Chalon's victory against Gravelines-Dunkerque this afternoon gave ideas to some. It is a new home team which wins this Sunday against a better ranked opponent, in the person of Nancy against Chalon.
A duel won through intimidation
Component yet without Isaiah Washington et Zacharie Perrinthe Lorraines managed to win in a high-tension match. From the start of the match, an altercation involving the Burgian leader Xavier Castaneda earned the latter a whole match of whistles from the public. Destabilized, the third best scorer in the championship was only a shadow of himself (11 points on 2/13 on shots, 5 assists). Continuing in this spirit, the Nancy players rolled mechanics after several poster dunks (Mohamed Amini, Caleb Walker, Shevon Thompson) to impact the morale of their opponents. All pushed by a Gentilly audience on fire. The JL players managed to resist as best they could for the majority of the match, before finally breaking down in the last quarter.
The latter even led by 11 points in the second quarter. The collective of men Frédéric Fauthoux managed to dominate, with seven players finishing between 9 and 14 points. But on the other hand, it was a trio who took care of the scoring. Miniature point guard Chris Clemons finished with 17 points and 8 assists, Clement Fresh with 14 points, and above all Shevon Thompsonman of the match with 28 points, 12 rebounds and… 36 rating. The Jamaican big man, who was struggling just a few days ago, delivered a mammoth match. Facing the racket Kevin Kokila / Jean-Marc Pansa yet physical and active but perhaps lacking in size, Thompson enjoyed himself. “He must have more balls, that’s indisputable” explained the coach Sylvain Lautié last week: his words will have been heard, even if he obtained part of his points on offensive rebounds, all alone.
A final burst of pressure from Burgiens at the end of the match to break Nancy's lead was not enough. The SLUC is raising its head after two defeats in a row and climbs to 9th place in the ranking. For their part, the men from Bourg-en-Bresse are going through a difficult time between the European Cup and the championship. They find themselves in fifth place in the ranking, tied with Saint-Quentin who they face in five days. They will have to win so as not to let the leading quartet escape.
More info to come…
