Amicale Steesel handled Musel Pikes 81-64 in Steinsel in the U22 Qualifications, leaning on a dominant second half after a shaky second quarter.
Amicale set the tone early, 24-17 after Q1, with Kelvin Almeida Lopes de Pina striking first from deep and Gerry Schuder Minden and Sean Bugeja adding inside-out points. Musel stayed close thanks to Enzo Sanna's back-to-back threes late in the quarter. The game flipped in Q2: Musel authored a 12-0 run from 28-22 down to 28-34, sparked by Luca Monteiro Delgado and Emilijus Greicius inside, two free throws by Sanna and a triple by Omar Ismael Cherif, before Sanna added another three. Musel led 36-31 at the half.
The third quarter decided it. Amicale erupted with a 29-4 blast to 60-40: Landon Wohl scored twice to open, Bugeja hit two threes and four straight free throws, Bob Rech drilled multiple threes, and Schuder Minden capped an and-one. Musel's time-outs could not halt the momentum, and Amicale's largest lead reached 20. In Q4, Amicale managed the gap as Almeida Lopes de Pina buried two late threes. Musel's response came from Sanna, Jason Hartz and a Colin Schanen Sar triple, but the hole was too deep.
Amicale's balance stood out: Almeida Lopes de Pina 18 points (4 threes), Schuder Minden 18, Rech 17 (5 threes), Bugeja 14, Wohl 8. Team totals: 13 made threes, 18 twos, 6 free throws. For Musel, Sanna led with 20 (4 threes, 4 FTs) and showed leadership (20 years, 1.92m, FRA), Hartz added 15 and Monteiro Delgado 13; Musel made 8 threes, 15 twos and 10 free throws. Monteiro picked up two quick fouls in the third to reach four; Rech also finished on four but stayed effective.
In the standings, Amicale remain first at 2-0; Musel are 1-1 and sit second. Coaches: Daniel Alves Brandao de Sousa (Amicale), Adrien Frederique Jacquet (Musel).
(AI generated)