Basket Esch B edged Musel Pikes B, 63-59, in a close Championship Round contest in Esch. The visitors opened sharper: from 6-11 they built the night's largest lead at 12-20, powered by Félix Fechter and a Max Kreutz three. Esch replied emphatically with a 13-0 run Czerwónka, Vidal, Pereira Furtado and Gunia scoring in succession to turn it into 25-20 and a 27-25 halftime edge. The first quarter had already set a tense tone with an unsportsmanlike on Eric Steffen and a technical on Philippe Reuter.
Momentum swung repeatedly after the break. Ruben Vidal and Melvin Pereira Furtado (17) hit back-to-back threes for 35-30, before MUSB answered through Fechter and Tom Steffen at the line. Eric Steffen (33, 1.83m) drilled a triple for 40-41 and Fechter's free throws pushed MUSB up 42-45. Esch trimmed it to 44-45 entering the last 10 minutes.
Crucial sequence: after Kreutz's three moved MUSB ahead 56-53, Esch delivered a 7-0 burst Jeremy Fischbach for two, Antoine Kühn from deep, then Fischbach again for 60-56. Kreutz struck back from long range (60-59), but Laurent Tousch calmly sank two free throws in a row and Fischbach added the final point to seal it. Earlier, Basile Gunia had also hit 2/2 at the stripe in succession. In the final minutes, Coach Franck Meriguet's group leaned on execution and free throws; Coach Romain Steffen's side couldn't find the last basket.
Top performers
- Basket Esch B: Antoine Kühn 14 (Season PPG: 11.57) with four triples; Basile Gunia 12 (Season PPG: 3.17); Melvin Pereira Furtado 11; Ruben Vidal 10 (Season PPG: 9.60, 1.82m).
- Musel Pikes B: Félix Fechter 22 (Season PPG: 12.60) carried the offense; Max Kreutz (30) 16; Eric Steffen 10 (Season PPG: 14.57).
Esch snaps a three-game skid and climbs to 5th in the table (+4). Musel Pikes drop to 6th (-1) after coming in on a two-win run.
(AI generated)