Seventh-ranked Musel Pikes B edged fifth-ranked Basket Esch B 65-60 in Dreiborn, tying the season series at 1-1 after Esch's 63-59 home win earlier in the season. It was a close game throughout, with no lead bigger than 13 points.
Musel opened better behind Eric Steffen (Season PPG: 16.47) and Chris Dentzer (Season PPG: 14.36), moving to 9-4 and later 15-9. Basket Esch B answered through Moris Czerwonka and Jules Neuen (Season PPG: 9.29), cutting it back to 18-16 after one quarter.
The second period brought the first major swing. Esch turned a 25-20 deficit into a 31-29 lead with an 11-4 run, driven by Ruben Vidal (Season PPG: 9.07), Antoine Kühn (Season PPG: 11.44) and Melvin Pereira Furtado (17). Musel reacted well and closed the half with a 9-4 stretch for 38-35.
After the break, the hosts had their best spell: 10 unanswered points for 48-35. Franck Meriguet's team responded immediately, using a 14-1 run to tie the game at 49-49, with Kühn and Pereira Furtado doing most of the damage. Musel still carried a 53-49 edge into the last quarter.
Esch came back again from 59-52 to 59-59 with seven straight points, keeping the finish completely open. The decisive moment came at the line, where Musel answered with a 6-0 run to move from 59-59 to 65-59. Guy Schmit (45) and Steffen hit the crucial free throws.
Schmit led Musel with 18 points, while Steffen and Yann Herrmann (Season PPG: 8.57) added 14 each. For Esch, Kühn scored 14, Neuen had 13 and Pereira Furtado added 12 in only his second game. Musel moved up one place to seventh; Esch, despite staying fifth, are now on a three-game losing streak.
(AI generated)