Sparta Bertrange edged Black Star Mersch 82-77 after overtime in Mersch, turning a tense, momentumswinging U18 Division 2 finale-round game in their favor late.
Game evolution
- Start: Sparta burst to an 11-2 lead with a 9-0 run, but BSM steadied to 17-17 after 10 minutes.
- 2nd: Coach Hansen's side controlled the quarter through Sam Tibold and captain Trey Sean Boayue, building a 39-31 halftime lead.
- 3rd: Sparta flipped the script. Captain Ata Tastekin (16, 1.91m, TUR) strung together baskets, added a three, and with a Nikolaos Papanikolaou triple, SPA moved ahead 53-52 after 30 minutes.
- 4th: Back-and-forth. Pierre Rodrigues was active for Sparta, while Boayue kept Mersch afloat, repeatedly converting at the line. Ari Marinosson later fouled out, and BSM forced overtime at 71-71.
Overtime decided it. BSM opened with a 5-0 punch (Mike Gohlhausen from deep, then Nil Madoki Bidas) for 76-71. After a timeout, Rodrigues drilled a big three, and Jorge Leocadio Botelho (Season PPG: 8.00) took over, scoring eight consecutive points (and adding late free throws) to close the game. Tastekin fouled out in the extra period, yet Sparta held firm behind Leocadio's decisive burst. Overall in OT, SPA finished on an 11-1 run.
Top performers
- Black Star Mersch: Boayue poured in 33 points (nine 2s, one 3, 12 made free throws; Season PPG: 25.75), a dominant two-way presence at 16. Tibold added 14 (Season PPG: 26.00). Gohlhausen hit 8, including the OT triple; Luis Henrique Duarte Almeida Evora chipped in 8.
- Sparta Bertrange: Tastekin led with 23, spearheading the third-quarter surge. Leocadio Botelho scored 18, including the game-winning stretch in OT. Marinosson had 12 before fouling out in Q4, and Rodrigues contributed 12 with a clutch overtime three. Maximilaan Flechtner's second-quarter unsportsmanlike foul added spice, but Sparta regrouped under coach Elton Jorge Ferreira.
Context
Sparta sweeps the head-to-head this season and climbs to 2nd in the phase (+2). BSM remain 6th. Sparta also snapped a three-game losing run; BSM are now on back-to-back losses. Highest leads: SPA by 9 (11-2), BSM by 8 at the half and by 5 in OT.
(AI generated)