“It almost seems that someone at the top does not wish us victory in this competition,” Chomutov coach Pavel Staněk felt bitter. “It’s very difficult for me to find words, because after an embarrassing start, we returned to the match with full will and energy.” But it still wasn’t enough.
When Chomutov turned the score around in the second act, the Hungarians again shifted into a higher gear. In particular, guard Jacinta Monroe was unstoppable, scoring 34 points and adding 15 rebounds. “Unfortunately, we didn’t keep Monroe far enough away from the basket, even though we prepared for her. The girls fought as they should. Who knows what the match would look like if they let her play outright,” thought Staněk.
NaJai Wynnová-Pollardová (left) and Kateřina Bartoňová from Chomutov guard Jacinta Monroeová from Szekszard.
Point guard Valentýna Kadlecová also regretted the fourth defeat in the EuroCup. “It was our last home game, so we wanted to enjoy it and finally get over the loss in the EuroCup. We were quite tired after Monday’s league match in Hradec, but then we got into it and fought until the end. I’m proud of the girls,” said Levhartic, the top scorer.
She scored 18 points as did Anna Rylich, NaJai Pollard had a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. “Every time we play quite evenly, but we always miss a piece, some little thing. It’s about the details, we have to pay more attention to them. We may have had a lot of unnecessary losses today. If we remove it, we can be successful,” believes Kadlecová.
After four rounds, Chomutov is last in Group K without a point and without a chance to advance, the last two matches will be played on the boards of the first and second teams of the table, Estudiantes and Sassari. “We are very happy to be part of the EuroCup and to be able to compete with such teams. It’s definitely pushing us, we’re getting better and better with every match. So maybe the win will finally come in the last two rounds,” hopes the 19-year-old hope of Levhartic.
