Amicale Steesel controlled the trip to Esch, winning 54-79 in a game they led all night and broke open after halftime. In front of 200 spectators, Daniel Alves de Sousa's team set the tone early: Malcolm Wesley Richardson scored two quick baskets and Ashton Lee Sherrell added inside points for a 2-8 start. Sean Bugeja's triple made it 8-16 before Basket Esch closed the first at 10-16.
The second quarter featured a key burst: after Jordan Hicks scored, Sherrell poured in Amicale's next nine points, pushing the gap to 14-28. Esch answered through Damien Thill (three) and Quinten Nelson to 23-28, but Scott Morton calmly hit four free throws in a row to send Steesel to the break up 25-35. Earlier in the period, the visitors absorbed a bench technical on their coach without losing control.
The decisive swing came right after halftime: Amicale opened the third on a 1-12 run (Morton, Richardson, Alex Laurent from deep, Sherrell at the line) to 26-47. Nelson briefly stemmed the tide with five in a row (two free throws and a three), and Thill added another triple, but the margin was 40-59 after three. Esch's 5-0 to start the fourth (Nelson, Hicks) was immediately answered by a Morton three and more trips to the line, then Laurent and Bugeja connected from distance as the lead grew into the mid-20s.
Top performers
- Amicale: Ashton Lee Sherrell (27; 25, USA) dominated the paint; Scott Morton (16; Season PPG: 10.18) dictated pace and free throws; Alex Laurent (16; Season PPG: 14.27) hit timely shots; Sean Bugeja added 10.
- Basket Esch: Quinten Nelson (17; Season PPG: 21.91) led the scoring despite four fouls; Jordan Hicks (14; 35, 2.01m, USA) worked efficiently inside. Among the home core, Damien Thill (8; Season PPG: 5.64) and Clancy Mac Rugg (7; Season PPG: 18.36) contributed.
In the standings, Amicale climb to 4th (+4), while Basket Esch slip to 5th (-1), both on 17 classification points but with Amicale now ahead.
(AI generated)
Basket Esch