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One and a half hours of absolute mastery. The French women's U18 team punched their ticket to the EuroBasket final by overpowering Finland on Friday evening in Kista, on the outskirts of Stockholm. The final score tells the scale of the performance: 78-51. The manner of it, however, says even more about the potential of this generation.
Led by an aggressive defense and ball movement that constantly unsettled the Finnish block, Julien Egloff's players took control from the first quarter and never loosened their grip. At halftime, the gap was already nearing twenty points. The second half confirmed the impression: a mature French team, collectively well-oiled, which erased the painful memory of the U16 Euro final lost to these same Finns two years ago. A setback that had left its mark, and which the Blueettes methodically closed on Friday evening.
Led by an aggressive defense and ball movement that constantly unsettled the Finnish block, Julien Egloff's players took control from the first quarter and never loosened their grip.
An iron defense and a multi-headed attack
The most striking figure of this semifinal remains the 51 points conceded. No opponent of the Blueettes in this tournament has managed to exceed 55 points, and Finland, despite being renowned for its outside shooting, finished the game with a paltry three-point percentage. The key: well-oiled defensive rotations and constant pressure on passing lanes that suffocated the Finnish point guard, limiting her to almost no offensive production.
Offensively, France did not need a lone heroine. The attack was spread among four players with more than ten points, with an overall shooting percentage above 48%. This offensive diversity, rare at this age, constitutes the trump card of a group that seems to have digested the demands of modern FIBA basketball better than anyone. The ball moved with remarkable fluidity, and the number of collective assists reflects an altruism that makes the difference in knockout matches.
A classic France-Spain for the title
In the final this Sunday evening (8:30 PM), it is the Spanish who stand in the way of the Tricolores. The matchup has become a classic in youth categories: the two nations have dominated European podiums for a decade. This year again, Spain eliminated Serbia in the other semifinal in a more contested match.
La Roja will present a different challenge: more size in the paint, fast transition play, and confidence built on a near-perfect run. But these Blueettes showed against Finland that they know how to impose their rhythm on any opposition. The Kista Congress Center, which vibrated for the two-handed dunk by Alicia Tournebize — the 17-year-old, 1.94 m forward from Bourges — earlier in the tournament, is set to host a final that could establish the new wave of French women's basketball.
The French men's U18 team, for its part, had secured silver last summer. The girls now want to do better, and Friday's match proved they have the means. See you this evening to find out if the 2008 generation will bring gold back from Sweden. One thing is certain: whatever the result, this group has already made an impression far beyond its age.