The first to go to the last? A great deal. If we look at the form curves and the latest performances of Boulazac Basket Dordogne and Chartres, the suspense looks slim for the meeting scheduled for Saturday December 14.
Chartres is dead last, with three small victories. The Chartrains concede 91.6 points per match, which is a lot let’s agree. And in this Pro B 2024-2025, no one opens their doors as much in defense.
For its part, the BBD is in great shape with five consecutive victories, an iron defense (73.7 points taken per outing)… and an impressive record on the road: victories in Rouen, Aix-Maurienne, Hyères/Toulon, Évreux…
Remember Blois
This good performance away from the Palio, coach Alexandre Ménard wants to improve it. “We must not minimize away victories,” says the technician. Even small ones. By trivializing them, we no longer realize that it is a performance. That would not respect the work of the players and the opposing team. »
All the signals are therefore green for the Périgourdins. And this is what Alexandre Ménard fears. At the same time, worrying is his job. Even exaggerating a little. Boulazac already named winner? “That’s exactly what you shouldn’t think. This is one of the most dangerous matches of the year. »
“We will always have a solution to turn things around if it doesn’t go as planned”
Chartres completely missed its start to the season, with seven defeats in a row. Before making some adjustments, with the joint arrivals of Ike Nwamu and Desi Washington, at the winger and playmaker positions.
Changes which paid off because the Chartrains opened their counter against Denain then Pau/Lacq/Orthez at the end of October. Before taking on Blois, anyway (92-91 on November 16), at the end of a heated match (read box). “This should alert us very strongly,” warns Ménard.
But Boulazac can count on his experienced players to keep a cool head. Away performances “reassure” the coach who says to himself “that we will always have a solution to turn things around if it doesn’t go as planned. We have a game to play, it’s up to us to find the right cards at the right time.”
Chartres sanctioned
The reception in Blois had been turbulent and the Chartrains paid the price… But not right away. A scuffle broke out after the final buzzer. The League’s disciplinary committee issued several sanctions for several Chartrains. Edogi will be suspended five matches (plus five reprieves) between the 17th and 21st days, from December 20 to January 24. Rookies Washington and Nwamu took two (17th and 18th days) and one match (17th day).
