Basketball: eight years later, Dijon wins the Coupe de France again

JDA Dijon won the second Coupe de France in its history, eight years after the first, by beating Strasbourg in the final (83-70) in the final of a suspenseful match, Saturday in Bercy. Beaten in the final in 2021, the Burgundians won their first trophy since the 2020 Leaders Cup, with Laurent Legname already on the bench, returning in December to replace Nenad Markovic, and after being dismissed from Gravelines-Dunkerque.

They benefited from a favorable table to arrive at Bercy, dismissing in the previous rounds two second division teams, Pau-Lacq-Orthez and Vichy-Clermont, while the SIG had eliminated Monaco in the semi-finals, holder of the title and favorite to succeed him. But the Alsatians leave Paris beaten like in 2022 after taking on water at the very end of the match, conceding a 13 to 0 in two minutes to find themselves trailing 83 to 70 45 seconds from the buzzer, the final score.

A warning shot delivered thanks to three award-winning shots, from Leyton Hammonds (11 pts including 3/3 from long distance), David Holston (his only one of the match) then Joshua Obiese (2/2 behind the arc), and two shots -successful frees by Cameron Hunt (13 pts). But the man of the match for the JDA was the Zimbabwean pivot Vitalis Chikoko (20 pts, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks), whose hot shot at the start of the fourth quarter (six points and a block) had made it possible to carry a first blow to Strasbourg. It was also he who, under the circle, cleverly shifted Hammonds to the outside for the JDA's first stab.

The Alsatians were carried in the third quarter by Tyrius McGee, who scored 14 of the 19 points, but remained silent in the last period. They will now try to qualify for the championship play-offs, far from being certain, in order to save their season. It was a bad start for the Burgundians, who in three days ensured their survival before filling their cupboard with an additional trophy.