First-placed Sparta Bertrange C edged Kordall Steelers 73-69 in a close Phase finale game between the top two teams after this round. Sparta also avenged the earlier 55-51 defeat in the first head-to-head.
Kordall started better under coach Arnaud Sirjean. Liam Alexander Jovanovic (Season PPG: 18.29) and 12-year-old Adham Asfarelouldidi from France (Season PPG: 13.58) pushed KDS to a 10-4 lead, but Sparta answered with 8 straight points to turn the game around at 15-12. KDS still closed the first quarter in front, 17-15.
The second quarter shifted the balance. Jayson Otiu (Season PPG: 15.32) kept Kordall productive, but Giovanni Vena (Season PPG: 12.48) scored repeatedly inside and Ioannis Paspaltzis (Season PPG: 7.53), an 11-year-old from Greece, added perimeter scoring. Sparta finished the half strongly and led 39-34.
Kordall reacted well after the break. With Asfarelouldidi and Otiu driving the offense, KDS went from 39-46 to 51-48, a key 12-2 swing. Sparta's response was even more decisive: Lamot, Paspaltzis and Vena led an 8-0 run to close the third quarter, then coach Tine Nagy's team added the first 4 points of the fourth for 12 unanswered overall and a 60-51 lead.
That became Sparta's highest lead, and it was crucial. Kordall still came back: from 56-65, they produced 7 straight points to cut it to 63-65, and Otiu later brought it to 69-72 with three free throws in a row. Paspaltzis then made the last point for Sparta.
Top performers were Asfarelouldidi with 24, Jovanovic and Otiu with 20 each for KDS; Vena had 23, Paspaltzis 17, Gabriel Sierra Ferruz 11 and Raphaël Grieco 10 for Sparta. Sparta is now on a five-game winning streak.
(AI generated)