Résidence Walferdange, 7th in the table, beat 4th-placed Basket Esch 102-72 and split the season series after the 80-89 loss in the first meeting. Walferdange had 2 professional players available, Esch 1, a roster imbalance that mattered in this Enovos League game. Coach Rainer Kloss' team is now on a two-game winning streak after a five-game losing run; Esch lost for the second time in a row.
The first break came early. After 10-8, Brendan Bailey, the 28-year-old 2.03m American forward, scored 14 straight RES points and pushed the game to 24-8. Walferdange closed the first quarter 32-20. Esch answered well in the second period, winning it 26-23 and cutting the gap to 55-46 at halftime behind Quinten Nelson and Dino Ceman.
The decisive moment came just after the break. RES opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run to 62-46, and that became a 24-5 surge for 79-51. From there, Esch never got back into contact. The lead reached 30.
Bailey (Season PPG: 22.80, RPG: 9.61, AssPG: 1.43) was the clear MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and excellent shooting: 75% FT, 75% on 2-pointers, 75% on 3-pointers. John Clark Slajchert (Season PPG: 26.60, RPG: 5.30, AssPG: 3.52) added 19 points on 8/10 from two, with 3 assists and 2 steals. Victor Shungu Bonga scored 15 on 7/10 inside, and Tom Schomer produced 12 points and 5 assists.
For Esch, Nelson (Season PPG: 21.05, RPG: 5.41, AssPG: 4.09) finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Ceman added 14 with excellent 5/5 free throws and 3/4 on 2-pointers. Emmanuel Jesus Frederico, a 17-year-old 2.00m forward/center from Cape Verde, scored 13 but collected two fouls in the opening quarter.
Walferdange's efficiency was strong: an excellent 57.1% from three, a good 65.9% from two, 17 assists and only 7 turnovers.
(AI generated)