A play-off ticket would give Okapi Aalst’s season a different face, Dorian Marchant knows. — © Gregory Van Gansen
Basketball Elite Silver: Okapi Aalst – Leeuwarden (Saturday at 8:30 PM)
Aalst –
With a four out of five, Aalst made a great start in Elite Silver, where Okapi now advanced to fourth place, one point ahead of Kortrijk Spurs and Kangaroos Mechelen and two ahead of Leuven Bears. The unknown Leeuwarden will be our guest in Aalst on Saturday.
Dorian Marchant knows what is at stake on Saturday. “Completing a flawless course is the message if we want to reach the play-offs. We must continue our momentum against Leeuwarden. We gave a great performance against Kortrijk Spurs on Saturday. After the first quarter we took control and never relinquished it. We no longer have our fate in our own hands, but we are in a good flow and are still in the running for the play-offs. That would immediately give our season a different face. We ended the regular competition as a red lantern, but have since changed our approach. Okapi took steps forward and the opposition in Elite Silver also weighs less heavily.”
“In Leeuwarden we will have an opponent visiting who I find difficult to estimate. We already have the advantage that we play in our own venue, while Leeuwarden still has a tough move ahead of it. We know from experience that a long bus ride does get under your skin. Leeuwarden has given away some nice performances in recent weeks, so we have to be on our guard. We should not take our performance against Kortrijk Spurs too lightly. That team seems a bit lost. We should have won in Kortrijk on the first day of the match, but we gave it up after we led the dance for 38 minutes.”
Busy eight days
With the arrival of Tito Casero and recently Pape Badji, Okapi made adjustments during the season with two old acquaintances who appear to provide added value. “With Pape Badji we are now picking up many more rebounds. Pape is also an excellent fit in the group and has a good mentality. He already knew most of the players, which further enhanced his integration. I can’t complain about my own season. Hopefully we make it to the play-offs. That would turn a season that started with difficulty into a successful one. We are now facing a busy eight days with Leeuwarden, Yoast United and Brussels. That succession of competitions does get in the way of a narrow core like Okapi.”