Our untouchable hopefuls in crunch time

What a comeback ! Thanks to an ultra-clutch performance by Dario Cokara, Paris Basketball’s Espoirs team defeated SIG in the final moments of the game on the 18th day of the championship (74-72).

Facing an opponent with a similar record, Paris played a crucial game last Saturday in the race for the Trophée du Futur. At home, our Espoirs were in great form but were nevertheless outplayed by Strasbourg in the opening minutes. Julien Mahé’s men found their rhythm in the second half of the first quarter, accelerating to take the lead (19-16). But once again, SIG showed more initiative at the start of the second quarter. And once again, Paris Basketball stepped up its game. Except this time, our young Parisians went on a huge run. They took a 10-point lead (38-27)!

Despite a slight reduction in the gap (44-34), the momentum was clearly on our side. The game was evenly balanced, with each team responding to the other’s attacks, and it wasn’t until the very last possessions of the third quarter that our Espoirs increased their lead (59-45). Far from being out of the game, Strasbourg managed to completely turn the tide. With three minutes to go, SIG took the lead (64-66)! Faced with this terrible turnaround, our players kept their cool. They continued to focus on rebounding while relying on their physical superiority to get to the free throw line.

Already decisive a few plays earlier with a huge shot from the parking lot, Dario Cokara stepped up when the score was tied at 72-72. With 5 seconds left on the clock, our point guard sank his midrange shot! The visitors couldn’t recover, and Paris Basketball won 74-72.

Only one small victory now separates our Espoirs from the podium. This Saturday evening in Limoges, Paris hopes to secure a seventh consecutive victory against the current bottom team in Espoirs ÉLITE.