First-ranked Black Star Mersch B stayed unbeaten and won the top-end M-Division 2 matchup at second-ranked US Heffingen C, 74-65.
Heffingen started well in a very offensive opening period. Joel Thesen (38, 1.85m) and Manuel Scholtus (47) carried most of the home scoring, and HEFC built a 33-26 lead, their best margin of the night. Mersch answered with a 7-0 run to tie at 33-33, but Heffingen still held a 37-33 edge after the first period.
The game turned in the third. BSMB opened with four straight points to erase the deficit, then Charel Weis (35, 1.85m) caught fire. He scored 11 points in the quarter and hit back-to-back 3-pointers to move Mersch from 40-40 to 46-40. From a 39-37 deficit, the visitors produced a 17-5 surge and reached 54-42, their first real control of the game.
Heffingen tried to stay in contact through Thesen and Scholtus, while Rafael Hernan Agreda Barrios (44, VEN) added important baskets inside. Early in the fourth, a disruptive foul on Ben Hilges gave HEFC two free throws, but BSMB kept answering. Erik Daling (36, 1.94m, NLD), Pol Rodesch and Hilges extended the lead to 73-59, the visitors' highest advantage at 14, before Heffingen reduced the gap late.
Mersch had the more balanced attack: Weis 18, Rodesch 13, Daling 12, Hilges 12, Franco 8. Heffingen relied heavily on Thesen's 29 and Scholtus' 20. From the scoring breakdown, BSMB made 7 three-pointers against 3 for HEFC, a key difference in a game that was close for a long stretch. Under coach Lisa Hilges, BSMB is now 2-0, while HEFC stands at 1-1.
(AI generated)
US Heffingen C