Our Parisian team is making a comeback against Nanterre

Nanterre certainly struggled last Saturday. A few hours before our first team’s victory, our U20 squad also won the Île-de-France derby following a hard-fought 24th round match (80-71).

Paris Basketball’s youth team couldn’t afford to make any mistakes against Nanterre. Having been on a losing streak for the past two weeks, our players risked losing their seventh-place ranking—which secures a spot in the Trophée du Futur—if they lost the derby.

Just behind them in the standings, the Nanterre team gave our young Parisians a tough time throughout the first quarter. Although we managed to stay ahead, the lead never exceeded two possessions (15-12). Our team, however, managed to pull slightly ahead as halftime approached. Marko Aleksic even gave Paris Basketball a 10-point lead with a huge three-pointer. At halftime, Julien Mahé’s men were in control of the game (38-32).

Solid on defense and efficient on offense, Paris maintained this dominance for nearly the entire third quarter. But Nanterre capitalized on a series of individual highlights to mount a full-scale comeback. In a matter of plays, the visitors closed the gap to just 1 point (58-57). A comeback that turned into a lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Now in the role of the chaser, Paris Basketball relied on a well-oiled team effort. With four players scoring over 12 points, the threat came from all over for the Parisians. And as the game entered crunch time, our young players strung together defensive stops followed by scoring plays once they had the ball. The victory was ultimately decisive (80-71)!

Just one win away from the Top 5, our young players will have the opportunity to move ahead of SIG this weekend. To do so, a win is essential!