The fifth edition of the Laure Ecard Trophy, named after a Nice basketball player who tragically passed away six years ago, saw Russia come out victorious. It was after a thrilling final that they defeated the French team 71-70 in front of a packed audience.
With 10 days to go before the U16 European Championships, which will take place in Debrecen (Hungary), the Nice International Cadet Tournament was an important step in the preparation. Once again, the organizers went all out with a lineup worthy of the European final four, featuring Russia, Turkey, and Italy. The French team was led by Cathy Melain, a former French international with 241 selections and two European Championship titles.
During the first two days of this tournament, France battled to overcome Turkey (74-64) and then needed two overtimes against the tough Italian team (78-76). Thanks to these two victories, France earned the right to play in the final closing the tournament, on Sunday evening, against Russia, which had an easy time in their first two games.
In the final, France quickly took the lead (22-19 after 10 minutes) thanks to strong rebounding activity. During the second quarter, the dynamics shifted. Russia utilized their power near the basket and took advantage of defensive weaknesses to lead at halftime (44-35 at HT). In the second half, the Russians controlled the game with excellent three-point shooting. The last quarter was magnificent with an incredible comeback by the French team. Trailing by 6 points with 5 minutes left, the under-16s found incredible resources to take the lead with 50 seconds to the buzzer. Two match-winning opportunities weren’t enough to secure the win after a Russian basket dashed the hopes of the Blues.
Nearly 500 spectators filled the stands of the Salle Leyrit. The late-game comeback by Cathy Melain’s girls awakened the crowd, who chanted “Defense! Defense!” when Russia had possession of the ball, and “Go Blues!” when the French team attempted to score a basket. The award ceremony was emotional, with the parents and former teammates of Laure Ecard presenting the trophies to the captain of the Russian team, winners of this 5th edition.
