Telstar Hesperange controlled Luxembourg Phoenix 72-46 in the M-Nationale 3 tour qualificatif, building a lead from the opening tip and never letting it slip. A 6-0 start (three free throws by Jordan Kaboth, then a Loïc Wohl triple) set the tone, and the hosts closed the first quarter 21-10. Early in the second period, Telstar strung together an 8-0 burst to 29-11, with Jamie Kappler piling up points in the mid-range to send his side to halftime at 37-20.
Phoenix leaned heavily on François François Tegho (27 points), who scored 8 in the first quarter and 8 more in the fourth, often single-handedly keeping his team on the board. Dany Deaibes (24, LBN) added 9 and Tony Alkhoury (33, LBN) 6, but the visitors struggled to mount sustained runs. Telstar stretched the gap to its largest at 59-31 (+28) early in the fourth before managing the finish.
Kappler led Telstar with 16, Kaboth added 15 and was reliable again late at the line, while Wohl (10) provided timely buckets in the third. Support came from Lazar Sarcevic (23, SRB) with 8 and Guilherme Andrade Lopes Rodrigues (18, PRT) with 7. Arturo Pablo Gosalbez Seva (33, ESP) hit from deep and drew heavy contact in Q2, being whistled three times in the period; Sarcevic also picked up two quick fouls in Q3, but no one fouled out.
Coaches Pit Meintz and Georges El Hajal traded time-outs in the second quarter, yet Telstar's balance and steady scoring across three periods (21-10; 16-10; 19-11; 16-15) proved decisive. The result lifts Telstar to 2nd in the new classification (+4), while Phoenix sits 4th (-1). It also marks a response from Telstar after two straight losses, as Phoenix absorbs a second consecutive defeat.
(AI generated)