Etzella Ettelbruck won a close finals game against Sparta Bertrange, 87-81, after leading for long stretches and then answering well in the decisive minutes. Sparta started better and went up 23-15, but Etzella closed the first quarter with 12 unanswered points to move in front 27-23. The home side then reached 31-23 early in the second period. Sparta recovered to 35-35, yet Etzella again finished the quarter stronger for a 45-39 halftime lead.
The third quarter shaped the game. Sparta cut the gap from 51-42 to 51-50 with an 8-0 run, but Etzella replied with a 13-4 burst and took a 64-54 edge into the last period. The lead grew to 66-54, the biggest margin of the night. Sparta still came back: Victor Chidi Iwuakor (Season PPG: 17.56, RPG: 9.9, AssPG: 1.4) and Yannick Verbeelen (Season PPG: 11.90, RPG: 3.2, AssPG: 2.8) led the push, and Philippe Arendt's three tied the score at 78-78. Etzella then made the winning plays, with Nicholas Davis (Season PPG: 21.00, RPG: 10.1, AssPG: 1.4) converting 2 free throws and Thomas Henkel (Season % 1P:76.3, 2P:46.3, 3P:42.8) hitting back-to-back threes.
Etzella had good team shooting: 80% on free throws, 58% on 2-pointers and 46% on 3-pointers. Adrian Delph, the 26-year-old 1.95m American, finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists on excellent 80% from 2 and excellent 60% from 3. Billy Ray McDaniel Jr. (Season PPG: 13.00, RPG: 6.3, AssPG: 1.4) added 21 points with an excellent 4/7 from deep. Philippe Gutenkauf (Season PPG: 17.00, RPG: 4.4, AssPG: 6.7) had 12 points and 6 assists. For Sparta, Iwuakor posted the game MVP line with 23 points and 16 rebounds, Verbeelen scored 20 on an excellent 5/8 from three, and Jarvis Williams added 12. Coach Gavin Love's side extended its winning streak to six games, while Sparta lost a third straight.
(AI generated)