Arantia Larochette moved to 1st place after this 91-83 home win over AS Soleuvre, while Soleuvre, now 7th, stayed in the game long enough to make the finish relevant.
The key phase came early. After Soleuvre's 2-0 start, Larochette answered with a strong first quarter and built a 20-7 margin, then closed the period at 31-16. Daniel Alves Brandao de Sousa's team kept that control into the second quarter, stretching the lead to 36-16. Soleuvre reacted before halftime and cut it to 48-36, mainly through Gerald Maurice Drumgoole (Season PPG: 24.86, RPG: 5.25, AssPG: 2.63) and Christian Jeffrey Parker (Season PPG: 23.43, RPG: 8.0, AssPG: 0.38).
Larochette's best moment came in the third quarter. Tyrell Daniel Sturdivant (Season PPG: 9.83, RPG: 5.0, AssPG: 0.57) imposed himself inside and finished as game MVP with 27 points and a double-double of 10 rebounds. When Derek Wilson (Season PPG: 10.57, RPG: 4.25, AssPG: 3.75) and Joshua Robinson McClary (23, 1.89m, USA) joined him, the lead reached 68-46, the game's highest gap.
Soleuvre did not fold. Eric Bettini's side closed the third on a 13-3 push to get back to 71-59, then kept pressing in the fourth. Davide Grun (Season PPG: 10.14, RPG: 5.5, AssPG: 4.13) and Pol Ferrante helped reduce it to 89-83 late, but Larochette stayed calm from the line through Edson Rafael De Sousa Silva (Season PPG: 15.57, RPG: 5.75, AssPG: 3.63).
Team numbers explain much: Larochette was good from 2-point range at 54% and dominated offensive rebounding 16-7, while Soleuvre shot a good 46% from three and a good 84% on free throws. The turnover balance also mattered: 24 for Soleuvre, 16 for Larochette.
(AI generated)