The Alliance has its “star”. Her name is Blake Francis. In front of an effervescent crowd won over by the American and his 30 points, the Montreal club won its first game of the season by an unequivocal final score of 84-69, Friday night, at the Verdun Auditorium.
New season, same wild atmosphere.
DJ, presentation of the players in a cloud of smoke, breakdancers during stoppage time… Like last season, this first meeting was a show, sold out. And as in 2022, NBA players Luguentz Dort and Chris Boucher, sunglasses on their faces, were attentive on the sidelines. Boucher also spent the intermission in front of a crowd of fans to autograph jerseys, caps and balloons.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Luguentz Dort and Chris Boucher were back in Verdun to kick off the Alliance season.
What better way to accompany this off-field spectacle than a victory against one of the teams considered to be in the running for the top honours, the Niagara River Lions?
“I feel proud,” said head coach Derrick Alston Sr. before thanking his players for giving him his first victory at the helm of the team.
Everyone did their job. Those who must score have scored. Those who have to take rebounds have taken rebounds. Those who have to defend, be physical… All these guys did their job. I was very happy about that.
Derrick Alston Sr., Alliance Head Coach
From the very first seconds, the crowd was involved… and amazed by the maneuvers of Blake Francis. Lively, quick and agile, the 25-year-old American netted the first basket of the match for the Alliance on a solo breakthrough. The evening was on.
“It was good to let the nerves out a bit,” said a calm but happy Francis after the game. I had fun throughout the game. The crowd played a huge role in our victory. »
“I could barely hear myself thinking!” exclaimed Alston Sr. But it was great. […] Pardon my language, but it’s ten times better than the G-League, and I’ve been there for seven years. I can’t wait for all the home games! »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Elijah Ifejeh struggles to control the ball.
“He is the star of our team”
The Alliance, playing for the first time after a very short training camp, trailed slightly 15-12 in the first quarter. Delay that she was quick to fill. The troop of Derrick Alston Sr. indeed seemed to take more ease in the second quarter. It began with the Alliance’s first two three-pointers, courtesy of the specialist in the field, Ahmed Hill. The crowd was waiting for that.
Coming back to the locker room for intermission, the Alliance had a 33-30 lead, thanks in part to 12 points from Hill and 10 from Francis. The latter were the two most used players by the coach with more than 32 minutes of playing time.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
On the sidelines, the Alliance players stayed in the game.
“He is the star of our team,” dropped Alston Sr., who knows Francis well for having already coached.
“I know he can score. Everyone in the building knows he can score. When he gets better defensively, he becomes a star. […] During the game he got better defensively because he knows I’m going to hold him accountable. He was excellent. He is the machine that drives the team forward. »
Quebecer Nathan Cayo, who recorded six offensive rebounds in the victory, also did not hesitate to praise the work of his teammate, with whom he has already played in the past.
“He’s going to be an incredible player for us,” he said. He can score in so many different ways and pass the ball. »
Without selfishness
Even if it was sometimes a little disorganized defensively, the Alliance only widened its lead little by little. Late in the game, as she tried to hit the 83-point target set by the Elam rule, Hill and Nathan Cayo went there with two dunks in a row. The crowd, already on their feet, was ecstatic.
“I think we won the game with defense and effort,” Cayo said. I think we worked harder than them. We wanted more than them. We did everything we could to win. »
These words echoed those of his trainer, spoken a little earlier.
“They played without selfishness,” said Alston Sr. “They had confidence in themselves, something I talk about every day. »
Now that the first victory is achieved, the challenge will be to obtain others. Last year, the Alliance won their first match before losing 16 of their next 19 matches.
The secret to getting there? “Keep trusting each other,” said Blake Francis. It’s the first game of the season, it’s still a work in progress. I think we will continue to build this confidence over the matches and become a very good team. »
The Rule of Elam
The LECB is the only basketball league in the world to have adopted the Elam rule. When there are less than four minutes left in the game, the clock is put away for the rest of the game. At the next stoppage in play, a score to be reached is established, ie the number of points of the leading team plus nine.