If he still wants to have a very small chance of playing the play-offs, Gréngewald must win his two matches. Starting with Sparta on Saturday.
After a three-week break, basketball players return to the courts this weekend. In sight, the very last straight line with the last two days of the regular season.
If the leading quartet is known, even if we are not yet sure of the final order and that Arantia and Residence already have their ticket in their pocket for the play-offs, there remains a whole last suspense: who will be the last two formations to join the top 8.
The situation is clear. Sparta, which has a one-point lead over Contern and two over Gréngewald, is on a very favorable tie. Christophe Flammang’s men were undefeated in 2023 before falling on the last day of the championship against T71, one of the ogres in the championship.
But this setback after five successes in a row does not change the situation: Yannick Verbeelen and his teammates have their destiny in their hands: a victory, Saturday in Niederanven against Gréngewald, and the ticket is in their pocket.
“An Unexpected Season”
Bertrange had the advantage of facing all their rivals in direct confrontation for the sesame to the top 8. And next week, the regular season will also end with the reception of Contern.
Facing them, a Gréngewald formation which still has a small card to play. Even if the team may have outperformed initial expectations, as recognized by Ben Hurt, one of the – many – veterans from Luxembourg on the team: “It’s true that when you’re a team that is on the rise within the elite, we do not necessarily intend to play the play-offs.
Finding Patrick Arbaut and company in such a place is already a great success in itself. It must be said that Gréngewald has had an unexpected season for a promoted player with no less than 7 victories on the clock, including successes against Residence and Basket Esch in particular: “It’s true that we’re having a rather good season in general, even if we have experienced very highs and very lows, ”analyzes Ben Hurt again.
“We have to win our last two matches”
And again, the men in green could even be in an even better situation if there had not been two hitches against Heffingen and Soleuvre, which make Gréngewald point to ninth place in the LBBL.
To hope to have a chance to create a sensation and directly validate their maintenance, they no longer have their destiny in their hands. But they have no choice either: “We have to win our last two matches,” summarizes the former Dudelangeois. And so it starts with the reception of Sparta, which has once again become a winning machine in 2023 after having experienced enormous difficulties in the first part of the season.
An opponent that Gréngewald had… beaten by one point in the first leg: “We got off to a very bad start, I think we were about fifteen points behind. But after the break, we managed a very good third quarter and it was played on details. But this short success (86-87) lets them know that with a victory on Saturday, they would have the particular advantage in the event of a tie at the end of the season.
Crucial points also for the maintenance
Clearly, if Sparta loses against Gréngewald, then Contern, and at the same time, the Hostertois dominate Bertrange… and Etzella. Not easy. But not impossible either: “There are a lot of ifs”, admits Ben Hurt again.
But it therefore requires a victory against Sparta: “Against them, it will be important to limit their possessions. And to control Verbeelen and Holland. We should defend well and have a good aggressiveness. This is the key!”
Beyond a hypothetical place in the play-offs, Ben Hurt, who took advantage of the break to treat tendinitis, takes each match for what it is: the opportunity to score points. Indeed, he is of course already thinking of play-downs, which promise to be undecided: “Anyway, for us, all the points count, because it’s very tight for the maintenance group.”
It remains to be seen now who will have benefited from the break: “Sparta is a young team, I don’t think they will lose the rhythm. On our side, it is more complicated, we need more recovery, ”smiles the specialized educator. Who probably did not expect to end up at such a party. And who is going to go all out!