First in the regular season with only two defeats, winners of the Eurocoupe - the antechamber of the Euroleague which they will play next season -, champions of France by outclassing Asvel in the final three wins to zero, Bourges has almost all swept up in 2021/22.

Only the Coupe de France escaped the unchallenged domination of Tango, beaten in the final by Basket Landes who will also play the group stage of the C1.

The Berruyères only trembled in the French championship in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, pushed respectively by Lattes-Montpellier and Basket Landes, the two finalists of last season, to the decisive match 3.

But thanks to their remarkable regular season, Elodie Godin's teammates had the home field advantage joker in the final phase, they who have not lost at home since October 16 and who have chained, all competitions combined (including the Final 4 of the C2) twenty-five consecutive successes in their room.

Third tight encounter

In the final against Asvel, a new arrival on the French women's basketball scene after the club was taken over in the summer of 2017 by Tony Parker, the Berruyères did not even need to activate this insurance at home, going to win in Lyon the third success 59 to 53. They thus completed the final series with a "sweep" (without losing a match).

However, it was during this third match that the Tango had the most difficulty, lacking address against the Villeurbannaises, who were eye-catching.

With only two winning shots out of 22 attempted, the two teams were tied at the break (28-28), after a messy half-time.

Only the impact of Isabelle Yacoubou in the racket, off the bench, allowed the Berruyères to stay in contact with the Villeurbannaises in the second quarter, lost 12 to 6.

The match changed at the end of the third quarter, when a winning shot from Keisha Hampton following two loss of ball from Villeurbannaises allowed the Berruyères to regain the advantage (43-41).

Rupert and Johannès discreet

If she did not weigh during the meeting (six points), Iliana Rupert was, at only 20 years old (she will celebrate her 21st birthday on July 12), the key player of the season.

Designated MVP of the Women's League and of the Final 4 of the Eurocup, she scored 25 points in the final against Venice.

Double European vice-champion (2019 and 2021) and Olympic bronze medalist (Tokyo), she will announce in the coming days if she continues the adventure with Tango or if she goes abroad.

On the other side, Marine Johannès, also one of the basic players of the French team, crossed the match like a shadow, scoring only three points on five shots attempted.

For his club, whose recruitment announced in the specialized media could be prestigious, qualification for the Euroleague looks uncertain.

The only possibility: France could recover one of the places granted to Russia if the exclusion of Russian clubs, decided after the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, is maintained for next season.

The Lyonnaises of Pierre Vincent should then go through a tough qualifying round.

© 2022 AFP