Cholet Basket with their backs against the wall: « It would be a shame to end the season like this »

The heavy home defeat against Bourg-en-Bresse (71-95) on Monday May 26 left its mark on the Cholet team. However, Fabrice Lefrançois’ players refused to give in to fatalism. All showed a common determination: to bounce back on Wednesday at Ekinox to extend what has been a successful season so far.

A collective realization

Fabrice Lefrançois, named coach of the year just minutes before tip-off, acknowledged that his team had missed their game. « We didn’t play well, especially offensively. I felt some nervousness, too much emotion. They played a great game and knew how to build their confidence, » he told Ouest-France, while reminding that his young group still needed to learn how to handle playoff intensity.

Same observation from Gerald Ayayi: « Usually, it’s desire and intensity that allow us to win. They were clearly superior in terms of toughness. » The clear-minded guard knows that CB now has no choice: « We all need to raise our level. It’s something we’re not afraid of, we’ve done it before this season. We need to increase the intensity, push ourselves to the limit. »

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Regrets, but mostly eagerness to bounce back

For Nathan De Sousa, the turning point was clear: « We knew we couldn’t turn the ball over and we had 13 turnovers in the first half. That’s unacceptable, they run the floor very well. We won’t have time to dwell on it, we need to get our heads straight for Wednesday. » Despite the large margin, the young Cholet point guard refuses to give up: « It would be a shame to end the season like this. »

Similar sentiment from Darel Poirier: « We have no more room for error. We lacked consistency. They got easier shots than we did. We couldn’t move the ball as well as they did. » The big man hopes Monday’s frustration will fuel his teammates: « There will be huge motivation after this disappointment. At this point in the competition, we all want to come back Saturday. »

Bastien Vautier: « We must continue this dream »

Starting center Bastien Vautier gave it his all (7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), but couldn’t prevent the collective breakdown. In Le Courrier de l’Ouest, he showed determination: « We played at their pace, which didn’t work for us. They gained confidence and made everything at the end. I think the score doesn’t reflect the game, but it shows the work we still need to do. »

Despite the disappointment, the center put things in perspective: « Honestly, there’s no shame in losing to Bourg-en-Bresse. Now it’s up to us to do the work to continue this dream we’re living. »

Ils auront couru après le score pendant tout le match sans jamais réussir à revenir sur la JL Bourg . Nos Choletais laissent échapper le match aller des quarts de finale des playoffs.

Ils vont maintenant devoir aller chercher la victoire à Ekinox ce mercredi à 19h pour espérer… pic.twitter.com/XQ2KYrt3Fb

— Cholet Basket (@CB_officiel) May 26, 2025