The Chorale Roanne Basket won the first Loire derby against SCABB in an official match Friday evening at the Arena Saint-Etienne Métropole in Saint-Chamond (91-97) during the 14th day of ProB. With seriousness and panache, Thomas Andrieux's men knew how to remain lucid for 40 minutes and never let the Couramiauds get away, finally producing their effort in money time. Special mention to Dylan Affo Mama, author of 14 points including 2 award-winning baskets which forced the decision at the end of the match.
A special atmosphere reigned in the aisles of the SEM Arena, filled with 4,200 spectators and supported by the cause of the locals. There was no question of arriving late and the Choraliens were well on time, never letting their counterparts catch fire and even arriving ahead of the score at the break (39-41, 20th), on a counter full of authority from Donte Thomas. Present on the rebound, applied collectively to find solutions in the face of an aggressive defense, the Roannais retained the lead (65-68, 30th) before the final restart.
But too many ball losses (17 in total) put them in danger and even allowed SCABB to push the gap to +5 (82-77) 5 minutes from time. A three-point basket from Maxime Roos and an interception from Terrell Gomez (17 points) quickly set the record straight, and DAM did the rest.
Another derby now awaits the Roannais, Friday December 6 at 8 p.m. in Vacheresse with the reception of Vichy. Reserve your seats at the online ticket office.
