Cointe played with fire this Saturday evening against Oostkamp. Tony Fernez’s team started the match… in the 2nd half, when the score was already 24-40.
Before that, nothing was going well and the players were well aware of it. “It was a disaster“, concedes Thibaut Boxus, the captain. “We didn’t make a shot, they bored us with their switches on defense. And even in terms of aggressiveness, in defense and attack, it wasn’t right.“
The hour of revolt arrives at the 25th. Trailing by 20 points (37-57), the Cointois inflicted a 12-0 on their opponents, thanks among other things to an excellent Robin Malpas. “It’s a question of mentality, explains Tony Fernez, the coach. This isn’t the first time this has happened to us. We had to re-motivate them, encourage them. Most of them are in their thirties and don’t always have the same desire.“
Cointe plays faster, is more precise and where in the first half, nothing was going in, this time the points go by. Cointe finally takes the lead at 61-59. The Liégeois confirm their victory thanks to a final basket from Malpas, who exults, and a final burst of free throws. Final score: 76-69.
This victory is Cointe’s 4th in the last 5 matches. All were acquired against direct competitors and changed everything compared to the start of the season, when Cointe was in R1 last year. “We were well aware that things weren’t going well at the start of the season, we didn’t hide it from ourselves“, admits Boxus. “It took us time to adapt to the series, to be physically ready. Mentally, the turning point came during the victory at Quargnon. We said to ourselves that we could do it and that we had our place.“
Now everyone is convinced: with the right mentality, they can do it. Fernez: “It’s only mental. We have seen again today that when we wake up, we can stand up to our direct competitors, and even others. We’re going to host more teams here and if we play like we did in the second half, anything is possible. I believe in it and I am sure that we can do better than the bottom of the ranking.“
Consistency, rigor and dedication to the team. This is undoubtedly the recipe for stopping the Frogs from being chewed.
Belgium
