Intensity, a very high pace, excellent skill (13 out of 27 from three points in particular), interceptions galore, individuals (Turner, Minfir, Andre, Drouault, Léon) at the top of their form , a collective in tune with tasty “extra-passes”, and a prolific success at the finish (114-92): what a nice gift the Tourangeaux offered Friday evening for the “last » of the year 2024!
Enough to enjoy the Christmas break peacefully and fully, even if there are injuries to be treated (Bequignon, Paschal, Bourgade, etc.). A victory which above all allows Cédric Heitz's men to remain well placed, in 4e place (10V, 7D), in the race for qualification in the upper group (the first seven), even if nothing has yet been decided except for the Quimper leader.
“It was important to end the year on a good note”
Omnipresent against his former Rennes team, Tyron Minfir, who broke his career points record on Friday (21 pt), is enjoying this high-flying game.
Tyron, you were keen to react after the disappointment against Toulouse. After this show of strength against Rennes, we can say that the mission was accomplished by the whole team…
“We really wanted to win this match. The home defeat against Toulouse was very hard for us in extra time. We were very determined to win and give our all, knowing that after the match it was the holidays. We wanted to give 100% in all cases, before we could rest. We also wanted to offer the supporters a nice Christmas present. It was important to end the year on a good note for the rest of the championship…”
Against Rennes, his training club, Tyron Minfir broke his points record (21) in Nationale 1 on Friday evening.
© (Photo cor. NR, Philippe Le Mercier)
The team notably dominated Rennes in intensity from the first minutes…
“At the start they were still in the match, but we continued to increase the intensity constantly, despite the changes, and that made the difference. And given that there were also missing players up front, this allowed us to dominate until the end. »
And this time, without letting up…
“When we came back for the second half, we said to ourselves that we were starting from scratch. We didn't want them to come back and the objective was to continue to dominate them so that they would mainly think about their vacation in the second half…”
Were you impressed by Collin Turner's performance (20 pts, 7 interceptions, 5 assists, 0 lost balls and 30 rating) in the first half?
“Frankly yes. Collin did us really good, with all his shots, his interceptions… It allowed us to get into rhythm with counter-attacks. We then followed him, saying to ourselves “if he gives his all, we will all give our all and we will not give up until the end”. »
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Does beating Rennes, the club where you spent part of your youth and played your first two seasons in N1, have a special flavor for you?
“Yes, especially since in the first match there, we lost very narrowly. So I still had in mind to absolutely win the return match. I grew up there, I participated in the rise from N2 to N1, so yes it is a club which remains special for me and I was very motivated indeed…”
And it’s precisely against Rennes that you beat your career points record, with 21 points this Friday…
“I'm very happy of course even if, on the pitch, I was just desperate to win and have fun. The record is the icing on the cake (laughs). »
The break will be good, before a return to training on January 2 and a very nice challenge to prepare for with the Coupe de France against Le Mans on January 7, right?
“Le Mans indeed remains a great Betclic Élite team and that’s motivating. I hope we will have a very good match and even win. I believe in it. Everything is possible…”
