“No, no no regrets about finishing behind the two teams who will represent Pool B in the play-off. Given the way it started, with these two defeats, our season is absolutely not a failure, quite the contrary…” Raphaël Pascual doesn’t have a short memory, that’s not it. Moreover, the “large format” replica of the jersey number 14, that of the late Ludovic Vaty, clearly hanging near the basket located on the grandstand side, was there to remind us how difficult the terrible ordeal was to overcome, from the end of the August.
Pascal Tajan: end clap for an icon
The day before last night again, definitely, tears of another kind flowed when the TOAC mentor greeted Pascal Tajan, “the leader, the warrior who put Toulouse back on the map of French basketball.” And for good reason, the former TBC member who became “Stade Toulousain Basketball” came out precisely 43 seconds from the end, cheered by the faithful followers of the Dewoitine room. A “standing ovation” likely to echo the collective performance, to say the least accomplished, for which the visitors paid the price. Chalois people are not freewheeling but rather out of breath due to the excess of energy necessary to obtain “in extremis” maintenance, a fortnight ago. And who resisted roughly one half (+ 11 in favor of TOAC) before exploding via the 19-2 conceded in the space of five minutes: 65-37. “Sport is also therapy,” concluded Raphaël Pascual solemnly, emphasizing “the values of enthusiasm, sharing, and simply life” animating a group “which will have done what is necessary.” And we will obviously not forget the 2023-2024 financial year.
MT: 46-35; (24-16; 22-19 / 27-11; 24-24); referee: MM. Large and Hanou.
For the TOAC: Boulaire (8), Tajan (14), Forcada (17), Hourne (5), Taylor (12),
Séguéla (cap, 11), Chatelain (4), Fabbro (9), Fauchard (6), Coulibaly, Millet (11).
For Dax Gamarde: D’Almeida (cap, 18), Khodri – Acloque (6), Mansaré (5), Njoya (3), Keita (32), Cantinol, Tchikaya (6).