End of the Laure Ecard basketball tournament, named after the Cavigal Nice Olympic player who tragically passed away on the side of a highway while traveling with her team.
Russia won the competition against France after a high-level match.
France and Russia faced off in what could be considered the tournament’s final. In a three-quarters full arena, the junior female team put on a good show but lacked accuracy to secure a victory. On the other side, the Russians led in points throughout the game.
From the first quarter, the girls from the east took the lead with a score of 26 to 15. The second quarter was tighter, and the French came back to within 2 points thanks to a very good Alix Duchet, presented as the new Cรฉline Dumerc. But despite the efforts made by the blue team, the Russians took a 20-point lead in the third quarter to lead 60 to 40. In the end, the Russian juniors won, being more physical and much more realistic than their opponents for the evening.
In the rankings, France placed second behind Russia and ahead of the Netherlands and Croatia, respectively.
The trophy awarded to the Russian captain was presented to Laure Ecard’s parents as per the competition’s tradition. An emotional tribute applauded by the audience, who were greatly moved by this gesture.
Photo Credit: Emmanuel Nicolai: https://www.lsnphoto.com
