Deblire and Hucorne revived their team at the start of the second quarter and the visitors’ lead returned to 10 points (20-30). Cuyvers’ return to play once again made the difference to the point that it was the Lierrois who took the lead at half-time: 38-34. The third quarter was balanced but Lierre managed to preserve a short lead at the half-hour mark: 55-52. Belgrade is hanging on and will still have several possibilities to get back in front but the finishing is lacking and despite a good overall performance, the Greens lose again: 73-65. “It’s a shame but we must recognize that Cluyvers was impressive, notes Belgrade coach Bastien Gilain. I can’t blame my players for anything, I asked them to give everything and they worked hard throughout the match. With a little more success we could have won this match but we will have to continue like this for the next few weeks.”
Louvain 76 – Ciney 51
25-17, 25-6, 19-13, 7-15.
CINEY: Hannotte 6, Balthazar A. 3, Laroche 2, Jacques 0, De Jaeghere 2, Balthazar M. 17, Reversez 9, Delahaut, Bojovic 12.
The trip looked complicated this Friday evening for Ciney, deprived of Loncke and Aerts, and it was! “It was, in appearance, a copy and paste of last year’s match, compare Antoine Balthazar. They put a lot of pressure on us from the start and we ended up cracking at the end of the first quarter. We continued to struggle in the second half and it was only after the break that we looked better.”
The exchanges were then balanced, but the gap was too great to hope for a Condrusian return: “We fought well even if we can obviously have regrets about the first half. They nevertheless had a big success and had their best match according to their coach, so it’s difficult to go after them.”
Now with five wins and five losses, Ciney can aim for at least two out of three before the winter break. Facing Oxaco (4V-6L) next week then Pepinster (5V-5L), although in good shape at the moment, there will normally be room for Yohan Balthazar’s men. Just before Christmas they will face Lier who have only won one more match. “We immediately focus on the next match, which is a must-have,” continues the winger. “We don’t usually set a particular objective but it would be good to be positive before the break.”
