The Antibes Sharks were defeated 68-61 in the derby on the AS Monaco Basketball court. As often happens, the Antibes team led but faltered in the fourth quarter. Turnovers and free throws were once again the black marks of the evening.
Two teams with diametrically opposed destinies but with one stake, that of “regional supremacy” as it’s called in a derby. Heavily defeated in the first leg (80-67), the Monaco neighbors were eager to reclaim their pride, and they did, though it wasn’t easy.
“Fall Festival”
The start favored Antibes in the Gaston-Médecin arena, which was rallying behind the visitors’ cause. The Sharks took an early lead (14-7, 7th minute) thanks to the festival of Moustapha Fall, who recorded 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 blocks in just 6 minutes. Monaco was scoreless for almost 5 minutes, and Antibes ended the 1st quarter leading (15-9).
The second quarter resembled the first: few successful shots, lost balls, and fouls, but Antibes held on and maintained control of the game. A strong performance from Akil Mitchell and valuable points from Boris Dallo allowed the visitors to lead 31-27 at halftime, despite Will Solomon being out due to an ankle injury.
And a Familiar Scenario…
It took less than 5 minutes for Monaco to get back into the game and even briefly take the lead. After 22 minutes, Antibes already had 11 turnovers. The captain, Mam Diarra, and Frédéric Bourdillon were crucial with two three-pointers (39-38, 25th minute). The 25th minute was eventful with the ejection of AS Monaco’s coach, Zvezdan Mitrovic, who had been constantly commenting on the referees since the first action and was penalized with two technical fouls. The Sharks pulled ahead again (48-41, 28th minute) but lacked concentration before the end of the quarter (48-46).
Spanning the two quarters, Monaco executed a 7-0 run and took the lead in the 33rd minute. Dominant in rebounds (21 offensive rebounds), ASM, led by an unstoppable Cooper-Uter duo, easily outplayed an Antibes team that crumbled over time (19 turnovers, 22 in total). Julien Espinosa even received an incomprehensible technical foul near the end of the match; Monaco then maintained a 5 to 7 point lead (55-62, 58-63) and didn’t relinquish it, despite having a shooting percentage below 30% (29.7%).
“It’s frustrating because this scenario has happened to us many times this season. We didn’t play badly, but we’ve missed too many details, notably rebounds. We could have won,” said Mam Diarra post-match to Ma Chaîne Sport.
Another Playoff Contender Arrives
The only small satisfaction of the night, if there is one, is that the derby, over the two matches, was won by Antibes 141-135, but Monaco will play in the playoffs, while Antibes will now strive to finish as high as possible.
The next match is on Friday evening (8:30 PM at the Azur Arena) against Gravelines-Dunkerque, a team delivering mixed performances at this season’s end but looking for an important win in the playoff race. A match that will closely resemble the one against Nanterre last Friday (82-72 victory).
