BBC East Side Pirates won a close game in Beggen, 61-56 over Zesummen Aktiv, and made it two wins from two meetings with ZAK this season. It was also BEP's third straight win, while ZAK's losing run reached four games.
ZAK, coached by Angelo Monteiro, had the better start. After an 8-8 opening, Kevin Michaux and Nathaniel Guth (Season PPG: 3.91) helped the home side close the first quarter at 14-10. Guth then pushed the margin to 20-13 early in the second period, ZAK's highest lead at +7. That was the first key swing: BEP replied with 11 unanswered points to turn the game around and go into the break ahead 24-20.
The third quarter remained close and tense. Guth kept carrying ZAK and, with three consecutive baskets of his own, moved the score from 27-31 to 33-31. BEP answered with another 11-0 run, a decisive spell built by the 16-year-old Yannis Pividor (Season PPG: 11.43), Tristan Fievez (Season PPG: 12.00), Tim Mathieu (Season PPG: 4.20) and a three from Pividor, for 42-33.
Coach Gérard Boby's team extended that momentum into the last quarter, going from 42-37 to 48-37, the visitors' biggest advantage. ZAK still came back: Jim Braun (Season PPG: 3.91) scored 8 straight points in one stretch to cut the gap to 52-49. Guth finished with 28 points and kept the game open, but BEP answered through Leo Carreira de Oliveira (Season PPG: 12.00), Pividor and Fievez to stay in front.
For ZAK, Guth scored 28 and Braun added 14. For BEP, Pividor led with 17, ahead of Nicolas Azevedo's 12, Fievez's 11 and Carreira de Oliveira's 8. In the updated standings, BEP climbed two places to second, while ZAK moved up three spots to sixth despite the loss.
(AI generated)