While he had the match in hand when David Holston came out for two technical fouls in quick succession (62-45, 25th), the BBD was very scared. Behind a suddenly found Dijon defense, the slender Tariq Owens equalized a few seconds from the end and Angelo Warner missed his team’s only two free throws, out of 29 attempted, 3”8 from the end. But his one success made the difference. Boulazac also dominated the rebound but the 22 lost balls almost cost him dearly. Phew!
It’s over: victory at the last minute for the BBD 79-78
He scores the second and misses the third… But Hrovat does not score from 8m after moving up the field: BBD victory 79-78!
78-78 with 3”8 to go: 3 shots to follow for Warner, he misses the first…
74-69, 37e: Hrovat equalizes at 69-69, quite logically. But Angelo Warner is offered three free throws which he makes and Williams goes for an offensive rebound which benefits Krubally, via Thomas Ville. The BBD’s rebound domination and its 100% shooting so far compensate for the too many lost balls.
67-66, 34e: the BBD is finding it more and more difficult to score. Only Tony Snell found the fault in this period but Tariq Owens continues to bring the JDA closer, who have defended harder since Holston’s exit.
End of the third quarter: 65-58 for Boulazac
A 3-pointer from Thomas Ville ended more than five minutes without scoring for the BBD. A basket which felt good because Dijon had signed a 0-13 during this time, concluded by Stockton and Hrovat on free throws. Boulazac, who is already at 17 lost balls, will have to take care of his possessions.
62-54, 27e: Hoston’s exit leads to a little ease and deconcentration on the BBD side. Revolted, Dijon quickly took advantage, with Jordan Barnett up close and Zike Moore from afar. With a penetration from Gregor Hrovat, it makes 0-9 series in progress for the JDA. Alexandre Ménard must stop the clock.
62-45, 25e: with a 3-point basket from Snell, plus Hrovat’s fault, Owens brings his team to 57-45 (23rd). But then, David Holston complains, takes a technical foul, then continues to complain, resulting in a second, disqualifying technical foul. The veteran comes out of control and has to be pushed towards the locker room by one of the Dijon assistants. Angelo Warner sanctions free throws and follows with a winning basket.
Here we go again at the Palio, the BBD will try to maintain its lead to achieve a fifth victory in thirteen games.
Half-time: 53-41 for Boulazac.
While Eliezer-Vanerot increased the margin to 12 points (47-35, 19th), Zeke Moore revived his team with two 3 points. Until then, the JDA was having more and more difficulty scoring, facing a Boulazac defense which came out high and which had the energy to then come up with the rebound. The BBD must above all continue on this path because its address may not be eternal. Moreover, it was on free throws, against an annoyed Zeke Moore, that Hugo Robineau finished the half.
45-35, 18e : an “and one” from Essomé Miyem then a 3 point from Thomas Ville creates a small gap, amplified when the latter, by collecting an offensive rebound, offers a new basket to Cyrille Eliezer-Vanerot, with a pass behind the back. The Palio, now almost full, burst into flames.
35-33, 15e : the two teams remain close and continue to score, even if the defenses are well present. With a new award-winning basket, Snell allows the BBD to keep the advantage for the moment.
End of the first quarter: 26-25 for Boulazac
After an offensive rebound stolen by Angelo Warner, Tony Snell made his first 3-point shot. The veteran David Holston (39 years old) answered him but KJ Williams added another layer (26-23). The last basket is for Jordan Barnett on Holston’s service but the BBD leads after ten minutes, despite five lost balls, against four for Dijon.
17-20, 8e : after two lost balls in its first two possessions (2-5, 3rd), the BBD took matters in hand, via Hugo Robineau and Essomé Miyem (6-5, 4th). But the entry of David Holston, with two immediate winning baskets, put the JDA back in the lead. Despite new interceptions from Dijon, Boulazac held on.
Let’s go in a Palio for the moment sparse, given the schedule and the traffic jams to approach the room!
The starting five
Boulazac : Antoine Eito, Hugo Robineau, Tony Snell, Cyrille Eliezer-Vanerot and Essomé Miyem. Substitutes: KJ Williams, Angelo Warner, Ousman Krubally, Thomas Ville, Jean Noba and Quentin Bonneau. Coach: Alexandre Ménard.
Dijon : Michael Stockton, Zeke Moore, Greece, Barnett, Owens. Republicans: Tom Audry, David Holston, Finthy Losser and Axel Julien. Student: Laurent Legname.
Le trio arbitral : Maxime Boubert, José Manuel Soares and Paul Antiphon.
Welcome to the Palio for this match between Boulazac and Dijon, which closes the year. The BBD remains on a nice success against CSP Limoges (92-80) which ended a series of three away defeats. The Burgundians, for their part, completely revived by successively beating Saint-Quentin (77-83 on December 13), Nancy (90-75 on December 20) and Le Portel (102-82) three days ago, while Boulazac was resting, his match in Villeurbanne having been postponed to January 13.
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