In the Tour montée clash between the teams ranked 2nd and 3rd, Gréngewald Hueschtert won a close game over US Heffingen, 81-77, and stayed ahead of HEF in the table, both now at 20-9.
Ricky Easterling's team set the tone early. Aidan Reichert scored 8 of GRE's first 11 points, and the home side moved to 11-2, then led 23-17 after one quarter. In the second period, GRE stretched the margin to 31-22 and later 44-33 at halftime. Their highest lead came at 48-35 early in the third.
Heffingen reacted well. Alexis Kreps's side scored 24 points in the third quarter and cut the gap to 61-57. Jacob Washington (Season PPG: 20.29, RPG: 11.43, AssPG: 1.71) and Thomas Quarry (Season PPG: 26.97, RPG: 8.03, AssPG: 2.36) kept HEF in contact, while Gerry Schuder Minden (Season PPG: 12.04, RPG: 3.22, AssPG: 2.50) added perimeter pressure.
The key swing came late. From 68-64 down, Heffingen produced a 12-3 run to lead 76-71, with Schuder Minden and Quarry hitting important baskets. GRE answered with the decisive finish: after trailing 73-77, they closed on an 8-0 run. Lex Bauer tied it with a big three for 76-77, Max Frederik Hessz followed with another three for 79-77, and Patrick Hoffmann sealed it inside.
Dayne Prim, the 24-year-old American, was the game's main offensive force and MVP with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists; he shot a good 64.7% from 2-point range. Reichert added 22 points and 11 rebounds despite reaching four fouls. For GRE's supporting cast, Hessz scored 12 and Hoffmann gave efficient late production. Washington led HEF with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 3 made threes, while Quarry and Parker combined for 28 more.
Team shooting stayed modest on both sides, but GRE had the cleaner collective game: 19 assists to 7 and only 9 turnovers against 21. GRE also arrives on a 2-game winning run, while HEF has now lost four straight.
(AI generated)