Musel Pikes B edged Black Star Mersch B 76-70 in Mersch, controlling the game for long stretches and surviving a late home surge. The visitors set the tone early (25-20 after Q1) behind Chris Dentzer's drives and trips to the line, and stretched it to 45-37 at halftime as Eric Steffen started to find range from deep.
The third quarter brought the first real gap. With Guy Schmit and Tom Steffen adding steady scoring, Musel Pikes B pushed the lead to 58-49. Early in the fourth, Eric Steffen drained backtoback threes to cap a personal 6-0 run for 66-49, the night's largest margin. From there, BSMB rallied hard: Pol Rodesch and Brian O'Neill strung together buckets in a 21-9 response that cut it to 75-70. Crucially, Rodesch then picked up two quick fouls and fouled out, and Luc Kirsch's free throw set the final score.
Top performers
- Musel Pikes B: Eric Steffen (19) was the longrange factor with six made threes, Dentzer (15; Season PPG: 12.0) paced the first half, while Tom Steffen (13) and Yann Herrmann (10) delivered timely points.
- Black Star Mersch B: Rodesch (23) led the comeback before exiting on fouls; O'Neill (20) shouldered the load late; Erik Daling (13; 1.94 m, NLD) added interior finishes.
Notable sequences
- Musel Pikes B's 6-0 to open Q4 by Eric Steffen.
- BSMB's late 8-0 burst driven by O'Neill and Rodesch that forced a tense finish.
- Rodesch committed two fouls in a row in the closing minute, ending his night at 23 points.
Coaches: Chris Dentzer's group managed the lead and clock in the final minute; Lisa Hilges saw her side fight back valiantly but run out of time.
Form and table: Musel Pikes B, after three straight losses earlier, return to winning ways and climb to 5th (+3). Black Star Mersch B remain winless (0-5) despite a strong fourth quarter and sit 10th (+1).
(AI generated)