In Kayl, 5th-ranked BBC Dikrich edged 2nd-ranked BBC Käldall 76-74 in a close relegation-round game and took the season series 2-1. Käldall remained second, but its five-game winning streak ended, while Dikrich collected a second straight win.
The first half belonged clearly to the home side. Käldall led 29-20 after the opening quarter and stretched the gap to 48-30 at halftime, their biggest lead of the night. Steven Mersch (Season PPG: 24.08) and captain Ralph Lana (Season PPG: 21.71) carried almost everything offensively. Lana scored 8 KAY points in a row in the first quarter, and the pair combined for 60 of the team's 74 points.
Dikrich changed the game completely after the break. The visitors produced a huge third quarter, 42-22, turning an 18-point deficit into a 72-70 lead. Captain Ewan Da Silva Jose (Season PPG: 18.00) led the comeback with 28 points, including another strong scoring burst in the third period. Kevin Gillen (Season PPG: 5.65) added 19 points and hit 4 three-pointers, several of them during the rally. David Dakeu Ngaha (Season PPG: 2.93) gave Dikrich important support with 11 points, well above his average.
Käldall still had answers through Mersch's 31 and Lana's 29, with Christian Holman (33, USA) contributing 7. But Noam Chomel got into foul trouble and fouled out in the third quarter, which reduced the home rotation during Dikrich's best stretch.
The last quarter was tense and low-scoring at 4-4. Mersch brought Käldall back level at 74-74, but Daniel Almeida da Cruz then scored the game-winning basket for 74-76. Around that decisive moment, Käldall coach Didier Chomel was also charged with a bench technical.
(AI generated)