A rebound was hoped for and it arrived! At the start of the week, OLB saw its streak of seven consecutive victories stopped by ALM Evreux at CO’Met. Three days later, Lamine Kébé’s men scored a very good victory in Savoie against Aix-Maurienne. In this top-of-the-table duel counting for the 15th day of Pro B, the Orléans runner-up – deprived of an injured Timothé Crusol – suffered at the very start of the match. Lee Moore’s teammates were not sharp enough against the confident Aixois who achieved almost everything. The OLB’s good outside skill (15/28 at long distance) allowed them to stay in contact at the end of the first quarter (29-24). The match was balanced and thanks to good stops, Orléans even took the lead on the very last possession of the first period: 48-49.
It was upon returning from the locker room that Orléans Loiret Basket really took control of this match, starting with a 10-0. In the wake of once again untenable Lee Moore – he finished top scorer with 28 points – it was all the Loiretains who began to contribute offensively to consolidate the gap on the scoreboard. In this second period, the Orléans basketball players scored 66 points! Such success could compensate for defensive wanderings and prevent the Savoyards from believing in a possible comeback at the end of the game. Final score: 96-115, certainly one of the most offensive matches in the club’s history. Orléans resumes its march forward and remains runner-up in Pro B, before hosting Nantes next Tuesday.
Man of the Match
He was disappointed with his offensive contribution before the break. Tonight, he had his best match since his arrival at OLB. Veteran Mérédis Houmounou – along with Rudy Demahis-Ballou – was excellent off the bench. Hard on defense to stop the Savoy furia in the first half, the former captain of SLUC Nancy showed that he could greatly help his team in attack: 19 points for him this evening, enough to make him the second best scorer in Orléans! “This is a little message for those who think I’m finished: no, I’m not finished yet” he confided after the match.
Sentence of the day
“I am very proud of my team, my staff, everyone. After the defeat at the start of the week, it was very difficult. But this team is full of resources. Once again this evening, it is new players who come to contribute, like Mérédis and Rudy. The return of the second five really allowed us to hold on, not to take a gap and even to go ahead. There was a lot of character this evening and it is an important strength for the future” coach Lamine Kébé saw again after this 11th success of the season.
The number of the day
132 : like the collective assessment of the OLB this evening. A new figure which demonstrates the incredible offensive match of the Lamine Kébé players this evening.
Morocco
