By Eurohoops / info@eurohoops.net
AS Monaco once again showed their resilience in the French Pro A playoffs, defeating JL Bourg 103-114 to complete a 2-0 series sweep and book their place in the semi-finals despite travelling with only seven available first-team players.
Even in such a critical situation, Monaco controlled the game from start to finish. Jaron Blossomgame and Matthew Strazel both scored 22 points, while Elie Okobo added 21 in another dominant offensive display. Yoan Makoundou contributed 19 points, Nemanja Nedovic finished with 14, Terry Tarpey added 11, and Killian Hayes chipped in with four points to complete the extremely short rotation.
Youngsters Kyllian Michee and Yssam Moungalla only entered the floor during the closing seconds of the game.
The most notable absence was Mike James. The American guard followed through on his threat not to play because of the club’s ongoing salary payment issues, leaving Monaco with an even thinner roster for a decisive playoff game.
Despite 24 points from Adam Mokoka, JL Bourg spent the entire night chasing the game. Monaco built a double-digit lead before the end of the first quarter at 22-32 and never looked back. The visitors maintained control throughout the contest and stretched the margin to as many as 22 points at 41-63 shortly before halftime.
With such a comfortable advantage, Monaco only needed to manage both the lead and the physical fatigue in the second half before sealing the victory and advancing to the semi-finals in convincing fashion.
In the other game of the day, Nanterre also completed a 2-0 series sweep after beating Le Mans 55-64 behind 20 points from Trevor Hudgins.
Photo credit: Euroleague
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