Less than a week away from the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, the French team, known as “Les Bleues,” tested themselves against three major basketball nations: Senegal (ranked 16th in the world), Canada (5th), and the American powerhouse (ranked 1st globally). They achieved a positive record of two wins and one loss.
In a week, France will fly to Tenerife in Spain to compete in the Basketball World Cup. The clear goal is to reach the semi-finals and possibly even the podium. Too ambitious? Not for the world’s 3rd-ranked nation. So, in Antibes, at the AzurArena, the quarter-finalists of the last World Cup have settled in for their final preparations. Three days, three matches lined up. Quite a great schedule.
First up was Senegal, the 16th-ranked nation in women’s basketball. Among the weekend’s three opponents, the African team seemed to be the “weakest.” And yet…and yet Les Bleues struggled to overcome this completely uninhibited opponent. Proof of this is the halftime score in favor of the Senegalese, 37-32. It wasn’t until the final quarter that the French took the lead to win 67-54.
The following day, it was Canada’s turn to challenge Marine Johannes and her teammates. The same scenario as the day before: a difficult start but a beautiful finish. The young Marine Johannes led the rally at halftime with 16 points, allowing Les Bleues to secure a 72-68 victory against the Canadians, their future opponents in the World Cup group stage.
The third and by no means least opponent was the USA, the top basketball nation worldwide for a decade. It was an encouraging 77-60 defeat. Les Bleues held their ground against the Americans for 30 minutes before faltering and allowing their opponents to take off.
The overall outcome is positive both on paper and mentally. There is significant momentum, and despite the defeat, numerous positive signs emerged on the AzurArena court in Antibes. The signs? Physically, the girls are ready, defense has improved over the three matches, and the offense is creating shooting opportunities. The only downside remains shooting accuracy: 26/74 in the last match. An area to address if Les Bleues hope to progress far in the competition.
Their next outing is on September 22 in Tenerife (Spain) against South Korea in the first match of the 2018 World Cup. An opponent well within reach for the tricolores.
Pierre Ferrand
