Etzella Ettelbruck B opened the championship round with a 51-44 win over Kordall Steelers at Deichwisen, moving to the top of the W-U19 Division 3: Phase finale standings. The game evolved in waves: Kordall struck first (0-4), but Etzella replied through Morgane Babinyanga (Season PPG: 7.78), who scored three straight baskets to flip it to 6-4 and set the tone. The hosts closed the first quarter on a 10-3 push for 16-9.
Kordall steadied in the second, trimming the gap to one possession before Etzella rebuilt a 26-20 halftime lead. The visitors came out of the break with urgency, tying at 26-26 thanks to Alessia Joanna Nouemsi (Season PPG: 8.67) and Suéllen Cabral Tavares (Season PPG: 12.00). Etzella answered immediately: Babinyanga buried the game's lone three and, together with Jil Ries (14), powered a 6-0 run to 41-32 late in the third.
In the fourth, Etzella pushed the margin to a game-high 12 (46-34, then 50-38) with baskets by Babinyanga and Rica Karamaga (15, NLD). Kordall mounted one last 6-0 surge Fatima Deolinda Fadia Djabi and Wendy Luna Silva Da Rocha (PRT) pulling them to 50-44 before Karamaga's late free throw settled it.
Babinyanga led all scorers with 23 and carried four fouls without fouling out. Ries added 13 and timely points across all quarters. Captain Temiloluwa Michelle Oke chipped in 4, while Loredana Da Silva Relvas (Season PPG: 0.67) and Lilly Dondelinger (Season PPG: 0.50) provided important second-quarter and fourth-quarter baskets. For Kordall, Ingrid Bayart (Season PPG: 9.60) paced them with 18, supported by Nouemsi's 9 and Cabral Tavares' 6. Emma Kazic (FRA) battled foul trouble (four fouls), which limited Kordall's options on the wing.
Coaches Milton Alves Santos (ETZB) and Julie Secco (KDS) traded timeouts around momentum swings, but Etzella's third-quarter response at 26-26 and their composure in the final minute proved decisive. Kordall's recent form shows a loss here after alternating results; Etzella start this round with a win and first place.
(AI generated)