Updated7. May 2024, 23:39
Basketball: Friborg crowned Swiss champion for the sixth time in a row
Thibaut Petit’s players did not tremble during act IV of the Swiss Basketball League final. They finished the job at Massagno this Tuesday evening, after a controlled match (77-91).
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Brice Cheneval
Friborg Olympic overpowered Massagno in act IV of the Swiss Basketball League final this Tuesday to win the title of Swiss champion.
Michela Locatelli/Freshfocus
The men change, not the results: Friborg Olympic became Swiss champion for the sixth consecutive time, this Tuesday evening. The Pascal Joye-Thibaut Petit tandem, who succeeded the historic Philippe de Gottrau and Petar Aleksic as president and coach in the off-season, was crowned at the end of its first year at the helm of the club.
Like last year, the Fribourgeoises defeated Massagno in the final. And like last year, they needed four matches. After two narrow victories in Saint-Léonard (73-72 then 65-62), they wasted a first cartridge on Saturday, in Ticino (93-80). Again traveling to Massagno this Tuesday, this time they did not miss the opportunity to conclude the series (77-91).
Massagno choked at the start of the match
Friborg wanted to avoid fueling the opposing hopes, in a room that was just waiting to ignite, so they activated the steamroller mode from the first minutes. The Ticino people experienced an ordeal in the opening quarter, stifled by an aggressive defense which offered them no space. Reduced to eight small points, they unfolded a festival of turnovers, bad choices and missed shots. What’s more, the slightest error was punished in transition. After 10 minutes, Thibaut Petit’s team already had a 13-point lead (8-21).
The gap even rose to 18 points in the heart of the second quarter. The grip then loosened and Massagno took the opportunity to get his head out of the water, reaching the break ten points behind (30-40). Friborg put their foot back on the accelerator to regain their distance (34-50 in the 24th), but their opponent did not give up, managing to come back to seven lengths (45-52, 27th). The Ticino people will not get any closer despite their efforts, pushed back by visitors in control, masters in the art of stringing together baskets in hot moments.
End of the Robbi Gubitosa era
Winner of 18 of the 25 national trophies awarded since 2018 (including the Swiss Cup and the League Cup this season), FR Olympic consolidates its status as an ogre of Swiss basketball.
Massagno, for his part, is arriving at the end of an era: Robbi Gubitosa led the Ticino team for the last time, which he has coached since 2012. A reign marked by two trophies (the Swiss Supercup won last October and a League Cup in 2023) and two championship finals.
2024-05-07 21:39:45
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