Basket Esch qualified for the next cup round with a 90-68 win at North Fox in the 1/8 finals.
The game was still competitive after 10 minutes, with LAL ahead 29-24. The key stretch came in the second quarter. After FOX scored first for 26-29, Basket Esch answered with 16 straight points to reach 26-45. Hicks and Nelson drove that sequence, and the visitors took clear control before the break at 50-35.
North Fox tried to react in the third. Schmitz and Stewart helped cut the deficit, and Stewart later brought it back to 46-57 from the line. But each time FOX showed momentum, Basket Esch had an immediate reply. A 9-0 burst restored separation at 46-66, and even Stewart's late back-to-back threes only reduced the gap to 69-56 after three quarters. In the fourth, LAL never let the margin come under pressure and stretched it as high as 23.
Coach Franck Meriguet's team was clearly sharper in shooting: 10/11 on free throws for an excellent 91%, 19/34 on 2-pointers for 56%, and 14/30 from 3 for 47%. North Fox finished at 14/25 FT, 15/42 from 2 and 8/26 from 3. LAL also won the rebound battle 37-32 and had more assists, 15-10.
MVP Nelson (27, 1.85m, USA) produced 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, with an excellent 7/12 from three. Hicks (36, 2.01m, USA) added 25 points and also shot an excellent 5/7 from deep. Rugg (35, 2.03m) gave Basket Esch 6 points, 8 rebounds and an excellent 4/4 at the line.
For North Fox, Stewart (24, 1.93m, USA) scored 25 points, drew 8 fouls and shot an excellent 5/7 from 2-point range despite four fouls. Charel Linden (26, 1.85m) added 14 points, while Lasley (24, 1.98m, USA) contributed 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.
(AI generated)