AB Contern B took a close 69-63 road win over Sparta Bertrange B and moved into 2nd place in M-Division 1, with Sparta B now 3rd after the first championship-round game.
Game evolution was marked by sharp momentum swings. Contern started in full control and raced to a 16-0 lead, with Jeffrey Nicolas Jamal Schumacher (CONB) already on a roll and scoring 9 early points. Sparta only got on the board late in the first quarter, but then answered well through Andrew Blanchard (SPAB), Davide Aquaro (SPAB) and captain Pitt Koster (SPAB) to cut the gap to 23-18.
The second quarter belonged to Sparta. Laliotis, Aquaro and Logelin changed the rhythm, and the home side turned a 23-26 deficit into a 30-26 lead. Later, after a disruptive foul by Yann Fux, Koster converted twice from the line, and Sparta closed the half with a strong 12-2 push to lead 45-39. Their best margin was +6.
Contern reacted immediately after the break. Xavier Engel (CONB) opened the third quarter at the foul line, Schumacher added a three and repeated finishes inside, and the visitors held Sparta to only 6 points in the period. That 15-6 quarter flipped the game to 54-51 for Contern.
The last quarter stayed tight. Aquaro and Meurs kept Sparta close, and Koster scored 3 points in a row to bring it back to 61-63. In the key sequence, Schumacher answered with a three for 66-61, Logelin trimmed it to 63-66 from the line, and Engel hit the decisive three-pointer for 69-63.
Top scorers were Schumacher with 29 for Contern, well supported by Engel's 19. For Sparta, Christophe Logelin (SPAB) had 16, while Koster and Aquaro both finished with 14. Sparta also had to manage 44-year-old 2.01m center Pierre Hoffmann after he reached four fouls by the third quarter.
(AI generated)
Sparta Bertrange B