Star player Zaccharie Risacher had a below-par night by his standards
Bourg showed it is more than a one-man team in Prometey triumph
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Most of the talk ahead of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse’s quarterfinal tie against Prometey Slobozhanske surrounded Zaccharie Risacher and whether the projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft would put on a show at Ekinox.
Well, it didn’t quite turn out that way. Instead, Risacher’s teammates were the ones who stood out most en route to a convincing 95-82 victory that should make the rest of the EuroCup sit up and take notice.
Bourg is not a one-man team
Risacher, Bourg’s leading scorer during the regular season at 13.1 points per game, finished Tuesday night’s contest with just 3 points – all of which came from the free-throw line. Fortunately for him, there were five Bourg players who reached double digits, with Isiaha Mike and Jeremy Morgan leading the way with 17 points apiece. JeQuan Lewis and Maksim Salash both had 12 points, too, and Bryce Brown added 11.
It’s hard to imagine that the 18-year-old Risacher will have another below-par night once the EuroCup Semifinals begin, with Bourg having home-court advantage in a three-game series against either Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv or Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul, but the good news is that he has a cast around him that can step up and get the job done.
Indeed, Bourg’s fantastic five – those who scored 10 points or more – looked incredibly comfortable on the big stage and were roared on by a passionate crowd inside Ekinox. As Mike explained in the post-game flash interview after, Bourg made a statement by taking down Prometey: “I want to give credit to our team, man. We had a hell of a fight. We knew all week it was going to be a hard-fought game, but we came in here and made a statement.”
Continuing to make history
By winning Group B, Bourg secured a direct passage to the quarterfinals and, in turn, made history by reaching the further point it had reached in the EuroCup. Now, having beaten Prometey and advanced to the semifinals, there is the chance for Bourg’s fairy-tale story to continue.
“We are ambitious. Now we’ll play the semifinal – we’ll play at home, like tonight – so we’ll see [what happens],” commented Bourg head coach Frederic Fauthoux.
The good news for Bourg fans is that it has a very impressive home record, too, which should make them feel confident heading into the semifinals. Bourg’s win over Prometey meant it is now 9-1 at Ekinox in EuroCup play this season, and its only loss was a Round 18 defeat to ratiopharm Ulm, once it already knew that it had won Group B. Therefore, in home games with significance, Bourg is 9-0.
One of the main benefits to playing at home is that the players feel more comfortable, and that could explain why several of Bourg’s players were able to shine against Prometey. Curiously, aside from 5 turnovers by Lewis and 3 by Risacher, the other eight Bourg players had just 2 turnovers between them. Prometey, meanwhile, finished with 19 turnovers, which is something head coach Ronen Ginzburg lamented after the game.
Still, Bourg’s extra energy and hustle made the difference in key moments, with Mike refusing to put any limits on what his team could achieve:
“If we defend at a really high level, if we secure the rebounds, the sky is the limit for us, honestly.”