Tension rose a notch on the majority of floors last Friday and Saturday.
The continuation of its series, Tarbes-Lourdes went for it with guts in Rennes (69-70). A duel of daggers drawn like Toulouse against Angers (74-73) in the wake of a Will Butler in great form (25 points, 17 rebounds, 32 evaluation) or the Breton derby between Fougères and Vitré, also pushed into overtime, where the promoted side will come out on top (102-96). In terms of suspense, Les Sables Vendée did its thing. By winning against Levallois at the end of an eventful confrontation, the teammates of the eternal Jean-Michel Mipoka (22 points, 7 rebounds) and Grégory Lessort (15 points, 22 evaluation) end their first phase almost in balance (85-78). For Challans, Lorient and Quimper, the victories were authoritarian. Even if Poissy put up resistance at the start of the match, CEP Lorient left no room for doubt (66-88) led by a record Brahim Dohou (23 points, 8 rebounds, 29 rating). For Vendée Challans Basket, the turning point in the duel against Tours will come in the last quarter to respond to the return of the Knights (71-88). And finally, the leader of Group A did not flinch against Pôle France (84-64), thus notching his twelfth victory in thirteen matches.
In the Eastern group, surprises galore. On the Canopée side, LyonSo achieved the upset of the day by reversing the course of the match against the leader (74-59), with Darhius Nunn in the lead (16 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 interceptions). A victory which allows Philippe Hervé’s men to take off and settle comfortably in the Top 7. Besançon also offers itself a big fish with a victory against Boulogne-sur-Mer (82-67) which allows the club du Doubs to secure a second victory after crossing the desert. Charleville-Mézières does the same by confirming its good form against Mulhouse (100-97). Traveling in the North, USAP reassured itself against Berck/Rang du Fliers at the finish (65-69) just like Saint-Vallier in the last seconds against Metz (86-90). Finally, Loon-Plage won its duel with Feurs (81-77) by taking the upper hand in the final quarter while the SCABB won a complicated showdown (84-77) against Orchies.
Credit : Enzo Braillon / LyonSO
