C’is a bit the same feeling as after Cholet (64-78). The same taste of defeat, already, and then this fatal finality that it’s just stronger in front. That every error is punished without mercy. And as the minutes pass, hope diminishes, even if, there, it reappeared at the end. Saturday November 9, Stade Rochelais Basket suffered its 7th defeat in 8 days, its 3rd in 3 meetings at Gaston-Neveur. The executioner is called Bourg (78-86), in what looks like a bad weekend with the successes of Portel, Nancy and Chalon, presumed competition.
With Tyler Cheese in the starting five in place of Jakub Niziol, ill this week, and Lucas Hergott shifted to 3, the Stadium sees Bourg leaving, quite quickly and quite far. Ayayi scores 5 points in a row (2-8, 3rd), Paul hurts at the end of the possession and the ten point difference is there, worrying, like the exit of Jubrile Belo on a crutch (6-16, 7th). Something has to change and the entries of Gaëtan Clerc and Mathéo Leray are doing a lot of good, on the Glue for both, on the speed also for Leray.
The Ayayi series
Their hands on their respective knees from the 9th grade onwards say something about their investment. And the connection between the native Angevin and Clifton Moore is wickedly efficient and repetitive. So the SRB approaches with an 8-0 (14-16, 8th), even equalizing (20-20) before a big shot from Xavier Castaneda at the first buzzer (20-22, 10th). Also before the four yellow and black fouls after one minute and 38 seconds in the second quarter which risk being costly.
And if LR could have gone ahead, if Moore had made his two throws (30-30, 14th), the sequel sees Joël Ayayi repeat a series of 5 (32-38, 16th), Bourg feasting on a free throw (34th -43, 17th), Jubrile Belo misses his own and Maksim Salash seals the room on the red light leading to the locker room: 40-52, 12 points, biggest gap of the match. The 3-point maritime 1/4 then suffers from comparison with the 6/12 of the GAME. And the four stadium mistakes in, this time, 1’55”, do not bode well…
At halftime, the maritime 1/4 at 3 points then suffers from the comparison with the 6/12 of the GAME
The problem is that it has become too hard, defensively, offensively. Kevin Kokila walks in the paint (45-59, 23rd) on one side of the floor, the solutions evaporate in attack. It takes a miracle to get something in, Captain Clerc style from 10m to leave La Rochelle alive (52-65, 27th). Minus 14 at the half hour and the unfortunate feeling that the trend will have difficulty reversing. A series and euphoria, this is what you need, to order.
Just ask, 11-2 (66-73, 35th), and “Gaston” wakes up, says to himself that maybe. When JL Bourg strikes again with its interior sector, Sessoms responds (71-79) but the clock ticks away (37th), fierce. Fatal. For a Julien Cortey who, despite the strict accounting sense, has what he can do for the future with what has been demonstrated: “We are still playing a Eurocup finalist, contender for the top 3, we must give a lot of credit to the adversary. We paid for a lot of our mistakes in cash, that’s the very highest level. It’s tough in the heat of the moment but you have to build on what is positive. It was better. »
