Esmeralda Skrijelj and AB Contern are one victory away from entering the Enovos League finals. Depsite a season with plenty of challenges, mainly injuries within the team, Contern has a chance to win the best-of-3 series against Sparta Bertrange on Saturday on their home floor.
In game 1 of the series, number 3 seed Contern won on the road against number 2 seed Sparta, the final score was 82:75 in favor of the guests. On Saturday (18:30), Contern will have a chance to advance to the finals. „We need to bring the same energy and the same defensive mindset. In game 1, we played with an exceptional attitude that was felt even by people from the outside. We need to be mentally ready for a long and intense game and play together as a team just like we did in the first game of the series. Sparta will definitely make adjustments, we are ready and prepared to have another amazing battle on the court. »
For Contern, it was a long season with plenty of challenges: „We had a good start into the season before we had plenty of problems, mainly with injuries. We had to adapt a lot and find a way of being succesful. Our players had to take larger responsibilities and change their roles which led to a stronger team cohesion. Right now, the atmoshpere in the team is simply exceptional with only positive vibes. Everybody on the team is on the same page, one of the key stones of our succes this season. It is amazing to see how sport can connect a large group of people towards one goal.“
The national team player is on track to average a triple double for the entire season. In fact, Skrijelj scores 10.1 points, 9.7 assists and 9.9 rebounds per game, incredible individual numbers. She also averages almost 2 steals per game. „With the missing players on our roster, I had to adapt my playing style, play on multiple positions and be the player that involves everybody around. Sometimes I am the playmaker, sometimes I play on the wing or on the forward position(s), wherever my team needs me to be effective. My teammates appreciate the fact that I adapt my playing style and that I am a sort of leader on the court. I have had games with high numbers in rebounds and/or in assists which is quite rare, but at the end of the day, the victories are important. Personally, having 10 assists in a game is just as joyful as scoring 30 points. I am glad that my playing style led to the team’s succes, that is all that matters. »
On Saturday:
18:30 AB Contern – Sparta Bertrange
–> Contern leads the best-of-three series 1:0
On Sunday:
15:00 Basket Esch – T71 Dudelange
–> T71 Dudelange leads the best-of-three series 1:0
