In the race for the title of champion and accession to the Women’s League, Chartres and Toulouse met again after two perfectly negotiated first rounds of playoffs (four victories in as many matches for each team). Beneficiary of home advantage thanks to their 3rd place in the regular season (while their opponent finished 5th), the Chartraines took full advantage of playing in front of their 3,750 supporters to achieve a first victory in this final (74-66 ).
In this relatively close match, the difference between the two teams was mainly in terms of skill. The CCBF took control of the match from the first moments (18-8, then 20-16) before seeing its opponent come back and take the advantage (28-32). Which did not prevent the locals from returning to the locker room in the lead on the scoreboard (37-33). Despite a comeback for Toulouse at the end of the 3rd quarter (55-55), Elise Marie (14 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists) and her teammates were able to keep a cool head to win in their room at the end of a final controlled period (74-66).
Yet driven by Isabelle Strunc (16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Toulouse lacked skill (less than 33% shooting success) and found themselves with their backs against the wall before the return match in front of their home crowd. For its part, Chartre is only 40 minutes away from the title and accession to the Women’s League. The two teams meet next Sunday in the Pink City for a high-pressure match.
#French
