On Monday afternoon, on the eve of facing Lithuania in the quarterfinals (4:30 p.m.), in an annexed training room at the Grand Stade de la Paix de l’Amitié, the French people continued to work on their attack after a day of rest in their marathon week.
“It was good to disconnect, certainly not completely, but to do something else, after quickly, and even already last night (Sunday) we were focused,” says Romane Bernies.
After three group matches in four days roundly negotiated, the Olympic vice-championes will come to the heart of the matter on Tuesday with the first of their direct elimination matches, which has long always succeeded in the Blue.
Since 2007 and an elimination against Latvia, the French team has not missed the last square, eight consecutive in as many participations, even if Jean-Aimé Toupane simply responds that “each match is a new adventure”, when talking about this series.
Successful return for Lithuania
“France is one of the favorites to the final victory, for its part obviously admits the Lithuanian coach Vilius Stanisauskas, but we are preparing for it and we were not a favorite against Slovenia and Serbia either …”
Indeed, absent from the competition in the last four editions, Lithuania, of which basketball “has always been one of the best in Europe”, recalls Toupane, has made a successful return to the continental scene for its first participation for 10 years.
Released in second position in the qualifications, behind the Belgian European champions in their group, the Lithuanians validated their place in the quarterfinals from their first two matches (against Slovenes and Serbs), before missing first place against Italy on Saturday evening.
Beware of Lithuanian Jocyte
A success acquired in particular thanks to the contribution of a great hope of the selection, the Ailière just Jocyte, 19 years old (15.7 pts, 5 rebounds, 5.7 assists since the start of the euro), which Basketball France knows for having joined the Asvel at 13, with whom it won the Eurocoupe and the championship in 2023 before leaving the club after this season.
But “it is a well-oiled collective, certainly it is a piece of masters, but we know that the danger will come from elsewhere, recalls Romane Bernies. We should not make many mistakes, especially in defense ”. At this stage, the error is not anyway more permitted.
