Basket Esch took a third win in three meetings with Résidence Walferdange this season, prevailing 72-65 in Walfer after a major swing in momentum. The away side climbs to 1st place in the phase finale with a ranking gain of +3 and a 4-1 record, while RES stays 3rd at 3-2. It was also LAL's fourth straight win.
Walferdange had the better middle of the game's first half after a slow start. Basket Esch opened 7-0, but RES answered strongly and closed the first quarter ahead 19-12. The home team then kept pushing in the second period, stretching the margin to the game's highest lead at 40-16 and taking a 44-22 advantage into halftime. Rafael Dos Santos Antonio (Season PPG: 18.73), a 15-year-old from Belgium, led that phase with 19 points. Nojus Banys (Season PPG: 20.93) added 12 with four three-pointers, Jokubas Toliusis (Season PPG: 14.64) scored 12, and Matas Sendzikas (Season PPG: 22.50) contributed 8.
The game changed completely after the break. Basket Esch won the third quarter 24-8 to cut the gap to 52-46, and Alexandre Kremer (Season PPG: 12.82) was central in that shift. He finished with 21 points, equal to his season maximum. Euricky Semedo da Veiga, a 14-year-old from Portugal, added 14, Edmilson Vieira Miguel (Season PPG: 9.87) scored 14 despite four fouls, and Maël Gevrey (Season PPG: 11.27) brought 11.
In the fourth quarter, LAL's decisive stretch came from 51-56 to 59-68, a 17-3 run that turned control fully to coach Vincent Gevrey's team. RES still responded through late baskets from Jokubas Banaitis, but Basket Esch stayed in front and closed the game from the line through Paul Blettery and Kremer.
(AI generated)