Oui! CdM edges Antibes

CORONA DEL MAR — This wasn’t your typical junior high school basketball game.

That could be heard from the start when a girl sang the Star Spangled Banner and the French national anthem.

A team from Antibes, France visited Newport Beach, staying with local families as they toured various spots in Southern California. The students from France also came to play basketball.

Bo St. Geme and the Seaweeds showed them how a team can come back and win. The eighth-grader scored 13 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, and sealed a 58-55 win with two huge free throws with nine seconds left.

CdM Coach Tommy Rausch said St. Geme’s free throws saved the team.

Jeff Johnston contributed 12 points, while Robby Bracho had five points for CdM, which overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Tom Boudinelle, who showed great poise, led Antibes with a game-high 25 points. Mathieu Boubon and Tom Daemers added seven points apiece for the French team.

After the first three quarters that had plenty of back-and-forth action, Antibes grabbed control early in the fourth quarter. The game came down to the final two minutes, when the Seaweeds were down, 51-49. St. Geme scored four points after converting two steals to give CdM a 53-51 lead, as the Seaweeds used a full-court press.

After grabbing a rebound, St. Geme hit a huge three pointer that gave the home team a 56-51 lead.

Boudinelle kept Antibes close, sinking two free throws and a layup to cut the lead to 56-55 with nine seconds left. Antibes fouled St. Geme, who calmly sank both free throws to clinch the win.

“The game was OK,” Antibes Coach Olivier Fontaine said. “The team had a good performance, but they were lacking an inside presence.”

The French team arrived Saturday and had been practicing for the day to play against CdM, said Justin Myers, the vice president of the French Committee Chair for the Newport Beach Sister City Assn. The team toured different parts of the city such as the Newport Aquatic Center, as well as the Environmental Nature Center. The team was also presented before city council and received a gift from the mayor.

“It brings awareness to the community, about our friends across the sea, and helps bridge a gap between different cultures and see that all these youths are the same,” Myers said.

He also said the program gives young French student-athletes an opportunity to experience life in Newport.

Myers added that there are 10 host families who open up their homes to the students.

“We seek volunteers to house these boys and try to match them with similar demographics and matching interests,” he said.

Antibes, France has been Newport Beach’s sister city since 1990. The cities are celebrating their 20th anniversary of a sister-city relationship this year.