Marie Pardon and the Landaises have not yet arrived

“I am not enjoying yet. »Determined Azure Bleu, barely sketched, Marie Pardon seems to participate in a pre-match conference rather than post-match, victory and qualification for the final of the French championship in pocket. A measure that contrasts with what remains a performance, even if the collective service has not been fully completed. His has been more than convincing, to the point of having been chosen, at the end of the match, to launch the room’s clapping at the big cash register: 12 points at 72 %, 3 caused faults, 2 gobbed defensive rebounds and as many distilled assists, the Landes leader displays the second evaluation of her team, the fourth of the meeting (11). Coming up with a sawtooth season.

“It’s true that I had a somewhat complicated season. Afterwards, it’s easier to manage when you win and you are in an environment that is healthy, with teammates who wear you and show you that they still have confidence in you. I am happy with what I did, but nothing is done and it remains the final: this is where we have to perform together. A speech between severity and serenity. “Serenity, I don’t know … In any case we trust each other, we trust Mitterrand, in our audience. We knew we were going to be pushed, supported. During the last possession, there are five girls on the ground but the other five on the bench could have been there and they believed in the girls on the ground. Everyone is in the match, concerned and it is the most important. »»

“Finalist, it is useless”

Marie insists: “Last year, we were a finalist and there is no point in being vice-championnes in France. Finally, it is not that it is useless but we, we want to be champion of France so we did not arrive. This is just a step that will allow us to reach our goal. We will celebrate when we have obtained what we want. We did the job and now we have to project ourselves on the rest. We will party later. »»

And this, especially since the poster leaves it no marble, all the same. Seen from Mont-de-Marsan, Tarbes is not an ordinary opponent: between 100 and 140 km (depending on the route, more or less direct, and less or faster, chosen) separate the two cities, at the many common points. For the leader, he is even less so: she played there from 2019 to 2023, made the choice to leave the Lyonnais family cocoon to throw herself very young in the big bath after the training center.

“Tarbes, it inspires me with beautiful games, beautiful derbies. It is crazy that the final of the French championship is a derby from the Southwest! It’s good for Landes basketball, for southwest south basketball. For me, it’s always special to play against Tarbes. I’m glad to meet them, I have friends there. It will give beautiful shows, I hope. With a trophy at the end, it would be even better.