Basket Esch overpowered BBC East Side Pirates 80-55 in Wasserbillig to reach the Coupe de l'Avenir final. The visitors seized control from the start: an early 0-6 burst, then a 12-22 first quarter built by the inside work of Edmilson Vieira Miguel (14, FRA) and Paul Blettery (15, FRA). The game broke open in the second period. After Pirates trimmed the gap with six straight free throws to 19-30, Esch answered with a decisive 12-0 run to close the half at 19-42. The lead peaked at 29 points in the fourth.
Coach Vincent Gevrey's team spread the scoring but rode a dominant third quarter from Alexandre Kremer, who hit six two-point field goals for 12 points in the period and finished with 18. Blettery also totaled 18, steady across both halves, while Miguel added 14, Faisal Abdirizak Mohamed chipped in 8, and Jérémy Besch 6. Euricky Semedo da Veiga (14, PRT) knocked down a fourth-quarter three as Esch managed the closing minutes.
Pirates, guided by coach Gérard Boby, found rhythm after the break, winning the third quarter 22-19. Captain Sam Schaeffer led all Pirates with 21, including a personal 5-point burst early in the third to momentarily halt Esch's momentum. Emil Denter added 10, Mil Boby 8 (mixing free throws and finishes), and Sean Harmelin Dostert 7, highlighted by a third-quarter triple. However, every Pirates push most notably that free-throw stretch in Q2 and a brief third-quarter surge was met by an immediate Esch reply, often through Kremer's mid-range conversions or Blettery's timely drives.
A whistle-heavy second quarter punctuated the game's evolution, but Esch's control of the tempo and consecutive scoring runs before halftime defined the semifinal. Basket Esch advance to the cup final.
(AI generated)