AB Contern B edged Amicale Steesel B 66-60 in Contern, a tight Phase finale matchup decided in the last minutes. The hosts set the tone with a 20-12 first quarter David Lopes Meysembourg (Season PPG: 11.16) and Maxime Daems (Season PPG: 6.43) doing early damage before carrying a 35-27 lead to halftime. Contern's captain Lopes caught fire in the third: a personal 1+2+3 burst pushed the gap to a game-high 14 (45-31), and it was 48-39 after three.
The game flipped at the start of the fourth. Amicale strung together a 10-0 run Jona Engel (Season PPG: 7.69), Atanas Atapov (11, BGR; Season PPG: 12.57) and Max Reiter scoring in succession to snatch a 49-48 lead and later 53-51. Jeffrey Nicolas Jamal Schumacher's timeout steadied Contern, and from 56-56 the hosts blasted an 8-0 run (Lopes and Daems) to 64-56, the decisive stretch. Amicale's push was also hit when Atapov, their top scorer with 17, fouled out in the fourth. Earlier, Contern's Colin Dumont Zimmer picked up two quick personals in a row in the third, but the bench absorbed it.
Lopes authored a commanding 31-point night with 11 two-point field goals, one triple and six free throws, repeatedly answering Amicale's charges. Daems added 14, while William Scott Ruppert (Season PPG: 8.33) contributed 9 and Leandro Almeida Cardoso (13, PRT) chipped 8. For Amicale, Engel posted 12, with Noe Olmedo (Season PPG: 7.33) and William Santos Ferreira (Season PPG: 4.06) adding 8 apiece.
Contern avenged November's one-point loss at Steinsel and remain perfect (4-0) atop the Phase finale table; Amicale sit 2-2 in third. Contern extend their overall winning streak to seven, while Amicale slide to a second straight defeat. Oliver Barth's side showed resilience with that fourth-quarter surge, but the game winners were Contern, who closed it out 10-4 from the 56-56 tie.
(AI generated)