Atomized by JL Bourg (67-102), Cholet bounced back this Tuesday with a late match against Dijon which allows us to see the rankings more clearly. It’s simple: CB is indeed alone in the lead with a victory ahead of Paris and Villeurbanne. Another consequence of the evening, the JDA is still mired in the gray zone.
Reduced by the withdrawals of Jamuni McNeace and Mohamed Diawara, the Choleais were notably able to count on their two Frenchmen, Gérald Ayayi (19 points and 24 rating) and Bastien Vautier (16 points and 23 rating) and a clear superiority in rebound (38-26). Axel Julien’s 15 points and 9 assists as well as his 10/25 three-pointers were not enough for the JDA. Comment from coach Fabrice Lefrançois in Ouest France:
“It was difficult, it was a tense, choppy, rough match, but it’s really positive to emerge victorious from a match like that. They’re still playing with 11 or 12 this evening, while we’re throwing kids. It’s very positive, with the exception of the shoulder injury to Soren (Bracq) who will undoubtedly miss the match in Nanterre. We had to get as close as possible to our usual rotations for intensity: we had protected ourselves too much in Bourg-en-Bresse. Even if we tightened up a little in the second half to manage the mistakes. Léopold (Levillain) is someone who is physically committed, he played rugby and the big guys opposite, that’s not his problem! I found the collective energy again. Everything wasn’t perfect, but we managed to win three quarters out of four. And we’re back at 25 assists, that’s good. If we had been told that we would be 10-2 on the 12th day… that’s great! But it’s complicated for everyone, we saw it again with Paris last weekend. »
In Betclic Elite, Cholet will now continue with a trip to Nanterre then the derby against Le Mans at home.
