Etzella Ettelbruck took a close 84-80 road win over Sparta Bertrange and kept control of most of this finals game, even if Sparta made two strong comebacks.
Etzella opened with a 6-0 start, then pushed the gap to 5-17 and finished the first quarter up 25-15. Adrian Jermaine Delph (Season PPG: 20.38, RPG: 6.6, AssPG: 3.43) set the tone early, and Billy Ray Mc Daniel Jr., the 41-year-old American forward/center, added 8 quick first-quarter points. In the second period Sparta got back to 24-30, but coach Gavin Love's team answered again and reached the game's highest lead at 27-42 before going to halftime ahead 44-33.
Sparta changed the rhythm after the break. Max Logelin (Season PPG: 15.79, RPG: 5.32, AssPG: 3.18) and Yannick Verbeelen opened the third quarter with 8 unanswered points for 41-44. Sparta later cut it to 56-58, but Etzella still carried a 62-56 edge into the last period.
The decisive stretch came in the fourth. After Sparta reduced the score to 59-64, Philippe Gutenkauf (Season PPG: 17.17, RPG: 4.39, AssPG: 6.76) scored 7 straight points to lift Etzella to 71-59. Sparta answered again: Logelin scored Sparta's last 11 points and brought his team back to 80-82. Delph, the game MVP, then sealed it at the line.
Delph finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 steals, with an excellent 10/12 on 2-pointers. Gutenkauf added 20 points, 4 assists and good all-around shooting (5/6 FT, 3/5 2P, 3/8 3P). Thomas Henkel gave Etzella 8 points and 7 assists, while Nicholas Davis contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds.
For Sparta, Logelin had 19 points, Jarvis Williams (Season PPG: 23.15, RPG: 6.85, AssPG: 2.28) also scored 19, and Victor Iwuakor posted a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double before fouling out in the third quarter. Sparta won the rebound battle 38-28, but Etzella was more efficient on 2-pointers (60% to 55%) and committed fewer turnovers, 10 to 13. Etzella now has five wins in a row, while Sparta has lost two straight.
(AI generated)