Third-placed Basket Esch C controlled the key phases and beat Musel Pikes C 88-75, completing a 2-0 season sweep after the 72-61 away win in the first meeting.
The opening quarter was even at 24-24. Musel stayed level through Christian Heinesch (Season PPG: 14.87), Krzystof Radzimski (34, POL) and Maximilian Tschiderer, while Esch answered with early scoring from Dorian Da Cruz (Season PPG: 9.00), Sven Reis (Season PPG: 8.06) and Raoul Burg.
The game changed in the second period. From 26-26, Esch closed the half on a 21-6 run to build a 47-32 lead. Reis was very important in that stretch, Da Cruz hit from outside, and Yann Sowa plus Darren Marschal added useful support. Musel had trouble keeping the same offensive rhythm after its solid first quarter.
The third quarter did not bring a real comeback. Musel reduced the gap in small steps through Christian Heinesch, Paul Heinesch and Chris Konsbruck, but Esch still held a clear 63-46 advantage entering the last period.
The crucial moment came immediately in the fourth quarter. Noah Kouamedjouo, only 17, scored 9 points in a row and pushed Esch from 63-46 to 72-46, which became the highest lead of the game at 26 points. Musel reacted late and won the final quarter 29-25, with Heinesch, Radzimski and Tschiderer leading that push, but the margin created earlier was too large.
Esch had balanced high-end production with Kouamedjouo and Da Cruz both on 22 points, plus 18 from captain Reis. For Musel, Christian Heinesch finished with 18 points, Radzimski added 14 and Tschiderer 12. Esch stayed 3rd and extended its run to three straight wins, while Musel, now on two straight losses, remained 9th but gained one place in the standings.
(AI generated)