Etzella Ettelbruck edged Basket Esch 71-66 at deichwisen/central in a tight championship-round game, completing a season sweep after their Phase 1 win (73-59). The result pushes Etzella to the top of the Phase 2 table (4-1, +3 places), while Esch stays fifth (1-4).
Etzella started sharper, closing the first period 16-13, notably with Charel Wilmes calmly knocking down three free throws in a row to end the quarter. The hosts then broke the game open with a burst to start the second: an 8-0 run to 24-13, extended to 30-15 after another 6-0 spell. They led 42-30 at the break.
Esch reset after halftime. Noah Kouamedjouo (Season PPG: 11.30) fueled an 8-0 run on his own two free throws followed by two field goals to cut it to 42-38 early in the third. Etzella answered through captain Noah Wolter (15 pts; Season PPG: 16.20) and Wilmes, restoring a 57-47 cushion after three.
The fourth quarter belonged to 16-year-old Marvin Delgado Dos Santos (Season PPG: 26.90): he opened the period with 10 straight points for Etzella, stretching the lead to a game-high +13 (60-47, then 67-54). Esch, guided by coach Dejan Pavlovic, refused to fold. Kouamedjouo and Emmanuel Jesus Frederico (2.00m, 17, CPV) chipped away, and Esch closed on a 10-2 run from 69-56. Kouamedjouo's late three set the final margin at five, but Etzella managed the last possessions to secure the win.
Top performers
- Etzella: Delgado Dos Santos poured in 33 (5 FT, 11 2P, 2 3P), Wolter added 15, and Lenny Lopes Morais (Season PPG: 17.10) 12. Coach Nelson Delgado's group has now won three straight.
- Esch: Kouamedjouo erupted for 31 (5 FT, 7 2P, 4 3P), with Emmanuel Jesus Frederico (Season PPG: 13.33) scoring 11 and captain Benjamin Muller (Season PPG: 13.56) 10.
Foul context mattered late: both Kouamedjouo and Emmanuel carried four, while Emmanuel had three fouls already in the first quarter, yet Esch still mounted a late charge. Etzella's highest lead was 13; the visitors' third-quarter surge and the final push underlined how close it felt at the finish.
(AI generated)