AS Soleuvre, 3rd in the Phase finale table, edged 4th-placed Bascharage Hedgehogs 76-75 in a game that swung several times and stayed open until the last basket.
Bascharage started better. Kodjovi Armel Yohann Koutsawa (Season PPG: 17.82) set the tone with 6 early points, and the visitors closed the first quarter ahead 19-17. Soleuvre then changed the rhythm in the second period: Lex Lahure (Season PPG: 17.84) and Pol Diedenhofen (Season PPG: 14.32) pushed the home side into a 7-1 start, and Soleuvre later stretched its best margin to 40-32 before taking a 40-34 halftime lead.
The third quarter belonged to Bascharage. After Soleuvre led 42-34, the Hedgehogs answered with 11 straight points to move in front 45-42. Gil Schmit (Season PPG: 20.80) and 15-year-old Viktor Pecirep (Season PPG: 6.93) were central in that run, and Bascharage entered the last quarter up 58-52.
The visitors even reached their biggest lead at 65-56, but Soleuvre reacted calmly. Nik Lahure (Season PPG: 8.93) hit key outside shots in the fourth, Diedenhofen kept scoring inside and at the line, and the home team worked back in front. Bascharage briefly reclaimed the lead at 75-74 through Koutsawa's free throws, but Lex Lahure answered with the winning basket for 76-75.
Diedenhofen led Soleuvre with 22 points, Lex Lahure added 19, Nik Lahure 16 and Malik Bah (Season PPG: 12.42) 11. For Bascharage, Schmit had 21, Koutsawa 18, Pecirep 13 and Chris Jay Reding (Season PPG: 2.65) 10. Amin Chebbi fouled out late, while coach Hervé Marie-Rose's team handled the final swing better. Soleuvre also completed a 3-0 season sweep against Bascharage.
(AI generated)