A week after the heavy defeat in the capital, the Antibes Sharks return home for the matchup against AS Monaco, the leader of ProA.
Despite the likely return of Will Solomon, it’s an Everest that stands before Julien Espinosa’s men.
Exploit. Performance of the season. The benchmark match. These are the headlines we might see on the front page of the regional press, this Saturday morning, if the Sharks win. So yes, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit, but it’s a real challenge and even a double challenge waiting for the Antibes team in five days. This Friday night, for the 19th day of ProA, they face an indisputable leader, and on Tuesday night, these same Monegasques will try to block Antibes’s path in the quarterfinals of the French Cup.
Antibes so fragile in positions 1-2
Last Friday, in Paris-Levallois, the Azuréens resisted for a small half before collapsing, without solutions against the Parisian zone. And as usual, three players stood out: Tim Blue, Chris Otule, and Max Kouguere. The Antibes inside players did the job, as did their position 3 (Kouguere), but among the guards, it’s stuck. The team is unbalanced with the absences of Will Solomon (back in training this Wednesday, he might play a few minutes) and Kenny Gaines (possibly out for the rest of the season). Despite Sharaud Curry’s contribution, points are scarce (5 out of 67 last Friday) and it’s a real problem.
A crushing machine
For the Antibes team, competing with the current leader of the French championship would be quite a surprise. AS Monaco Basket, coached by Zvezdan Mitrovic, crushes its opponents in every match. This Friday night, they will be looking to secure a tenth consecutive victory in French competitions. The men from the Principality have not lost since December 3rd and a matchup against Paris-Levallois.
The “red and white” rely on two almost equivalent starting fives, proving a tremendous striking power. In the last match, Davies shone in the paint while Bost delighted with 11 assists. In Limoges, it was Gladyr’s turn to align and Caner-Medley to do the behind-the-scenes work. In short, the 11 players in the squad shine in turn.
Guaranteed atmosphere
In the first match, Monaco crushed Antibes (88-64) but the score does not reflect the overall performance of the two teams. The Sharks held on for thirty minutes (6 points difference at the end of the third quarter) before collapsing. Note that the match will take place in a sold-out arena (4,000 spectators), a first this season.
by Clément Bigois
