Sparta Bertrange C won a tight game at Telstar Hesperange, 67-65, and completed a 2-0 season sweep in this phase finale. Coach Tine Nagy's team moved up one place to 2nd at 6-2 and extended its winning streak to three games, while Telstar stayed 5th at 3-5.
The game flow was marked by strong momentum swings. Sparta opened with 8 unanswered points and controlled the 1st quarter 22-12. Telstar reacted well in the 2nd: after trailing 22-12, they came back to 24-24, with Martin Giordana Pi (Season PPG: 10.64) and Andrei Ionescu (Season PPG: 6.47) leading that stretch. Sparta then answered with an 18-8 run to close the half at 42-32.
Telstar again pushed early after the break, cutting it to 36-42, but Sparta stayed in front behind Giovanni Vena (Season PPG: 12.04), who was decisive around the basket. Sparta reached its highest lead at 61-47 early in the 4th quarter.
Then came Telstar's best sequence. Romas Degutis' side produced 13 straight points to close to 60-61, driven by Tao Raphaël Ozier-Lafontaine (Season PPG: 11.46), who matched his season high with 23 points and hit two 3-pointers, and Giordana Pi, who also matched his season best with 22. Sparta responded at the key moment with 6 unanswered points, from 61-60 to 67-60, mainly through Vena and 11-year-old Leonardo De Marco from Italy, who finished with 12 points. Telstar still had a final 5-0 push, but Sparta held on.
Top Sparta scorers were Vena with 25, Raphaël Grieco (Season PPG: 12.33) with 14, and De Marco with 12. For Telstar, Ozier-Lafontaine scored 23, Giordana Pi 22, and Ionescu 8.
(AI generated)