Entente RES AMI won a close one against Black Star Mersch, 87-85, and moved up to 1st place in M-U18 Division 2 Phase 1, while BSM dropped to 2nd.
ERA controlled the first half from the opening minutes. Coach Thorsten Freiheit's side started 7-0, led 27-18 after the first quarter and pushed the margin to 46-26, the biggest gap of the game, before going into halftime at 49-34. Tim Geisen (17) gave them important perimeter scoring, while Elvio Alissoutin (Season PPG: 7.63) and Nojus Banys (16, 1.91m) kept the pressure on.
The match changed sharply in the third quarter. Black Star produced 30 points in the period and turned the rhythm around. Alvyn Madoki Bigas (16) caught fire with 15 points in the quarter, Rui Dias dos Santos (17) added key baskets, and BSM cut a 15-point deficit down to 66-64 by the end of the third.
That momentum continued early in the fourth. Coach Jérôme Hansen's team completed a 24-4 surge from 63-48 to 72-67, their best moment of the night. ERA answered well: from 67-72, they replied with a 13-2 run to regain control at 80-74, with Geisen and Alissoutin central in that stretch.
Geisen finished with 21 points, Alissoutin with 20, Banys with 17 and Riley Wohl (17) added 12 for ERA. For BSM, Bigas led all scorers with 25, Trey Sean Boayue (16) had 21 and Dias dos Santos scored 18, while Mike Göhlhausen (16) contributed 17.
The finish stayed tense. BSM erased an 84-79 deficit and Dias dos Santos tied the score at 85-85, but Alissoutin scored ERA's last two points for the game winner. Banys and Boayue, both major offensive pieces, each finished with five fouls.
(AI generated)