Victorious in Portel and Roanne, Julien Espinosa’s men have regained confidence and are traveling to the capital with ambitions. Still without Will Solomon, Antibes will attempt to take their revenge against Parisians who were successful in the first leg.
Since the winter break, the morale of the Antibes Sharks has been high. The defeat against Le Mans (54-58) in mid-January could have hurt this team aiming for survival, but it ultimately served as a wake-up call. Julien Espinosa and his men secured a defining victory in Portel (75-67), a venue notorious for a challenging evening for visiting teams. That night, Tim Blue and Chris Otule dismantled the green and white defense (35 points and 11 rebounds between them). These two Antibes “big men” have been the spearheads of their team this season.
In the French Cup quarterfinal
Last Friday, the Sharks secured their ticket to the French Cup quarterfinals. Led by an impressive Max Kouguere (21 points on 7/11 shooting), Antibes narrowly dominated Roanne (82-74), a Pro B team. Notably, in the clutch moments, Isaïa Cordinier’s valuable contribution with two decisive long-range shots was crucial. The young draft pick (10 points and 9 rebounds) seems to be regaining the confidence and rhythm he lost throughout the first part of the season. He will be key this Friday alongside Kenny Gaines (returning after a shoulder injury) and Max Kouguere. However, it will take 2 to 3 weeks before seeing Will Solomon back on the court (knee tendinitis).
A struggling PL
The surprise team at the start of the season, PL is experiencing a difficult winter. The Parisians have suffered significant setbacks (47-62 against Portel, 77-61 at Pau) and last week they could not recover in the French Cup at home against Dijon (68-81 loss). Frédéric Fauthoux’s men are in 8th place in the standings (9 wins-8 losses) and will participate in the Leaders Cup in 15 days, a reward for a strong first half of the season. As usual, they rely on their strong man in the paint, Vincent Poirier, who achieved another double-double in the cup (18 points and 10 rebounds).
Suspense in early December
In the first leg at Azur Arena, Antibes and Paris teams traded blows for 40+5 minutes. Paris-Levallois took the lead in the 3rd and 4th quarters before a rapid comeback from the Azur team in the final minute. In overtime, Antibes led by 6 points, but the “Campbell show” overcame the locals in the last two minutes.
