“Boulazac Basket Dordogne: Overcoming Adversity in the Pro B Play-Offs”

Bdiminished oulazac, “bruised” Boulazac, but Boulazac almost in halves. Boulazac Basket Dordogne is forty minutes from the last four of the Pro B play-offs, and that’s already a performance.

With an interior sector devastated by the absences of Cheikh Sané and Louis Cassier, this team managed a performance against…

Bdiminished oulazac, “bruised” Boulazac, but Boulazac almost in halves. Boulazac Basket Dordogne is forty minutes from the last four of the Pro B play-offs, and that’s already a performance.

With an interior sector devastated by the absences of Cheikh Sané and Louis Cassier, this team managed a performance against Antibois, Friday May 19 at the Palio, in the first quarter. Like collecting 49 rebounds, the biggest total of the season.

How to explain this ability to constantly pull itself together, despite absentees, headwinds, like this series of five defeats in six games to conclude the regular season? “If we still had to prove that this team is made up of fighters… I am very proud of my players,” breathed coach Alexandre Ménard after Game 1.

Goethals raises his voice

Whatever the result of match 2, this Monday, May 22 at the AzurArena, we must recognize that “intensity, trust in each other” are Boulazac qualities this season. “There was also a lot of defensive collaboration. We offered very good defensive basketball. »

With these values, the BBD can be confident when joining the Antibes enclosure. Still, this second round will not look like the first leg. Nobel Boungou-Colo may not get kicked out every time. “The two staffs will work”, warns Ménard. His Riviera counterpart, Daniel Goethals, has also warned his flock.

“We tend, sometimes, to lose balls by wanting to do even better”

“We will work on our ability to be precise. We are capable of defending within 70 points, we have proven that. The Belgian also raised his voice: “We have players who have to stop believing they have arrived. It’s good to say you’re dominant, but you have to show it in every match. »

On the Boulazac side, Ménard points out “the tendency, sometimes, perhaps, at times when we were well in attack, to lose balls out of a desire to do even better. “The Périgord coach also notes that” in the third quarter, it was a bit vague in attack, we play on instinct. We know how to do it” but it can seize up the machine.

Ménard noted, for example, “the moment when Nic [NDLR : Moore] makes the difference, Travis [Munnings] has to cut, Nic puts her in her race but Travis stays wide. Or when Clement [Cavallo] has a lay up on pick an pop, he can finish but makes an extra pass too high” for Paul Billong.

In short, keep your cool, to lose a little less balloons. “But it’s good, it’s the desire to do even better. It bodes well. This team understood that everyone wants to play together, that finding a better shot is good. A certainty that will go through the Antibes grinder. Hoping to emerge victorious, to avoid a third match and therefore recover well before the semi-finals.

the other matches

All teams with home advantage won the first leg. Tonight, Chalon-sur-Saône in Angers, Châlons/Reims in Vichy/Clermont and Lille in Orléans can complete their series. If it qualifies in the semis, the BBD will face the winner of Chalon-sur-Saône – Angers.