Basket Esch D beat Black Star Mersch C 60-50 and completed a 2-0 season sweep after the earlier 60-51 road win. Richard Czerwonka's team moved up to 2nd place with a gain of four positions, while Black Star Mersch C stayed 8th. Esch also stretched its current run to three straight wins.
The game turned several times early. Esch led 6-2, then Mersch answered with a 10-0 run to go up 12-6, driven mainly by captain Daniel Göhlhausen (Season PPG: 17.00). Basket Esch D reacted well with an 11-2 finish to the opening quarter for a 17-14 lead.
The second period gave the home side more control. After Mersch cut it to 17-16, Esch produced a 10-2 spell to reach 27-18. Noah Schwarz (Season PPG: 19.44) was decisive here and all night with 24 points, including four 3-pointers. The 18-year-old was the main scorer, while the 44-year-old French player Raouf Riahi added 7 points and Samuel Alves Cordeiro (LALD) brought 11, all in support of the breakaway.
The third quarter was the key phase. Esch won it 21-9 and pushed the margin as high as 27 points at 56-29. A 7-0 burst from 43-28 to 50-28 gave the game a clear direction, with Samuel Alves Cordeiro hitting back-to-back threes in that stretch of dominance.
Claire Marnach's side did respond in the last quarter. Mersch won it 16-4 and closed on a 10-0 run from 60-40 to 60-50. Göhlhausen finished with 25 points despite four fouls, while Christophe Lenert (Season PPG: 6.70) scored 8 and Luca Testori Ep. Diber (Season PPG: 2.91) added 7. Clifton Cano committed two fouls in the second quarter, including an unsportsmanlike, during a moment when Esch was building separation.
(AI generated)