The Mets in the final, it’s done. Led by Barry Brown (18 pts), Bilal Coulibaly (16 pts) and of course Victor Wembanyama (15 pts, 7 rbs, 5 cos), Vincent Collet’s team won against Asvel (69-71 ) this Sunday, at the Astroballe, during match 4 of this semi-final of the French championship. Boulogne-Levallois therefore won this series 3-1 and reached the final. Start of hostilities on June 11, on the floor of AS Monaco, who defeated JL Bourg in the other half (3-0). Winners of the Leaders Cup a few weeks ago, the Villeurbannais remained on three coronations in Betclic Elite.
We were expecting the “Wemby” prodigy, perhaps not to see a team from the Ile-de-France region animated by such a character. A collective victory, placed under the sign of the defense. All after a match 3 totally to the advantage of a transfigured Asvel. “We all gave 200% tonight. We wanted to catch up. We had taken a slap in the last game, but it did us good. Tonight, what’s wonderful is that it’s two young people who are showing the way: I’m thinking of Bilal Coulibaly, who plays a great game in defense and attack, while Victor was unstoppable in the second half. And we did what we had to in defense. We tried to sacrifice ourselves. It’s a very nice reward”, swears Lahaou Konaté, at the microphone of beIN SPORTS.
The former player of Nanterre is also not for nothing in this success, by his leadership but also his defense, in particular on Dee Bost, author of 21 points in match 3 and limited to 9 units. “I tried to give my body. I wanted to do well defensively. We left it too open in the last game. The coach asked me to padlock it. I tried to do that. Ditto on Antoine Diot (13 pts), and it was complicated … But it’s a collective work and tonight, it’s a great pride to be the captain of this team, “smiles the tricolor international (20 sel .), a true guide for his young teammates. “I try to show the way, we try to talk to them before the matches. Tonight, they were very focused, ”he analyzes.
Asvel was already a big chunk for the Mets 92. Retin Obasohan (17 pts) and company will long regret the loss of second place due to an administrative decision. Defeat all the more bitter since Nando De Colo did not play a single minute in the semi-finals and it was against Wembanyama, who slammed the door of Tony Parker’s club last summer… Still, the ‘AS Monaco, leader at the end of the regular season and recent third in the Final 4 of the Euroleague, is yet another level. Sasa Obradovic’s players are not the favorites by chance…
Lahaou Konaté knows it well. Not even afraid. “Now we know that Monaco is a very big team, one of the best in Europe, he underlines. We are going to rest, enjoy this evening and then prepare well for this match, because it will be a new war. We won a battle. But to be a champion, you really have to take game after game. We saw them play yesterday. It’s a great team, led by a great coach. It is up to us to prepare well. But tonight, I’m really proud of this team.” The first two matches will take place on the Rock (June 11 and 13), before returning to the Paris region for the third, perhaps the fourth (16 and 18).
