Euroleague: Villeneuve d’Ascq in the final after its victory over Prague, a first in 20 years for a French club
French basketball had been waiting for a new Euroleague final for twenty years, since the demonstration in Valenciennes, in 2004, against the Poles of Gdynia (93-69). It will now be necessary to add Villeneuve d’Ascq to the list of finalists of the most prestigious European competition. The basketball players qualified thanks to their victory over Prague (84-78) in the half, Friday April 12 in Mersin, on the Turkish coast.
“Not come as victims” to use the words of their coach, Rachid Meziane’s players were paralyzed neither by their average first twenty minutes (37-45), nor by the first steps in the history of their club on a Final Four floor of C1.
Their opponent, USK Prague of Valériane Vukosavljevic-Ayayi, was playing its third semi-final in three years. The international tricolor, bronze medalist in Tokyo, blazed (24 points) against her ex-club (2016-2017), without this being enough to extinguish the confidence built by the northern team in this same Servet-Tazegül room one day in December, when they had dominated Mersin in great width (70-54).
“We proved all season that we deserved to be here and that we could beat the best teams”, summed up with her head held high, Thursday, the American interior Kennedy Burke, top scorer for the “Guerrières” in Europe this season (15.4 pts on average). Paradoxically her teammates did it without her shining against Prague (6 points). The rising star of French basketball, called to skies other than those of the North next season, Janelle Salaü compiled 15 points but sometimes forced her shots (6/13).
With 18 units from Kamiah Smalls, 14 from Kariata Diaby, 11 from Shavonte Zellous and 9 from Caroline Hériaud, the regular season leaders of the French championship followed the precepts of their coach Rachid Meziane. “We must continue to share, as we have done so far with six players averaging more than 10 points in all competitions. That’s a bit of the idea, without revealing the whole game plan”smiled the Belgium coach, more smiling than ever on Friday.
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