Women's Enovos League semi-final: T71 Dudelange vs Basket Esch;
Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu
On Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April 2026, the opening semi-final matches in the Women’s Enovos League and the first quarter-final fixtures in the Men’s Enovos League produced several unexpected results for regular season leaders.
In the Women’s Enovos League, second-placed Sparta Bertrange suffered a 75-82 home defeat to third-placed AB Contern, marking their first loss against the same opponents this season after winning all three previous encounters. The hosts started strongly, but Contern took control midway through the game, building an eleven-point lead. Sparta responded in the third quarter to regain the advantage at 58-54, yet the visitors pulled away again late in the game. With the score level at 70-70, AB Contern produced an eight-point run which proved decisive. Caileigh Walsh led the winners with 27 points and eleven rebounds, while the visitors converted thirteen of their 27 attempts from beyond the arc.
Regular season leaders T71 Dudelange opened their semi-final series with a 79-72 home victory over Basket Esch. Hosts led by nine points at half-time but were unable to extend their advantage further. Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Tom Schumacher admitted his side should have closed out the game earlier: “I'm not all the way happy because we couldn't have finished it earlier. We were up fifteen and let them come back, which cannot happen, especially in semi-finals. You need to kill them at the right moment.” Lauren VanKleunen was the standout performer, recording a double-double of 29 points and ten rebounds.
Looking ahead, Tom Schumacher expressed hope that his team could close out the best-of-three series in the next game and also commented on the potential return of captain Catherine Mreches, who has been sidelined since late January: “She will try to go five-on-five in practice next week and we’ll see how she feels. Maybe we give her another week. We’ll see how it goes. We haven’t always had a full roster in practice, but it is what it is. Hopefully Catherine comes back and then we’ll be stronger with her,” he said.
In the Men’s Enovos League quarter-finals, two top-three regular season teams suffered opening-game defeats. Arantia Larochette lost narrowly at home to T71 Dudelange (86-88). Maurice Calloo (27 points) and Jimmie Lee Taylor (26) combined for 53 points for the visitors. Meanwhile, Résidence Walferdange secured an 87-83 away victory over Sparta Bertrange. The visitors built a fifteen-point lead by half-time, but Sparta reduced the gap to just two points in the final minute, falling short of a comeback. John Slajchert led all scorers with 36 points for Walferdange.
Men’s League quarter-finals:
Arantia Larochette - T71 Dudelange 86-88
Etzella Ettelbruck - Kordall Steelers 106-67
Amicale Steinsel - Basket Esch 61-76
Sparta Bertrange - Résidence Walfedange 83-87
