Basket Esch B overpowered BC Mess B 93-58 in the Championship Round (return, game 4), breaking the contest open with a 40-13 fourth quarter after leading 24-14, 38-28 at halftime and 53-45 after three. The game's balance flipped for good early in the last period when Esch strung together a 12-4 start to move from +8 to +16, and they kept pressing until the final +35, their largest lead. Antoine Kühn closed the night with back-to-back triples and a team-high 30 points.
For Esch, the core group set the tone: Damien Thill (19 pts, 1.90m) sparked the decisive stretch with eight points in the middle of the fourth, while Ruben Vidal added 10. From the other unit, Marko Latinovic (38, 2.00m) chipped in 11 and Raphaël Cessat (19, FRA) added 12. Coach Franck Meriguet's side also controlled the rhythm when it mattered most, turning a modest edge into a runaway.
Mess hung around through three quarters behind Maxime Sunnen (18) and Jeff Bofferding (16, efficient at the line), with support from Giovanni Kemevuako (21, 1.93m) who reached 9. However, François Villain was disqualified in the second quarter after two technical fouls, thinning Coach Alexandre Caurla's rotation and complicating the visitors' options down the stretch.
Context matters: Mess had won the first meeting 80-69, but Esch delivered a comprehensive response at home. In the standings, Esch sit 6th while Mess are 8th. Esch are on a two-game winning run; Mess have dropped two straight.
(AI generated)