The program for the eighth day offered us balanced duels in Pool A between teams close in the ranking with the clash of the day which took place in the Sousse hall between the runner-up, Etoile Sportive du Sahel, and the undefeated leader, Club Africain. A meeting at the top which saw the locals start the meeting in the most different ways by dominating the debates to win the first quarter with a four-point lead (22-18). Stung, the Bab Jedid boys will rebel during the second quarter by inflicting a gap of seventeen points on their hosts to return to the locker room largely in their favor (42-35). An advantage that the “Red and White” will try to manage in the second half. A more or less successful objective during the third quarter (49-58), but the Sahelians do not hear it that way by going into overdrive in the last stretch to gradually eat away at the gap which has melted like snow in the sun, but this will ultimately not prevent the Clubists from maintaining their invincibility (73-77).
Just behind the leading duo, and with the same number of points (10), Jeunesse Sportive d’El Manazeh hosted Etoile Sportive Goulettoise. Hence the balance which characterized the debates, even if the locals always led the score (22-20) in the first quarter, 42-37 at the break and 59-53 at the end of the third quarter). But the final rush of the guys from El Menzah will be fatal to the Goulettois who will end up admitting defeat (78-59).
The last meeting of this Pool was as hotly contested as the ESS-CA clash, if not more, since Dalia Sportive du Sahel won narrowly at home against Basketball Club de Mahdia (67-66).
The beautiful operation of the JSK
In Pool B, only two matches were on the program, then the duel between Stade Nabeulien and Etoile Sportive Radésienne took place the day before (56-53). And, here too, the same scenario as Pool A, with duels between teams close in the ranking. Started with the clash of leaders between the Union Sportive Monastirienne and the Jeunesse Sportive Kairouanaise. A two-sided summit with a first half totally dominated by the visitors who took off with a gap of 14 points in their favor (40-26). And, then, a breathtaking opposite scenario which saw the locals give back to their hosts at the cost of a fantastic, but unfinished, comeback. Indeed, in the end, only one small basket was needed for the Monastirians to come back to the level of the Kairouanais (61-63).
Finally, the two red lanterns (8 points) faced each other in a duel to leave last place and, in this game, it was the Union Sportive d’El Ansar which took advantage of the home advantage to lead the match from start to finish by winning the four partials to win quite easily against the Association Sportive de Hammamet (59-49).
Result – Pool A
ESS-CA : 73-77
JSM-ESG : 78-59
DSG-BCM : 67-66
Ranking
Pts J
1) CA 16 8
2) ESS 14 8
3) JSM 12 8
4) ESG 11 8
5) DSG 10 8
6) BCM 9 8
Results – Pool B
USM-JSK: 61-63
USA-ASH : 59-49
Ranking
Pts J
1) JSK 15 8
2) USM 14 8
3) SN 14 8
4) ESR 11 8
5) ASH 8 8
6) USA 7 8
