US Heffingen B took control early and beat Basket Esch B 81-67 in Heffingen, a result that lifted HEFB to 1st place at 4-0 and extended its winning run to four games. LALB remains without a win after three outings, despite moving up to 9th.
The game was shaped by the opening quarter. Heffingen jumped to 14-2 and then 22-8, with Joel Thesen (Season PPG: 26.20) immediately setting the tone. He scored 17 points in the first period alone and had 26 by halftime. Esch coach Raouf Hatira used two first-half timeouts, but HEFB still led 41-29 at the break.
Esch responded better after halftime. A 5-0 start in the third quarter cut the gap to 41-34, and later the visitors stayed close enough at 56-48 entering the fourth. Pit David, Ruben Vidal and Kenan Halilovic were central in that push. Halilovic (34, MNE) finished with 14 points, Vidal added 13, and captain Antoine Kühn scored 11.
The crucial moment came at the start of the last quarter. After David's three-pointer made it 56-51, Heffingen answered with 10 straight points to open the game again at 66-51. That sequence decided the rhythm of the finish. The home side also reached its highest lead at 73-51.
Behind Thesen's 36 points, Heffingen had strong support from Lee Bourgeois (24) with 16, captain Manuel Scholtus (Season PPG: 10.00) with 14, and Pit Reiter with 11. Reiter's 4th-quarter burst helped prevent any late Esch comeback. The second quarter also featured a flagrant foul by Jean-Pierre Kunnert (40, 1.90m).
(AI generated)
US Heffingen B