Brilliant in the first quarter, the Antibes team fell apart as the minutes went by and suffered a heavy defeat at Paris-Levallois. Next up are two derbies against their formidable neighbors, AS Monaco Basket. The battle for survival will be long.
Ten minutes of very high quality and then, nothing more. Despite entering with confidence after their victories in Portel and Roanne, Antibes crumbled in the second half. Three players stood out, as they have in recent weeks: Max Kouguere, Tim Blue, and Chris Otule, who scored 52 of the Sharks’ 67 points.
Blue and Otule put on a show
Antibes’ paint, effective since the start of the season, continued its demolition work. Chris Otule, the center, and Tim Blue, the power forward, had a thunderous start to the match and scored the first 20 points for their team (9-9, 5th minute then 18-18, 8th minute). At the end of the 1st quarter, Max Kouguere, the man in form, hit two long-distance shots and allowed the visitors to take the lead (26-19). Possibly the best 10 minutes for Antibes this season.
PL tightens the screws
That was not counting on the reaction of the Parisians, far better organized tactically and physically. Antibes struggled to score six points when the Paris-Levallois bench put their team back on track (29-28, 14th minute) thanks to Lesca and Sané (13 of the 21 points in the 2nd quarter). At halftime, the home team leads 40-37.
Poor basketball
The break did not benefit either team. The Levallois court was the scene of a grim spectacle: repetitive fouls (Poirier for PL, Cordinier for Antibes incurred their 4th fouls), lost balls (6 in 5 minutes for the Sharks). Sané, always him, and Louis Labeyrie enjoyed themselves in the paint and allowed PL to take off (49-42, 25th minute, 57-45, 28th minute). Sharrod Curry got on the scoreboard, Kouguere barely missed, but Paris stayed ahead (61-53).
The “famous zone”
Charles Galliou brought Antibes back into the match at the start of the 4th quarter (5-point deficit), but the zone initiated by Frédéric Fauthoux, the Parisian coach, overcame the Azuréens. The Sharks’ air pockets (6-0 between the 32nd and 34th minutes, 5-0 between the 35th and 37th) were too much. Paris-Levallois built, step by step, a large and well-deserved victory thanks to 47 points from the bench (11 for Antibes).
Now, Julien Espinosa’s men face two derbies in four days (Friday the 10th in the championship, Wednesday the 14th in the French Cup). Survival is more than ever on their minds, a battle that should last 16 game days…
Reactions:
Max Kouguere: “We played poorly in the second half, bothered by their zone. We couldn’t impose our game, our rhythm. We got frustrated and forced our shots.”
Julien Espinosa: “We mentally seized up in terms of application, and that’s the most troubling thing. We lacked technical resources. We need more success, more quality. I am going to rack my brains and question myself.”
