© BELGIUM
The first home match in the Winketkaai brought Kangaroos Mechelen a first victory after a thriller. The Maneblussers triumphed 76-75 against Bergen and immediately erased the defeat on the opening day in Charleroi. On Wednesday, Kangarooers Mechelen will host vice-champion and cup winner Telenet Giants Antwerp in the first regional derby of the season.
In a balanced first quarter, Bergen had the ball through Eric Adams Jr. and Leon Santelj initially took a small bonus: 6-9 and 11-13. A dunking Mitchell Lightfoot provided the Mechelen reaction and that resulted in a 21-19 lead after 16-16 after the first quarter.
In the second slide, the defense was not on point for either team. Mitchell Lightfoot continued to make great dunks, Domien Loubry scored with free throws, but the Kangaroos also missed seven free throws in the first half. Maxime Depuydt scored bombs for the Hainauts and the score evolved from 26-28, 32-32 to 41-42 in favor of Mons. Sani Campara three-pointed Bergen to 43-46, but Yannick Dammen immediately responded with his second bomb and ensured that Kangaroos went to the dressing room with a 46-46 score.
Many open opportunities were also missed in the third quarter and Bergen continued to dominate slightly: 53-55 and 57-61. Willem Brandwijk also scored for the Mechelen team so that Kangaroos softened to 63-64 and therefore started the last quarter with only one point behind.
In the fourth quarter, the people of Mechelen opened with scorching dunks from Wen Boss Mukubu and Willem Brandwijk. Bergen lost control of the game and Kangaroos found their momentum: 71-64. Domien Loubry pushed Kangaroos Mechelen to 76-67 and with three minutes left on the game clock they were on their way to victory. Bergen showed resilience and responded with an 0-8 and thanks to Kyle Castlin, among others: 76-75. The Hainaut team also had the last possession, but Sani Campara missed his three-pointer to win. Kangaroos Mechelen missed no fewer than thirteen free throws.
Kangaroos Mechelen-Bergen 76-75
Quartz: 21-19, 25-27, 17-18
Kangaroos Mechelen: Gurley 6, Loubry 8, Mukubu 10, Whyte 8, Van Den Eynde 3, Peciukevicius 2, Dammen 6, Palinckx 6, Brandwijk 4, Lightfoot 15
Bergen: Campara 11, Depuydt 10, Adams Jr. 9, Garrison 5, Dedooi 7, Bartsoen 0, Stilmant 2, Thrastarson 0, Santelj 15, Catslin 16
