Friborg Olympic won its 8th SBL Cup after easily dominating Vevey Riviers in the final 103-82. The people of Friborg recognize it, they have never trembled.
‘We know that in Fribourg, expectations are high and that we want titles.’ Jonathan Kazadi knows the Friborg context well. In St-Léonard, we are expanding the cabinets to add the new trophies, that’s a bit like daily life at Olympic. And that creates pressure. But Olympic knows how to manage it because the club has enough experienced players.
The Fribourgeois have gone 21 matches without defeat and they intend to continue this winning streak. “We live well, the roles are well distributed,” continues the Bernese from Olympic. I’m happy with my weekend and to have been able to play so much.’ Best player in the semi-final on Saturday with 30 points, Kazadi did it again in the final with 19 points. In just twenty minutes at that.
‘I try to take advantage of the playing time that I’m given, notes the Olympic MVP this weekend. It’s easier to perform with reduced playing time because I know I can give my best.’
Beat the odds
Coach Thibaut Petit obviously liked his team’s performance: ‘We’re going to savor this title for 24 or 48 hours and then we’ll go back to work. In this match, we will look for the four quarters. I say bravo to my players who are intelligent, who agree to put themselves at the service of the team rather than looking at playing time or stats. And congratulations to the staff. Everyone goes the extra mile.’
Undefeated in the championship (17 victories), Friborg Olympic has 21 victories in a row. When explaining this state of grace, the Friborg coach remembers the predictions at the start of the fall: ‘We were put in 3rd or 4th. So tomorrow we can lose, but we will continue to fight because everyone in this team is concerned. What I like about this group is its soul!’
Dubas exhausted but happy
In the beaten camp, Jonathan Dubas nevertheless wore a beautiful smile during the interviews. ‘I’m tired, but happy because we all end up with cramps,’ says the Vaudois captain. We were all cooked. We tried, but it was not the day when Friborg was takeable. They were mentally strong and played a solid match.’
The Veveysan still underlines all the good of this defeat for young people, this obligatory passage which we call apprenticeship. ‘They will take on more and more responsibilities and it’s good for them to experience that,’ he analyzes.
Jonathan Dubas will now rest before heading back to work. And the captain is looking forward to the match on February 10. It will be the Swiss Cup semi-final at the Galeries du Rivage against the Geneva Lions. ‘Frankly, we’re going to take a beating,’ he laughs. But the last two matches against them were really great and a great advertisement for Swiss basketball!’
/ATS
2024-01-28 18:45:07
#years #Freiburg #win
