Basket Esch controlled Sparta Bertrange 92-70 in Esch/ho1, overturning the first meeting (86-62 for Sparta) and leveling the head-to-head. The leaders started fast: a 15-24 first quarter behind Jarvis Williams' early triples and Victor Iwuakor's post touches. Esch steadied in the second (16-11) to trail 31-35 at halftime.
The game flipped after the break. Esch exploded for a 36-17 third quarter, turning 31-35 into 67-51 at the buzzer. Dino Ceman opened with a three, Jordan Hicks strung together three straight free throws, and Clancy Rugg and Quinten Nelson hit timely perimeter shots. A pivotal sequence came after Philippe Arendt's unsportsmanlike foul; Nelson (Season PPG: 21.63, RPG: 5.63, AssPG: 4.06) buried the ensuing free throws and later added a three. Iwuakor (Season PPG: 19.00, RPG: 9.35, AssPG: 1.35) picked up his third and fourth fouls in the third, dampening Sparta's interior advantage.
Esch stretched the margin to a high of +25 (92-67) in the fourth before a late Arendt triple fixed the final score. Coach Franck Meriguet's side was clinical at the line (16/18, 89% - good) and inside the arc (26/40, 65% - good), while Karl Abou Khalil's team suffered at the stripe (8/16, 50%) and from deep (6/25, 24%). Esch also owned the possession battle: fewer turnovers (10 vs 16), more steals (12 vs 6), more assists (18 vs 10) and a clear defensive rebounding edge (31 vs 23).
Top performers: Nelson paced Esch with 24 points; Rugg (Season PPG: 20.06, RPG: 9.69, AssPG: 3.00) added 21, and Hicks (35, 2.01m, USA; Season PPG: 14.67, RPG: 5.47, AssPG: 1.00) chipped in 14. Ceman (Season PPG: 6.00, RPG: 4.00, AssPG: 2.56) and Corentin Cornu (Season PPG: 5.75, RPG: 1.88, AssPG: 1.75) hit key threes; Emmanuel Jesus Frederico scored 8. For Sparta, Iwuakor tallied 20, Williams (Season PPG: 25.07, RPG: 6.05, AssPG: 0.71) had 18, and Max Logelin (Season PPG: 17.00, RPG: 5.56, AssPG: 3.48) added 10. Nicolas Hittelet (27, 2.00m) knocked down a second-quarter three.
Sparta stay first (13-3) but have dropped three of their last five. Esch sit fifth (10-6) and are on a two-game winning run. Attendance: 190 (170 paying).
(AI generated)