Duel of extremes for Toulouse Métropole
Faced with the red lantern of the championship, the Toulousaines had to ensure an easy success. But beware of overconfidence.
> The essential
The Toulouse Métropole Basket, leader of the championship (14 wins, 3 losses), welcomes Cherbourg tonight, red lantern (2 wins, 15 losses). One week before moving to Mondeville, his runner-up, the TMB should delete a tenth consecutive victory.
> A Cherbourg success would be a surprise
A victory for the Penguins, who fortunately are not always successful on the field, has worked the buzz in the microcosm of women’s basketball. Do you realize? The red lantern which is essential in the chief caused a true explosion.
And indeed a success of the girls of Yoann Cabioc’h would be a feat. Especially since Cherbourg’s provisional record away from home, with an average score in eight games of 78.4 points conceded for 53.4 points scored, does not allow such a scenario to be imagined.
Xavier Noguera never shows superiority. He prepares his matches, meticulously, one after the other. And if he will have a small corner of his thoughts already turned to Mondeville, he will be able to explain to his team that the victory of the Cherbourgeoises, on February 16, over Montbrison owes nothing to chance but everything to their talent. He will also remind his players that in the first leg the victory (66-72) had taken a long time to emerge.
> Duels of the day
Under the circle, the Toulousaines Kalis Loyd and Caliya Robinson must dominate two players who, arrived during the truce of the confectioners, show themselves as the most effective of Cherbourg: the Senegalese international (ex-TMB) Oumou Touré and the US Kristina King who discovered France after Poland, Australia, Germany, Greece and Turkey.
In the lead, Marine Mulumba and Hélène Jakovljevic have revenge to take on Yvanna Enjolvy whom they could not prevent from showing off in the first leg (21 points, 4 of 9 from 3 points, 5 assists), and to a lesser degree Lalya Sidibé, while they returned that evening a very weak line of stats.
We will also have to keep an eye on Lucie Carlier, another former TMB, motivated in a room where she has often thrilled the public.