Gréngewald Hueschtert won 81-73 on the floor of AS Soleuvre in the M-U18 Division 3 phase finale and climbed two places to 2nd, while Soleuvre dropped to 3rd. Both teams now stand at 3-2, but this game turned on one major stretch.
Soleuvre had the better start and led 19-16 after the opening quarter. Lex Lahure (Season PPG: 16.53) set the tone early, but he was already in foul trouble very quickly, with three fouls registered before the break in rhythm had really settled. After that, the game changed sharply in the second period. Gréngewald produced a 31-8 quarter, including a decisive 13-0 run from 21-23 to 21-36, and turned a small deficit into a 47-27 halftime lead. Around that sequence, Soleuvre coach Hervé Marie-Rose was also charged with a technical foul.
The visitors kept control in the third quarter and reached their highest margin at 52-29, with Egidijus Jarukaitis (Season PPG: 11.39) driving the offense. The 17-year-old Lithuanian finished with 17 points. Captain Raik Steyer (Season PPG: 11.33) added 12, while 17-year-old Italian Santiago Capozucca (Season PPG: 11.59) and Felix Penning (Season PPG: 11.35) scored 11 each. Valentin Maggi (Season PPG: 9.64) gave 13 before fouling out.
Soleuvre reacted well after the break. Pol Diedenhofen (Season PPG: 12.67) was excellent with 22 points, a new season high, and Malik Bah (Season PPG: 11.80) added 16. Lahure also finished with 16 despite eventually fouling out. In the last quarter, Soleuvre trimmed the gap with an 8-0 run from 65-80 to 73-80, but Penning's final free throw stopped that push.
(AI generated)