Defeated at the buzzer against Le Havre on Friday night, the Sharks are traveling to Rouen (tonight at 8 PM) to end the season on a high note. The first season after their promotion is already a success.
The Pro A marathon ends this Tuesday evening. The regular season closes its doors after 34 days of competition. And for the Antibes Sharks, who will rank between twelfth and fourteenth place depending on the evening’s results, this season is more than positive. The Azuréens secured their place several weeks ago and narrowly missed qualifying for the Leaders Cup (the top 8 teams of the first half of the season) at the end of January.
Le Havre, a loss that doesn’t sit well
On Friday, the celebration was spoiled at the Azur Arena. Never in the game, Julien Espinosa’s men were crushed by a midcourt shot at the buzzer. This defeat, against the last-place team, somewhat tarnishes the beautiful season in Pro A and their home-court solidity. Will Solomon, after two difficult months (March and April), is regaining momentum and some successful scoring. The Antibes team will need their US duo Carter-Mitchell, coming off the bench, to register a third win away from home.
Leaving Pro A with a smile
On the other side, Rouen has nothing left to play for. The Normans have been relegated to Pro B for 4 games now. It will be essential, one last time at the Kindarena, to put on a good performance. The 1-5 axis will once again be the strength of RBM with Souleyman Diabaté and Guerschon Yabusele. In recent weeks, the Rouen team has challenged Le Mans (lost 82-81), Limoges (lost 99-94), and won at Cholet (90-87).
Both teams are 40 minutes away from vacation, 40 minutes away from all kinds of contract negotiations. Despite obvious fatigue, Rouen will seek a seventh victory in 34 games and Antibes a fourteenth.
