Basket Esch took a close 87-80 home win over Kordall Steelers in round 5, a result that lifted LAL to 7th place with a gain of 3 spots. KDS stayed 12th and is now on a five-game losing run, while Esch stopped a two-game skid.
The game started with Kordall sharper. The Steelers went 6-0 up and still edged the first quarter 21-22 after strong early work from Selmin Muric (Season PPG: 10.80, RPG: 4.17, AssPG: 1.00) and Jeffrey Leroy Early Jr (38, USA), who finished with 33 points in 40 minutes.
The turning point came early in the second quarter. Esch opened with a 7-0 run to move from 22-21 to 29-21. Kordall answered and got back to 29-28, but Franck Meriguet's team rebuilt control before the break, reaching 45-38. Esch's shot profile was cleaner: 25/28 on free throws for a good 89% and 6/13 from three for a good 46%.
LAL then produced its biggest lead at 60-45 in the third quarter. KDS reacted well with a 14-2 burst, cutting it to 62-59 behind Early Jr and Blake Andrew Jones (Season PPG: 24.60, RPG: 11.33, AssPG: 2.67). Still, Esch answered immediately and closed the period at 66-59.
The fourth stayed tense. Kordall came back again from 72-59 to 72-66, and later to 78-74, but Basket Esch had the late scorers. Jordan Hicks (36, 2.01m, USA) led with 23 points on 5/5 free throws, 6/11 on twos and 2/3 on threes, an excellent all-around shooting line. Clancy Mac Rugg (Season PPG: 16.60, RPG: 7.83, AssPG: 1.67) added 17 points and was game MVP, Quinten Gregory Dee Nelson (Season PPG: 17.20, RPG: 2.50, AssPG: 2.00) had 17, and Damien Thill (Season PPG: 8.60, RPG: 5.50, AssPG: 3.17) gave 8 assists.
For KDS, Jones posted 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Muric added 17 points with 7/11 on twos and 2/4 from deep. The Steelers were good inside at 54% on two-pointers, but their 8/14 free throws and 3/13 from three left them chasing late.
(AI generated)