Our Hopes Knocked Out

Published on October 12, 2026

Paris Basketball’s youth team have got back on track on home turf thanks to a hard-fought last-gasp victory over Strasbourg last Friday on the third matchday of the league.

For two seasons now, the pattern has been clear: whenever Paris take on Strasbourg, the match ends with a nail-biting finish. Once again neck and neck in the Espoir ÉLITE, these two sides certainly delivered a thrilling encounter.

Yet the match turned out to be a one-sided affair in the early stages. After an initial feeling-out period, our young talents from Paris strung together a series of defensive stops, building a lead of 10 points (24–14). Paris Basketball maintained this lead of 3–4 possessions throughout the next two quarters. But no sooner had the final stretch begun than the match went into overdrive.

SIG stepped up a gear and closed the gap within a matter of minutes. Worse still, the Strasbourg side took the lead in the closing stages! Our young Parisians responded immediately but were unable to turn the tide. With just 10 seconds to go before the final whistle, the situation was critical. The teammates of Melvin Mbamen, who recorded a double-double, had just one last chance, which Myles Barry converted from the corner! It’s all over: Paris Basketball clinched a narrow victory (80–78).

On the cusp of the Top 7, our Under-21s are determined to build on this result this Saturday at 3 pm against bottom-of-the-table Boulazac.