Kordall Steelers, 2nd in the standings, took a 71-63 road win at 6th-placed Arantia Larochette and moved to 2-0.
The visitors set the tone early. KDS jumped to 13-2, with Alisha Staar (KDS) driving the start and giving Arantia an immediate deficit to chase. The home side answered well late in the first quarter: Sarah Nunes Birchen (ARA) scored 6 straight points to bring it back to 12-15.
The key stretch came in the second period. After Arantia had reduced the gap to 24-25, Kordall went on a 16-0 run to open the game at 24-41. Staar, Nikita Julian (25, FRA) and Audrey Nicole Guyot (36, FRA) were central in that sequence, and KDS reached halftime with a solid 43-28 advantage.
Under coach Joao Pedro Osorio Silva, Arantia reacted after the break. The hosts won the third quarter 15-13 and the fourth 20-15, but Kordall kept enough control. The visitors' highest lead was 19 points, first at 33-52 and again at 43-62.
Arantia still made the ending more competitive. Noëllie Almeida da Cruz (ARA) hit three consecutive 3-pointers in the last quarter, part of a late push that reduced the score to 61-71 before Lucie Rock (ARA) closed it at 63-71.
Staar was the game's top scorer with 28 points. Julian added 18 and Guyot 13 before fouling out late; Guyot had also been charged with an early flagrant foul. For Arantia, Almeida da Cruz finished with 15, Rock had 13, and Nunes Birchen added 11.
(AI generated)