Surprising the ease with which the Union players got rid of Boulogne-sur-mer. In the first leg we had to go through extra time, on the return leg, the fate of the match was decided at half-time (44-24)… It is true that Cédric André (injured) was missing from the Calaisiens. And Fabien Anthonioz’s other players seemed resigned quite quickly… It was only at the very end that the Boulonnais were on an equal footing with Bigourdans less eager for play, defense and with the young people on the field.
Intensity
Stéphane Dao nonetheless expressed his satisfaction: “I am very proud of my players. We defended very well except for the 4th quarter, but the gap was over. We controlled this match against a team that is difficult to play. But I think we took this match the right way.”
It is first of all a matter of intensity which allowed the U’boys to extinguish the northern flame lit during the first minutes, by offering a very effective defense, as the Bigourdan technician wanted: “It is clear that when you dominate on the rebound, it’s much easier to play basketball with intensity, that’s what we told ourselves. They still needed Cédric André. we run, we are aggressive, we are intense throughout the match, we wore them down. It was done very well by the players.
The greatest pleasure of all the spectators-supporters who filled the room. And this popular support, Stéphane Dao and his players appreciated it: “The supporters were fantastic this evening.
The entire workforce
It’s a great week for Tarbes basketball. With the TGB girls and the Union boys, these are two very good results for the city. Tonight, the public transcended the players. When there’s a full room like that and it’s pushing, it would be a shame not to dive for the balls…”
What Dao also appreciated was rotating his squad, since the 12 players listed on the match sheet were able to participate in the party: “The season is starting to be long and I see that the playing times have been very well distributed. We won this series in two rounds. We have two full days of rest. I don’t think that this evening (Friday) the organizations were too affected, precisely since we were able to count on the entire squad. It’s appreciable. And it’s easier to prepare for the other matches, because the team will be more rested.”
The next match, in fact, will take place in Tarbes on Friday May 17 against Avignon-Le Pontet who managed to eliminate (87-76) Vitré in the 3rd match. We could have had the Incrédule-Jubenot duo with the Breton team, it will be Alex Casimiri and his Vauclusiens. First leg in Tarbes, therefore, on Friday May 10, return and possible good match on May 17 and 19 in Avignon. A possibility to bridge the gap…
