Amicale Steesel controlled Etzella Ettelbruck 82-62 in Steinsel in M-U22 Qualifications. After a balanced start with early lead changes (2-0, 2-3, 5-3, 5-6), Amicale closed the first quarter on a 7-0 push to 12-6 and led 14-8 after 10 minutes.
The game broke open in the second period with a decisive 17-4 run from 20-14 to 37-18, fuelled by Bob Rech (19, 1.93m) and captain Sean Bugeja (18, 1.85m). Rech hit three triples in that stretch and Bugeja kept finding gaps in transition and the half court. Etzella timeouts couldn't stem the momentum, and Amicale went to the break up 39-26.
Coach Daniel Alves Brandão de Sousa's group kept the pressure in the third. Rech drilled back-to-back threes out of an Etzella timeout (53-41, then 56-41) and Bugeja added a corner three for 61-44. Early in the fourth, a 6-0 burst capped by another Rech triple set the largest lead at +23 (67-44). Etzella responded through Marvin Delgado dos Santos (Season PPG: 19.0) and José Miguel Domingos Sanches (19, 1.76m), who combined for a 7-2 reply, but the gap never fell under double digits.
Top performers: Rech poured in 28 with eight made threes, Bugeja added 17, while Jules Reuter (AMI) chipped 14 and Fábio Teixeira Ribeiro (18, 1.90m, PRT) 8. For Etzella, Delgado dos Santos led with 24 (including 4 threes and 6/6 at the line), Sam Schaaf (17, 1.92m) had 14, and Domingos Sanches scored 10. Coach Gavin Love's side got 5 from Noah Wolter.
Amicale's win lifts them to 5th in the standings (+2). Etzella remain 8th and are now on a two-game skid. Amicale totaled 10 triples; Etzella answered with 7. The highest lead was +23 at 67-44.
(AI generated)