By losing 72-58 at Éauze on Sunday, the Aveyronnaises postponed the game from maintenance to moving to Laloubère, last, next weekend, at the end of the season.
To formalize the maintenance, the deal was simple: the Momentum had to win or count on a defeat by Dax. Sunday was neither. The Rouergates, 6th out of 12 before kick-off, were beaten 72-58 on the floor of Éauze, which overtakes them in the standings, while the Dacquoises came back to one point by winning 73-62 against Tournefeuille , 7th ahead of the match.
EAB coach Nicolas Flottes sums up his team’s second defeat in the last three days: “It was quite tight at the start, then our opponents took the lead (17-12 at the end of the first quarter). The next ten minutes were complicated, but we had a burst of pride to return to -6 just before the break. There was better in the third quarter (won 20-21), we even passed in front at one point. Then the last one was catastrophic, with a lot of lost balls and rebounds, a lack of skill…”
“The Sufficiency of Our Bad Days”
The conditions for surviving in National 3 do not change however… except that there is only one meeting left for the players of the CTC (Territorial Cooperation of Clubs) to avoid the descent. Namely Sunday, at 3:30 p.m., in the Laloubère room, red lantern already condemned after 17 defeats, including five in a row. “The disaster scenario has begun, blows the coach. Now, we have to put an end to it with the Lalouberiennes. We managed to beat them 68-50 in the first leg, they haven’t won for a long time … a defeat there would be unforgivable. Anyway, if we bow on their floor, we have nothing to do in this division.”
In the event of an improbable poor performance combined with a new success from Dax, the Aveyronnaises would be condemned to relegation to the Prénationale. Because contrary to what the official classification indicated again on Sunday afternoon, if the white and blue find themselves tied on points with the Tournefeuillaises, the Élusates and the Dacquoises at the end of the season, they would finish last in this mini -championship with the particular difference, and therefore 9th in their pool.
What to bring back the stress of the reception of Pau (58-57), on March 20, and to stir up the anger of Nicolas Flottes: “We could have avoided all that by winning today (Sunday), except that we had the sufficiency of our bad days. We were punished and it’s good for us! To collect 72 points, it’s not in our standards. We did not defend. I would have preferred to return the house being quiet. In the end, I’m disgusted.”
Before finally being relieved on Sunday?
Datasheet
Eauze – Elan Aveyron: 72-58.
Quarters: 17-12, 16-15, 20-21, 19-10.
Referee: Messrs. Sohier and Quintana.
Éauze: Da Costa 20, Cazzola 2, Grenier 15, Bessagnet 3, Pedeches 6, Traverso 3, Zamarian 7, Vicini 6, Hauret Clos, Ortyl (cap.) 10.
Élan Aveyron: Viguié, Gamba 19, Routhe, Bouissou 7, Sincholle 8, Pélopidas 8, Laval 7, Hautcolas (cap.) 3, Goulignac 6.
