HTV Claim Their First Victory at Espace 3000 in a Thrilling Finish !

In an absolutely electric atmosphere, our boys secured a hard-fought 83–81 victory over a resilient STB Le Havre side, officially claiming their very first win at Espace 3000! A rollercoaster of a game filled with twists and turns, one that could easily have slipped through our fingers in the dying seconds.

In the first half, Stéphane Dumas' men came out focused but faced some seriously tough opposition. The newly promoted visitors from Le Havre made a strong start, finding solutions both inside the paint and beyond the arc to take the lead at the end of the first quarter (10', 11–16). But that wasn't enough to discourage our players ! Led by an outstanding Frank Mitchell (16 points, 12 rebounds), our Hyères squad stayed within striking distance of their opponents but couldn't quite regain the lead before halftime (HT, 35–41).

And that's when the volcano erupted! Straight out of the locker room, Axel Julien and his teammates, with Julien making his long-awaited return from injury, shifted into top gear. Fueled by a fired-up Walter Whyte and a Marc-Olivier Lasserre who simply couldn't miss from beyond the arc, HTV went on a devastating 21–6 run in just five minutes, leaving Le Havre stunned ! And just when you thought things couldn't get any better, our sharpshooter Marc-Olivier capped off the third quarter in spectacular fashion with an unbelievable buzzer-beater that sent Espace 3000 into absolute pandemonium (30', 61–54) !

But in the final quarter, our boys came dangerously close to letting it all slip away... Holding a 14-point lead with just six minutes remaining, HTV saw Le Havre throw everything they had into a desperate comeback. The visitors forced turnovers, drew fouls and knocked down clutch three-pointers to claw their way back into the game. What followed was an absolutely insane final stretch, with both teams trading blows in a breathtaking battle ! But in this true heavyweight showdown, it was our boys who held a narrow lead with just one second left on the clock... and thanks to one FINAL, OUTSTANDING defensive stand, they secured their first victory at Espace 3000 in over four years !

Now, all eyes turn to Friday's trip to Vichy, where our boys will be looking to build on this momentum and make it two consecutive wins in the league !