In the opening game of the M-Division 4 championship round, Telstar Hesperange E won the club derby at Telstar Hesperange D 83-35 and jumped eight places into 1st, while TELD remained 10th.
The game was competitive early. TELD went in front 4-2 and later 13-10, with Norman Aust, Christophe Thil and Laurent Gerouville giving the home side some rhythm. The turning point of the first quarter came at 13-10: TELE closed the period on a 9-0 run to lead 19-13. Florian Delbes (25, FRA) was central in that sequence, scoring 7 of those 9 points.
The second quarter opened the gap. After TELD reduced it to 15-21, TELE answered with a 15-2 stretch before halftime. Enrico Cardinale (24, ITA) started to impose himself more and more, while Delbes, Pietro Battaglia and Francesco Bocchio kept the scoreboard moving. At the break, TELE had a clear 36-17 advantage.
The third quarter removed most of the suspense. TELE opened with 4 straight points from Battaglia and later turned 18-40 into 18-54 with a 14-0 burst. TELD reacted well for a moment: Mike Bausch added free throws and Max Rock hit back-to-back threes in a 9-0 reply that brought it to 27-54. Still, TELE stayed firmly in control at 58-27 after three.
In the last quarter, Niccolo Spagnoletti's team kept its pace and added another 8-0 run from 31-60 to 31-68. The highest lead reached 48 points at 83-35.
Top scorers for TELE were Cardinale with 20 points, Delbes 17, Battaglia 12, Bocchio 10 and Sebastiano Gianfrate 10. For TELD, Max Rock scored 10, Aust 8 and Bausch 8, including 6 made free throws. TELE's repeated scoring runs and broader offensive distribution made the difference.
(AI generated)