Published on May 4, 2024 Modified on 05/04/24
By Aurélien Finet For Gazette Sports
Ⓒ Gazette Sports
For its first NM3 Final Four match, ESCLAMS faced Le Havre this Saturday late in the afternoon. Winners after a solid match, the Picards will play tomorrow for a place in the 6-a-side grand final.
Salah Koné’s players are immediately in the game and quickly take control. Successful in attack and particularly on the outside shoot like Sinoquet, the Samarians quickly made a break. But Le Havre did not come for nothing and will pick up the score in a first act very focused on attack (24-30). The second act is on the same basis, with attacks with full confidence which take over the defenses. In this little game, ESCLAMS takes the best to increase its lead at the break (43-53). In front of the score, the Samarians seem to have started on the basis of a match with more than 100 points.
Upon returning from the locker room, the defensive intensity increases for the GreenTeam who contest much more and logically take fewer points (12). But the Longacoissiens are also in difficulty in attack, with much less success. They see Le Havre return to one possession less than a minute from the end of the third quarter (55-58). Salah Koné then takes a timeout and this is well understood, because his team will score a 4-0 to take the lead before money time (55-62). In the last act, the Picards will accelerate to quickly regain a lead. A lead which will gradually increase, reaching more than 20 points. They will then be able to calmly manage the end of the match, surely thinking about the rest and tomorrow’s meeting. They finally impose themselves 68-87 and must now wait to find out their opponent tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
Nationale 3, Final Four
Le Havre – ESCLAMS: 68-87 (24-30, 19-23, 12-11, 13-25)
ESCLAMS : Bah – Diakite – Kaufman – Sinoquet – Hure – Jouvin – Tolliver – Raguette – Koné
Aurélien Finet
Photo credit: Léandre Leber – Gazettesports.fr (archive)