Strasbourg had a boulevard or almost. While its two main rivals in the race for the top 8, Nancy, in Bourg, and Cholet, in Monaco on Sunday, are up against the big guns at home, the SIG has once again missed the march at home.
Already beaten ten days ago by Le Mans, the SIG this time gave in to Blois (88-80), almost condemned to Pro B at the start of the match. During the second half, while ADA was leading the score, the Rhenus announcer even had the bad taste to announce the success of Gravelines (106-76) which reduced to nothing the last hopes of maintaining Blois .
But this was not enough to slow down the ardor of Brice Dessert (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Maxime Sconard (16 points), the young Blésois, nor to revive the Alsatian team which found few offensive alternatives to its fullback Tyrus McGee (33 points on 13 of 20 shots). She therefore conceded a defeat which risks weighing heavily in the race for the final phase.
Because Strasbourg is at the mercy of a success for Cholet on Sunday in Monaco, the leader assured of his pole position and who surely has the head and the legs in his decisive match in the Euroleague play-offs on Wednesday against Fenerbahce.
Saint-Quentin finished with three players on the field
Two places remain to be filled before the last day on May 11. Saint-Quentin had the opportunity on Saturday to validate his ticket. The promoted, carried by the young playmaker Nolan Traoré (18 years old on May 28), author of twelve points in the fourth quarter and the basket snatching the first overtime (for 25 points and 5 assists in the end), has believed for a very long time in victory at Chalon-sur-Saône. But the SQBB broke down physically in the second overtime (97-90) with three inside players coming out for five fouls. Ryan Mikesell (32 points) finished the job for Chalon.
Extremely rare, between injuries and eliminations, the promoted player played the last minute of the second overtime with only four then three valid players! But Saint-Quentin remains clinging to its seventh place before hosting Strasbourg.
Strasbourg setback keeps Nancy in the race
With the defeats of Nancy, heavily beaten in Bourg-en-Bresse (103-78), and Strasbourg, Dijon did well for the evening and kept a small hope of the play-offs. The winners of the Coupe de France finished with a bang and won clearly in Nanterre (87-67) taking advantage of the rest of the two dragsters of the Ile-de-France team, Justin Bibbins and Benjamin Sène.
Without a professional playmaker, Nanterre, assured of being fifth, resisted for a dozen minutes before sinking in the last quarter. David Holston’s JDA (19 points, 5 out of 10 at three points) delivered a nice 11 out of 19 at three points and limited the Ile-de-France team to a mediocre 3 out of 19 behind the 6.75 m line.
There was no money time either in Bourg where the JL went at a hundred miles an hour against Nancy. Isiaha Mike (23 points on 8 of 8 shots) and his teammates already led by 26 points in the second quarter before faltering after the break. Third place remains within their reach, if Asvel makes a misstep on Sunday against Le Portel. On the ropes, Clément Frisch’s SLUC (21 points) reacted and came back to seven points in the third quarter before regaining a burst and finishing a good distance away. But the setback in Strasbourg keeps Nancy in the race for the final phase before the last day.
