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Facing their "nemesis," the Phoenicks club from Saint-Martin, the young Pelicans fought hard but were defeated on Saturday, January 31, on the Plaine des Jeux field in Saint-Jean. The under-11s (8-17), under-13s (16-22), and under-15s (58-84) were unable to withstand their opponents' offensive momentum. However, as Pelican's president Pascal Peuchot confided, the club's coaches were quite satisfied with the performance of the three teams from Saint Barth.
"The under-11 team was missing two players, which partly explains the defeat," said Pascal Peuchot. For the under-13s, on the other hand, it was more a lack of determination to win that let the team down. "They lacked the desire to win," said the president. "The proof is that in the first half, we were leading by eight points, but we let them catch up because of a lack of commitment and desire." There is no doubt that the Pelicans' coach will be able to correct this slight dip in form among his players.
For the under-15s, the task seemed difficult from the outset. "We knew in advance that the opposition was far superior," says Pascal Peuchot. We only had one second-year U15 player, the rest were U14s and two U13s who had been promoted. So the coach told them that at the end of the game, the players should have no regrets and that they should give everything they had. They held on for three-quarters of the first half with a 1-2 point difference, sometimes in our favor, sometimes in favor of Phoenicks. The difference was in the physical and technical aspects, but we can really be proud of our players, who surpassed themselves and showed their best."
One thing is certain: on the Saint-Jean court, the young players spared no effort. Their commitment and passion were evident from one basket to the next, with instructions sometimes shouted out loudly by the coaches of both clubs. The atmosphere was a mix of competitiveness and friendliness. All in all, it was a great day of basketball.
