Jeremiah Hill’s supernatural second half leads Élan Chalon to break Badalone’s perfect record
Jeramiah Hill on another planet Credit Photo Cecile Thomas
From nightmare to perfection in 20 minutes
The last unbeaten team of the Basketball Champions League season has finally fallen. Joventut Badalone‘s perfect record came to an end in Chalon-sur-Saône, destroyed by an incredible second-half display from Jeremiah Hill, who scored 24 points on stunning 9/10 shooting after the break.
The swing was dramatic. Hill had one point on 0-for-3 shooting at halftime, then flipped the night entirely—finishing with 25 on 9-of-13 by the final horn. The split tells it all: one missed shot in the second half, 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
« But why did I miss a shot?! » Hill wondered with a huge smile after reviewing the stat sheet before the press conference. « And one turnover, because I threw it to Nate (Darling). Why did I throw it to Nate?! »
This performance was a far cry from the ghost who had visited Catalonia last month, managing only 6 points on 1/9 shooting. The American-Cameroonian leader of Élan Chalon delivered a second-half masterpiece, playing on another planet for 20 minutes. So surreal was his display that he allowed himself the luxury of looking away from the rim after releasing a long-distance shot to stare at the crowd. Nothing but net, naturally.
Coach’s confidence sparks the explosion
« I called the first play of the second half for him, » explained coach Elric Delord. « I told him: Now, it’s your moment. And off he went! »
« Grant set good screens for me and when I have a little space, I can take shots, shoot with confidence, » savored the hero of the evening. « And when I’m confident, when the smile comes back, I have fun again and we start winning! »
It took something as irrational as this masterpiece from the former Gravelines player to allow an undermanned Élan squad (missing two centers) to claim the scalp of Joventut Badalone (85-77), the last undefeated team in this Basketball Champions League (9-0) who had demolished the Burgundians in the first meeting (107-75).
Team effort completes the upset
Led by veterans Ricky Rubio and Ante Tomic, the Catalans hadn’t come to the Colisée as tourists, arriving in Burgundy to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals. They’ll have to wait at least another month, with their next match not until March 10th, thanks to Hill’s heroics and a cohesive Burgundian team effort featuring Clarence Nadolny‘s first-half punch, solid minutes from Yanis Tonnellier, and Justyn Mutts‘ defensive energy.
Jeremiah Hill helps Elan Chalon snap Joventut's unbeaten streak with 25 PTS and 6 AST 💥#BasketballCL | @ELANCHALON pic.twitter.com/YTtgA7n7Ck
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) February 10, 2026
« Is this an upset? » wondered Elric Delord. « We beat a team that hadn’t lost yet this season in the BCL and was massacring everyone before coming to the Colisée. We needed to play this big game. We found our identity again. But now, I don’t want this to be just a reaction. I’d like us to come out stronger from this difficult period and for it not to be just today. » But if this was just one magical evening, what an evening it was!
Comments (0)