Sparta Bertrange stayed perfect in the Phase finale, beating AB Contern 88-77 in Contern/Central and consolidating first place (4-0), while Contern drops to 1-3 and fourth. The game swung wildly: Sparta jumped 0-6 (Rafael Ferreira, Petar Kulisic) and edged the first quarter 19-21, then controlled the second 14-27 to reach the break at 33-48 after steady scoring from Bora Oner (Season PPG: 7.25, 14, ITA) and Anton Mercier (Season PPG: 13.82, 13, FRA). Sparta's largest lead reached +17 early in the third (33-50).
Contern answered with a huge 32-19 third quarter led by Max Muller (Season PPG: 38.29), who poured in points from everywhere and hit multiple threes to pull the hosts back within 65-67 at the buzzer. Contern even moved ahead 69-67 early in the fourth, but the game's crucial stretch followed: Oner strung together five points in a row (a layup and three free throws) to flip it to 69-74. Then Mercier buried four consecutive three-pointers 12 points for Sparta in short order blowing it open to 71-86 and deciding the contest. Alessandro Giannini picked up two quick fourth-quarter fouls during that surge, but Sparta kept its rhythm under coach Yann Ewert.
Muller finished with a remarkable 49 points for Contern, supported by Gabriel Rasque Schmitt (11; Season PPG: 10.71) and Felix Zoller (8; Season PPG: 10.29). For Sparta, Mercier led with 31, Oner added 19, Kulisic (Season PPG: 27.15) set the tone with early scoring, while Filip Schumacher (7) and Jan Rotink (5) chipped in. Coach Jeff Bevilacqua's side produced a standout third quarter but couldn't withstand Sparta's late burst. Sparta extends its season-long winning run to 13 games.
(AI generated)