After a defeat on Wednesday at the Hainaut Basket court, the Niss’Angels bounced back on Sunday afternoon in their home arena. They secured a victory with a score of 66-50 against Tarbes, allowing the Azur team to stay in touch with the leaders.
A duel of the lower-ranked teams for this fourth day of the LFB. Cavigal, in a bad position with two losses already, was hosting Tarbes, the last in the standings. It was important for Rachid Méziane’s players to win, in order to reassure themselves and approach the rest of the season more calmly.
And to do so, the Angels could count on the trio of Romy Bar, Victoria Macaulay, and Laetitia Kamba. The first delivered a comprehensive performance with 7 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds, well supported by Victoria Macaulay (16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Laetitia Kamba (15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists).
After controlling the first half, the Azur girls finally picked up the pace in the second part of the match to hand a new defeat to the newly promoted team from Tarbes.
The Niçoises Catch Up
Tarbes only really existed for the first three minutes. The Tarbes team hit the locals with an 8-0 run. Rachid Meziane immediately called a timeout to rally his team. “We need to start our games better to avoid chasing the score. Fortunately, after the timeout, we reacted right away to not fall too far behind, and I know that we’re very strong when it comes to responding,” confided Rachid Meziane after the game.
Indeed, the Nice coach found the right words to refocus his team. Upon returning from the timeout, the individual talents of the Azur team began to roll. Macaulay, Anderson, and Kamba, skillfully led by Romy Bar, gradually made up the difference, eventually taking the lead by the end of the first quarter. (20-18)
In the second quarter, Cavigal’s defense struggled against the speed of Konteh and Marizy. However, on offense, the Azur team played beautiful basketball with a lot of movement and open shots. The Tarbes team only survived due to the home team’s lack of accuracy, but not for long.
Following another timeout called by Rachid Meziane, Cavigal shifted into high gear and regained their shooting accuracy. The Angels hit their opponents with a 9-0 run that allowed them to be comfortably ahead at halftime, 34-27.
Cavigal Cruising
The Niçoises continued their momentum after the halftime break. Aggressive on defense and precise on offense, the Azur girls did not give their opponents any chance to come back into the game.
Macaulay continued her work in the paint, well supported by Laetitia Kamba. Meanwhile, the Tarbes players could only rely on individual exploits from Marizy and Konteh.
Cavigal inexorably headed towards their second victory of the season. A success built on a rejuvenated defense and much better offensive coordination. “You can see in certain sequences that the team is not yet in the same rhythm. But I know it will improve with each game and practice. However, we need to accelerate this process if we want to compete with the best teams in the championship,” Rachid Meziane noted after his team’s victory.
This uptick in form will need to be confirmed in the French Cup against Toulouse.
