Second-placed Basket Esch C took a close 76-70 home win over third-placed T71 Dudelange B and reversed the earlier 85-99 defeat from the first meeting. LALC also extended its winning run to seven games, while T71B dropped a second straight match.
The game turned several times. T71B opened with a sharp 7-0 burst, with Rafael Costa Farinha and Noé Schroeder setting the tone, but LALC answered through Darren Marschal (Season PPG: 18.17), who was already on a roll in the first quarter and drove Esch to a 26-20 lead. The second quarter belonged clearly to Dudelange B: after LALC briefly moved to 34-32, T71B closed the half on a 10-0 run, including six consecutive points from Noah Jeitz (Season PPG: 11.33), for a 42-34 advantage. That was the visitors' biggest lead at eight points.
LALC changed the rhythm after the break. Noah Jacques Kambala (Season PPG: 18.42) took over in the third quarter with repeated inside scoring and free throws, and Esch won the period 24-17 to get back in front. The fourth stayed tight until 65-65. From there, Kambala produced five straight points for 70-65, a crucial sequence in a game where every possession mattered. T71B came back to 72-70 through Costa Farinha (19, PRT, Season PPG: 9.64), but Yann Sowa and Marschal were clean from the line to finish it.
Marschal led all scorers with 30 points, Kambala added 21, and Sowa gave LALC 7 useful points late. For T71B, Costa Farinha scored 17, 19-year-old Lenn Dondelinger (1.92m, Season PPG: 14.92) had 15, Schroeder added 11 and Jeitz 10. Late foul pressure also weighed on T71B, with Hendrik Kickert, Costa Farinha and Pol Becker all reaching four fouls.
(AI generated)