Julien Mahé’s frustrating final match at Saint-Quentin: « It reflects our season »
Betclic ELITE - Defeated by Dijon in the play-in (92-79), Saint-Quentin and coach Julien Mahé saw their season come to an abrupt end. A frustrating exit, reflecting their declining second half of the championship.
Photo Credit : FOXAEP
Saint-Quentin’s journey in Betclic ELITE this season ended Tuesday evening in Dijon during the play-in with a 92-79 defeat. This loss also marks the end of Julien Mahé’s journey on SQBB’s bench, concluding with a performance he himself describes as disappointing, reflecting the season.
« We played the wrong game »
Against a very solid Dijon team at home, Saint-Quentin never really managed to find the key. Quickly overwhelmed on defense, the visitors conceded 29 points in the first quarter. « Congratulations to JDA, they were better than us tonight, they played a high-quality game, and we played the wrong game. This reflects our season, » summarized Julien Mahé to Bien Public, visibly dejected after this last game.
The coach regretted his players’ initial lack of intensity: « We showed so little aggressiveness at the start, by the end of the first quarter they were 11/14, and 8/8 inside. We’ve rarely been this permissive on defense. » Caught off-guard, SQBB tried to catch up by engaging in a poorly managed offensive battle. « Then we got into a shooting contest that we lost. We thought too highly of ourselves on offense and forgot to make defensive efforts. »
Lucas Boucaud points out lack of defensive discipline
Point guard Lucas Boucaud shares the same observation, acknowledging that Saint-Quentin didn’t stick to their defensive principles: « Almost 30 points in the first quarter, that’s not our DNA. (…) Dijon defended very well, and on our more or less open shots, we weren’t accurate enough. » A summary that well illustrates the club’s negative spiral at the end of the season.
In their second consecutive Betclic ELITE season, SQBB had impressed during the first half of the championship before gradually running out of steam. This play-in elimination ends a contrasting season, but also marks the end of Julien Mahé’s era at Saint-Quentin, highlighted by the promotion to Betclic ELITE in 2023.
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