Kordall Steelers won 91-73 at Basket Esch, and this return game was much less tense than the first duel, which KDS had taken 100-99. Kordall came in on a four-game winning run and kept that momentum, while Esch slipped to a fourth straight loss.
Antonio Alexandre Bento dos Reis Pires' team set the tone early. The first quarter stayed close, with Hicks and Nelson answering, but Kordall already had scoring balance and led 28-23. The decisive stretch came in the second period: from 28-30, the Steelers closed the half on a 19-8 run for a 49-36 advantage. Reynolds was particularly sharp in that phase, and KDS kept finishing well inside.
Franck Meriguet's side tried to respond after the break. Esch reduced the gap to 53-65 late in the third quarter, and Nelson then scored 5 points in a row at the start of the fourth to bring it back to 61-73. Kordall answered immediately through Steve Kuhlmann with consecutive threes, pushing the margin back out. After Esch got to 73-84, the visitors finished on a 7-0 burst, their biggest lead of the evening.
KDS shot an excellent 71.8% on 2-pointers. Jalen Alan Reynolds (Season PPG: 16.00, RPG: 7.67, AssPG: 0.89) was MVP with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, shooting an excellent 10/11 from two. Erik Thomas Timko (Season PPG: 28.33, RPG: 6.22, AssPG: 1.94) added 28 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals, with a good 4/9 from three. Robertas Jonaitis (Season PPG: 23.23, RPG: 9.58, AssPG: 1.45) had 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Kuhlmann punished Esch with 4 made threes.
For LAL, Jordan Hicks (Season PPG: 15.25, RPG: 5.26, AssPG: 1.70) posted 25 points and 7 rebounds with an excellent 4/4 from the line. Quinten Gregory Dee Nelson (Season PPG: 20.73, RPG: 5.41, AssPG: 3.86) scored 23 with good percentages at every level. Esch did shoot a good 84.2% on free throws, but Kordall's efficiency near the basket made the difference.
(AI generated)