Riding on their victory in Denain with a score of 61-60, Antibes is just one win away from climbing back to Pro A. Against a vengeful team from the North, the team from Antibes can count on a packed Azur Arena.
There will be 5200 passionate supporters in the Azur Arena tonight, possibly for the last game of the season, which means promotion to Pro A. The atmosphere has been building up throughout these playoffs, starting with the victory against Nantes (79-68) and becoming electrifying during the two wins against Portel (64-62 and 69-51) where more than 3500 people filled the stands of the Antibes venue. For this Game 2, the pressure is certainly on the Denain team, 48 hours after losing in front of their home crowd. There is no doubt that the Antibes team will remind them of that.
As usual, the Sharks will rely on their ironclad defense, the club’s hallmark since Julien Espinosa’s arrival. With 69.6 points conceded during the regular season, Antibes finished with the best defense in Pro B. Since the beginning of the playoffs, Will Solomon and his team have been conceding an average of 71.1 points. The only blemish was the 92 points conceded in Portel, an anomaly given how successful the Northern team was.
On the offensive side, the Azuréens will be led by their duo Blue-Solomon who scored 33 of the 61 points in Game 1. But as coach Espinosa likes to remind us, Antibes is about teamwork. Therefore, do not forget the contributions in the paint from Mbida and Spralja, fan favorite Bourdillon as the secondary playmaker, and also captain Diarra who is capable of scoring 10 points or more in games. Aboudou, Atamna, and Aded Hussein only have a few minutes under their belts, during which they give their all.
On the other side, the youth of Denain is wreaking havoc. The big surprise of this season has a very young squad, such as Ouattara and Hollins (both 24 years old). The latter, having graduated from an American university, poses the number one threat, especially behind the 6.75m line. He was the one who gave Denain a two-point lead with 40 seconds left thanks to a crucial shot on Saturday. Under the basket, the experienced Giffa and the surprising Cazenobe might also pose problems for the Sharks.
Despite being physically taxed (this will be the 8th game in 17 days), Julien Espinosa’s protégés are determined to avoid a Game 3 in the North at all costs. The objective is clear: to celebrate in front of their supporters. To achieve this, they need to deliver a top-level performance for 40 minutes. It’s all set to go…
Photo credit: Sharks Antibes
