Etzella Ettelbruck struck first in this best-of-3 semi-final and leads the series 1-0 after an 89-71 home win. It was also Etzella's third victory over Amicale Steesel this season.
The game was competitive early. Amicale, guided by Alex Laurent (Season PPG: 13.92, RPG: 5.19, AssPG: 0.91) and Ashton Lee Sherrell (Season PPG: 22.88, RPG: 8.91, AssPG: 1.03), moved in front 17-11 in the first quarter. Etzella then changed the rhythm with a 16-3 run to close the period at 27-20. That swing set the tone.
In the second quarter, Etzella opened with 6 unanswered points for 33-20. Amicale cut the gap to 36-30, but Tim Schomer scored 8 points in a row late in the quarter and the home side went into halftime up 46-32. From there, Etzella controlled the game well. Philippe Gutenkauf (Season PPG: 17.27, RPG: 4.30, AssPG: 7.22) kept punishing from the perimeter and in transition, while Nicholas Thomas Davis (Season PPG: 21.00, RPG: 10.18, AssPG: 1.67) gave steady interior production. Early in the fourth, the lead reached 20 points at 66-46, the biggest margin of the night.
Amicale still showed resistance. Sherrell was excellent inside and at the line with 22 points on 8/11 from 2-point range and 6/6 free throws, and Malcolm Wesley Richardson (Season PPG: 16.19, RPG: 7.68, AssPG: 5.09) added 12 points. A 9-0 run brought Amicale back to 71-58, but Etzella answered through Davis and Billy Ray McDaniel Jr, the 41-year-old American forward-center, and never let the game become truly tense again.
Etzella finished with good team shooting from 2-point range (54.5%) and 3-point range (36.1%), plus 22 assists. Amicale was good on free throws (78.9%), but its 3-point accuracy stayed too low at 23.1%. Philippe Gutenkauf and Sherrell shared the best MVP ranking of the game.
(AI generated)