Illian Pietrus Leads Strasbourg to Victory in U18 Championship Semifinals

“Ah, you’re smiling there”, launches Abdel Loucif, the Strasbourg coach, seeing his little protege posing with a young supporter. Illian Pietrus replies tic to tac before bursting out laughing: “It’s normal, I no longer have my braces. » A moment of complicity so representative of the beautiful harmony within the Strasbourg collective. If the tricolor leader no longer has a ring in his teeth, he has proven that he has talent in his hands. Drive, long distance shots (5 successes): the son of Florent Pietrus offered a prestigious victory to the Alsatians with his 26 points in 21 minutes.

READ ALSO. ASVEL, BCM, SIG, CB… The teams qualified for the Final Four U18 known

Illian Pietrus more motivated than ever

Eliminated by these same Villeurbannais at this stage of the competition last year, the Alsatians put their hearts into it. “We came back here with a spirit of revenge. Tomorrow will be war.assure Illan Pietrus. “We knew that ASVEL was playing on the counter-attacks so we had to stop them on that, stop (Yohann) Sissoko, Kylian (Touré) and (Adam) Atamna. And behind, we went on the attack. »

With an untenable Illan Pietrus (26 points) and atmosphere, the U18s of the @sigstrasbourg bring down ASVEL (80-59), defending champion, and will face Gravelines-Dunkerque in the final. pic.twitter.com/FsdHaAm8UY

— Théo Quintard (@TheoQuintard) May 13, 2023

Passed very close to the correctional against the TOAC last week in the quarter-final return, ASVEL did not seem as united as last year and did not always display the right attitudes.

Mathieu Bigote crowned in his first year of coaching?

Captain Bastien Rieber (18 points) and his men will have a lot to do since they will be opposed to BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, victorious over the Gautier Cholet Basket Academy (86-68). The Gravelinois played a nasty trick on the Maugeois. More skilful, more enterprising and quite simply on top, the Northerners counted up to 19 points in advance to bring down the vice-champions of France in title. The Choletais, certainly reinforced by Tidjane Salaun (14 points) and Amaël L’Étang (24 points), were sorely lacking in skill. Very close to the triple double, Evan Boisdur (27 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists for 27 evaluation) did not hesitate to punish the Cholet defense.

𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐔𝟏𝟖 𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐄!!!!

At the end of a superb match, the young Maritimes reach the final of the championship!!!

Victory 84-68 against Cholet 🔥🔥🔥#TousBCM pic.twitter.com/GKsQVw9LdV

— BCM Basketball (@BCMBasket) May 13, 2023

Stronghold of the training, the BCM could win a 6th title of champion of France U18. The first since 2016 and Quentin Wadoux’s band. It would be quite a blow for Mathieu Bigote for his first coaching season, after having wandered around in Pro B – NM1 for a long time. Sprinkled with water by his players after qualifying for the Final Four, perhaps he will take a champagne shower in the event of a final victory. Who knows, after all…

Sunday’s schedule:

• 1 p.m. (small final): Cholet Basket – ASVEL
• 3:30 p.m. (final): BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque – SIG Strasbourg

À Équeurdreville-Hainneville (Manche),