To continue to believe in their dream and reach the N1 final, they will therefore have to beat the Normandy team twice (return Friday 27 and possible Sunday 29). In a Gaston-Neveur room which will have to play its role of sixth man, the challenge is far from impossible.
1 Was La Rochelle taken by the challenge?
For technician François Sence, the answer is no. “The goal was to stay in our bubble and show solidarity. I liked seeing the players come together when Caen started to pull a big gap. I don’t think we were taken by the event. The CBC’s whirlwind start, however, euphorized a packed Sports Palace. “It was one of the best atmospheres of the season. It was good-natured more than hostile, recognized the trainer. But I am convinced that the Gaston-Neveur room will be the same on Friday. »
2 A poorly controlled start
After five minutes of play, the CBC had scored 21 points. With an incredible 9/10 on shots. “Caen had a very important success from the start, with players in hyper confidence. Like Bracy-Davis or Noel-Pascal who scored very big shots when they were well defended”, analyzes Sence. During this first period, he pointed to two elements: “We did not have a sufficient defensive impact near the circle and on their transition game, we should have made it more difficult for them to take shots”. The almost 50 points conceded in 20 minutes showed a hitch in the plan.
3 Eleventh missed
With only 12 minutes of play on the clock, the hypothesis of physical concern quickly accompanied the performance of Thibault Lonzieme. The handyman of the collective suffered from cervical since the middle of the week. Reduced, the one who evolves post 4 since the injuries of Quincy-Jones and Carey could not play his role of goalkeeper. His vis-à-vis Noel-Pascal (17 points at the break) shone during the first act. Propelled to the position of strong winger for a large part of the meeting, Franck Seguela did not have the physical advantage. And if Meite was to be credited with a good passage (2 points, 4 rebounds), the latter is too limited in minutes (8 in total) to weigh. The only dominant interior, Keith Wright (16 points in total), less found after the break, dropped off (4 units scored). Especially since opposite, the CBC was counting on a complete interior sector.
4 An address at half mast
With 40% overall address and less than 30% behind the outside line, Stade Rochelais was not very skilful. Impeccable at free throws in the first half (10/10), the Maritimes unscrewed during the last twenty minutes (9/18). The 31 attempts (compared to 19 for Caen) beyond the 3-point line were a reflection of the difficulty for La Rochelle to find its interior sector. The Thinon – Clerc duo (2/13 in the exercise) was far from its performance. The first named who had several unconverted open shots should show revenge on Friday. As for the second, his five tries, each time at the end of possession, were far from being hand-stitched. Only Antoine Dudit survived (3/4). “There are 6 or 7 too many 3-point shots. We lacked alternation, ”said Sence.