Musel Pikes opened the relegation round with a 104-67 home win over AB Contern and moved up one place to 2nd, the current barrage position, while Contern stayed 4th. Musel are now on 4 wins in a row; Contern have lost 14 straight.
The game was close only in the first quarter. Contern led 6-3 and later 20-19, with Joshua Ferguson (Season PPG: 19.57, RPG: 12.42, AssPG: 2.69) and Jeffrey Schumacher carrying the offense, but Musel finished the period better for 29-27. Guy Schmit's team then made the break in Q2: from 35-30, Musel produced a 24-10 spell and reached halftime up 59-41. Contern briefly reduced the gap to 59-47 early in the third, yet Musel answered immediately and dominated the rest of the quarter, extending to 88-54. The biggest lead was 40 points at 94-54 in Q4.
Musel's edge came from efficiency and control: 80% on free throws, 61% on 2-pointers, 47% on 3-pointers, 32 assists and only 4 turnovers. Everette Hammond IV (Season PPG: 20.83, RPG: 4.25, AssPG: 2.88) scored 30 and opened the game with Musel's first 9 points. Jaylen Key (Season PPG: 19.45, RPG: 8.50, AssPG: 1.22) added 17, including an excellent 3/5 from deep. Captain Tom Welter (Season PPG: 8.78, RPG: 2.57, AssPG: 4.71) gave Musel strong direction with 14 points and 14 assists.
Contern relied heavily on Ferguson, who was outstanding despite the loss: 32 points, 17 rebounds and excellent shooting on all three levels (1/1 FT, 14/17 2P, 1/1 3P). Schumacher added 15 and Mertzig 9, but Contern finished at 49% on 2-pointers and 31% from three. In this Enovos League game, Musel also had two professional players available, Contern one, which had a clear impact on the balance of the matchup.
(AI generated)