AB Contern edged Amicale Steesel 54-47 at contern/central to move past the 1/8 finales of the WCoupe Fillettes, after building a massive lead and surviving a late surge.
Contern, guided by coach Daniel Gonnering, blitzed the start with a 15-0 run. Captain Hannah Rolles (12) and Marie Weber set the tone, and the hosts led 15-6 after the first quarter. The second period was decisive: Contern won it 17-5 to reach 32-11 at halftime. Weber was in rhythm, stringing together four consecutive Contern baskets late in the quarter to stretch the gap. In the third, Contern pushed the margin to its highest at 48-15 (+33) thanks to steady scoring from Rolles and Matilda Weis.
Steesel, coached by Alexandra Lamesch, mounted a spirited comeback in the fourth. Birgul Derya Tasoluk and Marlene Franziska Beauloye chipped away, Mary-Lou Tholl added, and Leandra Pires de Sousa hit back-to-back field goals. A late triple by Mia Worth brought it to 54-47. The key stretch was a 9-0 Steesel burst (Tasoluk, Ella Medernach at the line, Pires de Sousa twice, and Liz Adam) that cut the deficit to single digits. Rolles' basket just before that run ended proved crucial to steady Contern.
Top performers
- Contern: Rolles 21, Weber 18; they combined for 39 of the team's 54 points. Weis added 9 before fouling out in the fourth, an episode that coincided with Steesel's late push. Alicia Nunes Lopes (11) had 4 points and two quick fouls in the third.
- Steesel: Beauloye led with 17, while Pires de Sousa (12, PRT) added 8. Tasoluk and Tholl scored 6 each, and Worth's late three closed the final gap; captain Ella Medernach (13) contributed 1 from the line.
Quarter flow: 15-6; 17-5; 16-14; 6-22. Contern led wire-to-wire and held on as Steesel's 22-point fourth made it a close finish.
(AI generated)