In this complicated season, bright spots are quite rare for Cavigal. 20 matches, 17 defeats for 3 victories. A very tough record for Rachid Mรฉziane’s players. Learning in the first division doesn’t offer any favors.
10 days ago, Cavigal traveled to Mondeville, also a candidate for relegation. Another defeat, the 8th consecutive defeat, which almost condemns the team from Nice. Another setback against Saint Amand at home and it would take a small miracle for them to stay in the first division.
Beyond the defeats, the performances are worrying. Their recent encounters against teams at the bottom of the table have regularly ended with large margins. Very recently, Cavigal was defeated by 19 points at home against Angers, by 9 points at home against Tarbes, and by 24 points at Mondeville.
Moreover, the matches seem similar for the Azurean club. Generally, the players start the match well and reach halftime with a close score. Things take a turn for the worse in the 3rd quarter, where the players consistently fall behind and victory slips away.
Yesterday, against Saint Amand Hainaut Basket, currently ninth and who challenged Bourges in the last match, things changed.
After a close start, two players from Saint Amand stood out, Astou Traorรฉ and Carine Paul quickly allowed their team to take the lead with 6 and 5 points, respectively. The first quarter favored the visitors who led 15-11 after 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the team from Nice unleashed with 19 points in 5 minutes, particularly thanks to a strong performance by Katerina Zohnova. Hainaut was pinned down at the start of the quarter, unable to recover. The second half of the quarter was much calmer, but Marie Eve Paget took over from Zohnova and brought her point total to 8 in the game.
Nice truly awakened in this quarter, scoring 25 points against only 8 for Hainaut. Zohnova (13 points) and Paget gave a new energy to the Azurean team. The halftime score was 36-23, and Rachid Mรฉziane’s players couldn’t have started the second half in a better state of mind.
The third quarter showcased the visitors’ prideful reaction, as they matched Nice play for play. The teams exchanged blows, and Zohnova’s three-point shots continued to benefit Cavigal. On the opposing side, only Astou Traorรฉ stood out with her 15 points. At the end of the third quarter, Nice remained well ahead and even slightly increased their lead, leading 57 to 41.
With 10 minutes remaining, despite a strong quarter from Saint Amand with 19 points, Cavigal’s 13 points were enough to secure a 70-60 victory. It was the fourth win of the season in the championship and the second victory at Leyrit.
Although remaining in the division is still a long way off, the other good news of the evening was the defeat of all other candidates for relegation. Nice is now one point behind Arras and two behind Toulouse and Mondeville. If Nice continues on this path, hope will remain alive.
