Roca Team retain top spot despite defeat

AS Monaco Basketball suffered a surprise defeat against Bourg-en-Bresse in the Betclic Elite on Sunday (90-88) ahead of a week of cup action.

The Roca Team were pegged back by Bourg-en-Bresse despite a fluid first-quarter performance, during which the side scored 33 points and earned an 11-point lead. By half-time, Sasa Obradovic’s men had reached the 60-point mark and were on course to register a mammoth 120 points.

Elie Okobo steps up

However, their opponents found the defensive solutions in the second half, limiting Monaco to just 28 points in the remaining two quarters, and just 12 in a third quarter that proved costly.

In the absence of Mike James, Elie Okobo was Monaco’s main source of points, registering 16 on the afternoon, as well as leading the playmaking efforts with six assists. However, that wasn’t enough for the Roca Team, who couldn’t overturn the deficit in the final 10 minutes. Obradovic’s men succumbed to just their fourth league defeat of the season, but remain two points ahead of second-placed Boulogne-Levallois.

A warning

“We can’t allow such a performance. We lost our concentration because we wanted to speak with the referees too much. As a result, we were no longer present in attack, and that spread to our defence,” said Obradovic post-match.

Monaco next face Victor Wembanyama’s Boulogne-Levallois in the French Basketball Cup on Wednesday before another cup tie, once again against Bourg-en-Bresse in the Leaders’ Cup on Friday. For Obradovic, Sunday’s defeat serves as another lesson for those ties: “We totally lost control. It is a good warning for the upcoming matches.”

 

Sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram. 

Photo by AS Monaco Basket