North Fox took a 74-65 home win over CFBB U18, their first success against this opponent this season after three earlier defeats. In the relegation group table, U18 stay 3rd and FOX stay 5th, but North Fox now have two wins in a row after a very long losing stretch.
Game evolution mattered. U18 briefly led 5-2, then FOX changed the rhythm with a 15-2 run to 17-7, built around Mathys Neves and Jacob Matthew Salinero (29, 1.86m, USA). That gave the home side a 21-11 first-quarter edge. U18 reduced it to 21-14 through Louis Cocard, but FOX remained in control and went to halftime at 37-27.
The key break came just after the pause. North Fox opened the third quarter with 8 straight points, from 37-27 to 45-27, and later pushed the margin to 57-37. FOX were more efficient overall, shooting 50% on 2-pointers, while U18 relied heavily on the three-point line: 10 makes, but only 19.6% on 51 attempts. U18 were still good inside at 51.9% on 2-pointers.
Charel Linden (Season PPG: 17.62, RPG: 6.19, AssPG: 3.84) was the game MVP with 19 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Salinero added 20 points, 7 steals and 5 assists. Jona Hanf (Season PPG: 8.88, RPG: 11.91, AssPG: 1.03) gave FOX strong inside production with 12 points, 13 rebounds and an excellent 5/7 on 2-pointers. Neves scored 14 and hit a good 3/7 from deep.
U18 made the finish tense. They came back to 68-65 after a Lee Brosius three, but North Fox answered with the last 6 points. For the visitors, Mathis Dieterlen scored 11, Thiam Diop had 8 points and 6 rebounds with an excellent 3/3 on 2-pointers, and Ewan Da Silva Jose posted 9 points and 6 rebounds with 3/3 on 2-pointers and good 3/4 free throws.
(AI generated)