In this Phase finale return game between the teams placed 5th and 6th, Telstar Hesperange controlled Bascharage Hedgehogs 97-43 and moved to 2-4, while Bascharage dropped to 0-6. Telstar also made it 3-0 in the season series after the earlier 84-38 and 81-66 wins. It was also a welcome response for coach Romas Degutis' side, which stopped a four-game losing streak, while Bascharage are now on 11 straight defeats.
The game was shaped early. Telstar opened 4-0 through Martin Fritsch and Tao Raphaël Ozier-Lafontaine, then after Bascharage stayed close at 10-4, Stanislaw Jan Kwasniewski produced 8 unanswered points for an 18-4 margin. Bascharage had answers from Gregor Tomac, Karlo Saric and Andrija Cubrilo, but Telstar still closed the first quarter 25-12. In the second, Martin Giordana Pi and Andrei Ionescu stretched the gap to 31-12. Bascharage found some rhythm through Istok Pecirep, Lucas Guardado Cristino and Saric, yet Telstar kept a solid 39-23 halftime lead.
The third quarter was the key break. After Cubrilo scored first for Bascharage, Telstar answered with a 9-0 run to 48-25. Later, after the timeout at 58-31, the home side kept scoring through Martin Chini, Liam Murschel, Louis Petit and John Nabika Sow Wecker to reach 68-37. The last quarter became one-sided: Kwasniewski and Chini pushed an 8-0 burst to 82-42, and Telstar finished the game with 11 straight points from 86-43 to the final score. The highest lead was 54.
Giordana Pi (Season PPG: 9.92) led Telstar with 18, matching his season high. Ozier-Lafontaine, 13-year-old French guard-forward, and Kwasniewski (Season PPG: 12.00) added 16 each. Fritsch (Season PPG: 7.70) scored 14 despite committing two fouls in a row early and carrying four before halftime. For Bascharage, Cubrilo (Season PPG: 9.83) had 16 and matched his season best, with Tomac adding 9 and captain Saric (Season PPG: 11.43) finishing with 8.
(AI generated)