Arantia Larochette controlled the 1/8 finales tie against Kordall Steelers, winning 102-90 in Larochette before 150 spectators (120 paying). After a balanced start (28-23 in Q1), Coach Joao Pedro Osorio Silva's team broke the game open in the second quarter with an 8-0 burst early in the period and a 34-18 frame for 62-41 at the half. Arantia then opened the third with a 6-0 run to 68-41, their largest lead (+27). Kordall answered, taking Q3 by 26-21 and trimming further in the last quarter, pulling to 94-86 after a Gianluca Pellegrino Ombroni triple, but Arantia closed it at the line as Michael Anthony Carter III calmly sank four free throws in a row, while Kevon Godwin added two.
Team shooting set the tone: Arantia had good free throws (81%) and good 2-point accuracy (61%), while Kordall shot well inside the arc (54%) but struggled at the line (58%) and from deep (29%). Arantia's 3-point shooting was 32%.
Standouts Arantia:
- Edson Rafael De Sousa Silva (18, 1.88m, PRT) 27 pts, an excellent 8/10 on 2s, plus a sequence of four straight free throws in Q1.
- Michael Anthony Carter III (28, 1.96m, USA) 21 pts, excellent 8/11 on 2s and 5/6 FTs late.
- Tyrell Daniel Sturdivant (30, 2.04m, USA) double-double with 16 pts, 11 reb and an excellent 4/7 from three.
- Kevon Lamar Godwin (25, 1.88m, USA) 14 pts, good 2/5 from three.
- Among locals, Dylan Rocha Pires (30, 1.88m) delivered a perfect 2/2 on 2s and 2/2 FTs; Derek Wilson (34, 1.95m) and captain Vic Heuschling (29, 1.96m) contributed timely plays, including Heuschling's late Q1 triple.
Standouts Kordall:
- Gianluca Pellegrino Ombroni (32, 1.91m, ESP) led all scorers with 30 pts (excellent 3/6 from three, good 10/16 on 2s), 9 reb, 5 ast; listed as game MVP.
- Robertas Jonaitis (25, 1.94m, LTU) double-double with 23 pts, 10 reb.
- Steve Kuhlmann (34, 1.92m) 11 pts with an excellent 3/5 from deep (finished on four fouls).
- Anderson Alix Borbon (32, 1.88m) added 6 pts on 75% 2P, Noah Zucca hit a key 3 in the last quarter.
Arantia's decisive second quarter and start of the third were the crucial stretches; Kordall's late push never erased the cushion.
(AI generated)