Our Hopes Return to the Forefront

After a rollercoaster end to the year, Paris Basketball’s Espoirs secured their second consecutive league victory last Saturday in Portel (79-87).

Paris is back in the race for the Trophée du Futur! Following an encouraging win against Le Mans (80-74), our Parisians needed to confirm their form at Le Chaudron. This was a daunting task for Julien Mahé’s men.

The Stellistes were in fine form and took control of the game. Although our Espoirs won the second quarter (16-18), they were still behind on the scoreboard when they returned from the locker room (41-38). Led by captain Sheyne Koudou’s 13 rebounds, Paris Basketball dominated the paint (55 rebounds to 18). This physical surge allowed our players to stay within striking distance despite their shaky three-point shooting.

Still trailing at the start of the fourth quarter (65-60), Paris pushed Le Portel into making mistakes. It was Samuel Bringer’s free throw that put our Espoirs ahead (67-68). But the Stellistes refused to give up. With three minutes to go, they had a four-point lead (76-72). That was the moment our Parisians chose to go on a 9-0 run (76-81) ! The home team couldn’t recover, and Paris Basketball, with five players scoring 10 points or more, ended up winning (79-87). It was a superb performance that reflected the team’s selflessness.

Back in the Top 7 of Espoirs ÉLITE, Paris Basketball’s Espoirs will host Boulazac at Athletica this Saturday. This is an opportunity for them to consolidate their place in the standings.