The COSPN men’s basketball team secured a second national title at the Madagascar N1A championship, defeating RBC Boeny 74-68 in a tense final that featured multiple lead changes and a late-game surge. The victory marks the club’s second straight national crown following their 2025 triumph.
Title Defense Secured in Tense Final
The championship matchup tipped off at 6:27 p.m., offering a hard-fought contest that tested the reigning champions down the stretch. RBC Boeny asserted control early, launching a 7-0 run during the opening two minutes. Livio answered for COSPN with a three-pointer to narrow the gap to 3-7, and the police club steadily chipped away until a 12-11 breakthrough past the six-minute mark put them ahead for the first time. Anthony extended the lead to 14-11 with a dunk, and COSPN closed the opening period ahead 21-13.
Play leveled out in the second quarter. RBC Boeny clawed back to 22-24 with six minutes remaining before halftime, but COSPN maintained composure to take a 34-30 advantage into the locker rooms. Out of the break, COSPN orchestrated an impressive 7-0 spurt—sparked by four points from Anthony and three from Marco—stretching the margin to 45-30 with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter. Anthony and Arnol continued to pressure Boeny’s defense, pushing the lead as high as 15 points before Boeny rallied to close the period trailing 46-52.
Late-Game Pressure Tested the Champions
The fourth quarter brought renewed suspense as RBC Boeny refused to yield. Trailing 48-58 with roughly six minutes left on the clock, Boeny mounted a comeback, narrowing the score to 55-60 with four minutes remaining and cutting the deficit to a single point at 60-61. COSPN managed to steady their play in the money-time period, holding off a final push that brought Boeny within 71-66 before sealing the 74-68 final score.
Anthony Rasolomanana led COSPN with 16 points and earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the final. “It is a source of pride for COSPN to win the Madagascar champion title two years in a row,” Rasolomanana stated.
COSPN Retains Title While RBC Boeny Regrets Lack of Experience
Club leadership expressed deep satisfaction following the hard-fought defense of their crown. Samy Olivier Harison, president of COSPN, noted the difficulty of the campaign. “We are very happy to have managed to keep the title. It was not easy, but it is a sort of reward for the whole team,” Harison said.
For RBC Boeny, the defeat carried a bitter edge after pressing the champions deep into the fourth quarter. “It’s a bitter defeat. We lack experience at the key moment of the final,” acknowledged Rapha.
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