Etzella Ettelbruck Secure Spot in Men's Enovos Basketball League Final

On Wednesday 9 April 2025, the second-leg semifinals of the Luxembourg Men’s Enovos Basketball League took place, determining the first team to qualify for the final.

Regular season winners Etzella Ettelbruck secured their place in the 2024/25 Men’s Enovos League final after claiming a second consecutive victory over Arantia Larochette in the semifinals. Following a home win, Gavin Love’s team took early control in the away game, with Quatarrius Deaundrey Wilson scoring twelve points in the first quarter (24-21). By half-time, Ettelbruck had extended their lead to five points. The third quarter proved decisive, as Larochette managed only seven points – fewer than Etzella’s Philippe Gutenkauf alone, who added eight to his tally during the same period – pushing the visitors ahead 59-43. The final quarter was the highest scoring (32-30), with the match ending 89-75 in favour of Ettelbruck.

In the second semifinal series of the league, a decisive third game will be needed to determine the second finalist. T71 Dudelange, having lost the first leg away to Amicale Steinsel, bounced back with a home victory to level the series.

Yves André Defraigne’s team established a solid advantage in the first quarter, leading by thirteen points (29-16), with six points each contributed by captain Christopher David Jack, Temple Durpee Gibbs and Edward Colbert III. By halftime, the hosts had extended their lead to seventeen points, going into the break at 49-32.

T71 head coach Yves André Defraigne told Chronicle.lu what he said to his players ahead of the second half: “But we just have to play that. We don't have to look to the score that we have to play defence.”

Midway through the third quarter, Amicale narrowed the gap thanks to accurate shooting from guard Jarvis Terrill Williams, bringing the score within nine points. A three-pointer from forward Alex Laurent further reduced the deficit to seven, the score at the start of the final ten minutes.

With seven minutes remaining, four T71 players, including top scorer Edward Colbert, had four personal fouls. By then, Colbert had already scored 25 points. Three minutes before the final buzzer, he fouled out with 31 points to his name and Amicale managed to close the gap to just five points (85-80).

However, the visitors were unable to get any closer. With 90 seconds remaining, a three-pointer by T71 forward Joe Kalmes pushed the lead to eleven points. The hosts held on to secure a 96-88 victory.

“Well of course we knew it's a do or die. We played, we had our chance the first game, but I think we had a lot of individual breakdowns in that game and today it was a lot better. So we push them more in the weaker points than the game at home. And over there we know we are in a very difficult situation knowing that our impact player is basically out. But we fight that we will do everything to qualify to the final,” added coach Defraigne.

The third-leg semifinal between T71 Dudelange and Amicale Steinsel will take place on Saturday 12 April 2025 at 20:30 in Steinsel.

IK