takes a rebound and he misses the shot behind it does not look like him. It’s rare. “A reaction is expected the week at the promoted Blois.
