Circus Brussels went in search of an eighth competition victory against Spirou Charleroi. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen after an exciting match. After an 18-19 score and a 32-29 bonus halfway through, the third slide was also nerve-wracking. The Spirous won that narrowly, 18-20, mainly thanks to the duo of Nathan Kuta and Tyrell Roberts. Brussels started the final quarter with a 50-49 lead, but was unable to maintain it in the final phase of the match. The lights really went out at a battle-weary Circus Brussels. That’s all a young and enthusiastic Spirou Charleroi needed to push through to a 63-71 victory after a 13-22.
“We only score 63 points in a home game. That is not enough to win,” laments Yannick Desiron, who was the strongman at the club from the capital with 12 points and 9 rebounds. “It’s a shame, because we could have done a fantastic job in the rankings.”
The defeat against the Hainaut team is indeed a missed opportunity for Circus Brussels. Kangaroos Mechelen also lost against Limburg United, meaning Brussels could only have sparkled in fourth place. Now, together with the Spirous and the Maneblussers, it counts 7 out of 14. Other competitors Kortrijk Spurs (7 out of 13) and Liège (7 out of 12) have one and two fewer defeats respectively. Theoretically, Brussels is currently tumbling out of the first five and misses Elite Gold.
© Kms
End of year decision
Despite the poorer form, at the end of the year we can still say that the club from Neder-Over-Heembeek appears credible again after several weak seasons. Coach and manager Serge Crevecoeur provides new impetus, with a core that brings a mix of experience and young talent from home and abroad. The match in the ING Arena attracted 5,000 spectators two weeks ago. Circus Brussels will take this campaign to the Brussels concert hall at least one more time (April 13).
If you really want to make a shot at Elite Gold, the start of 2024 should not be missed. After all, there are only six matches left on the bill in the Belgian regular phase of the BNXT League. Brussels opens the new calendar year on Saturday, January 6 at Telenet Giants Antwerp and receives direct competitor Liège on Friday, January 12.
Circus Brussels-Spirou Charleroi 63-71
Quartz: 18-19, 14-10, 18-20, 13-22
Circus Brussels : Hazard 10, Desiron 12 ; Watson-Gayle 9, Libert 7, Horvath 7, Hanquiez 12, Harris 6, Deroover 0, Ambrose 0, Bunzu 0
Spirou Charleroi: Kuta 13, Roberts 18, Samardzic 7, Venskus 10, Makwa 4, Butler 2, Prepelic 11, Heath 5, Smout 0, Izaw Bolavi 1
© Kms
© Kms