Beaten by a hair, Anglet was so close to the goal (55-57)

But, with a little hindsight, the ACBB was so proud of the road traveled with a historic accession to N1F and an N2F final: “The defeat was difficult to accept, it’s a shame, the small details didn’t matter. not tilted in our favour. We are obviously happy with our career, but the title was so close,” assured Mathilde Roche.

A breathtaking finish in the semi-finals

In a season where everything smiled on them, Anglet first managed an improbable comeback on Saturday in the semi-final against Orly, to maintain the crazy hopes of a historic title (67-62). Abused for more than three quarters by the opposing strike force, the Angloyees have long struggled to find the right pace.

Stretched by the event and annoyed at not adjusting the sights, Anglet spent his time closing the gaps in the first period (9-18, 7th ; 25-33, 20th). Over the episodes, the troop of Baptiste Ibarlosa let go of the horses and managed a successful second period. Dominating, the ACBB volleyed the Val-de-Marnaises to turn the tide (47-47, 29th ; 55-52, 33rd) and sign a resounding comeback, synonymous with the final. A week after the accession, it was a new stream of tears and emotions that took shape. Except that there was still a match to be won to win the title.

A twisted finale

Fatigue was omnipresent when it came to the battle this Sunday afternoon against Stade Français, who had won their semi-final without trembling against Bordeaux Ambitions Girondines (78-68). Despite repeated efforts and a seasoned adversary, Anglet pulled out all the stops again.

Euphoric at long distance, the ACBB succeeded in all – or almost – of their offensives, thus marking their territory from the outset (25-13, 10th). If the reaction of Stade Français was immediate, Duchez and others stayed the course at the cost of unfailing solidarity and exemplary combativeness (33-25, 17th). And if the Stade Français pulled out the muscles and continued to cling to the tails of the Angloyees, the latter showed unsuspected resources.

Despite the fatigue and the decompression of the accession to N1F already ratified, the Basque club was racing in the lead (51-45, 27th). But at the time of concluding and delivering the last minutes of a grueling season, Anglet let himself be overwhelmed by emotion. Tense to carry the blow, the ACBB saw the Stade Français come back like a boomerang (55-54, 37th). Unable to score in the last five minutes and despite plenty of ammunition to put an end to his shortage, Anglet failed on the gong to win the first national title in the history of the club.

It was a tough blow for a team that delivered a great game, but ended up paying for all their efforts. The Angloyes will console themselves with a tasty silver medal: “We are very happy to end this season with a medal. We started from very far, because the initial objective of the club was to maintain itself, but on our side we have always aimed higher. We worked in silence and to reach the end of the play-offs and play for the title on the last possession, there can be a lot of pride, ”underlined Mathilde Roche, by way of conclusion.

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