Basket Esch edged Etzella Ettelbruck 74-71 in a close M-U16 Division 1 Phase 2 game at deichwisen/central, repeating October's three-point win between the same teams. The visitors are on a roll, now 5-0 in the championship round and up to first place, while Etzella sits third at 2-3.
The game opened with a 10-0 burst by Basket Esch, with four different scorers setting the tone. Etzella steadied through perimeter shooting: Ben Schock hit three early triples and Seid Muratovic (Season PPG: 15.67) kept them in touch. A 6-0 Etzella reply sparked by a string of made free throws from Gilles Schock (Season PPG: 16.8) flipped momentum, and Etzella worked their way to a 57-56 lead entering the final quarter.
The last period swung hard. Under coach Stéphane Feller, Esch reeled off a 10-0 run (from 60-56 down to 60-66) through Alexandre Kremer (Season PPG: 12.17), Paul Blettery (Season PPG: 14.3) and calm free-throw shooting by Ihsane Adam Moulai-Souiga (14, FRA). Etzella answered with a 5-0 spurt Gilles Schock's second triple of the quarter and a Muratovic basket to tie at 66-66. The hosts briefly reclaimed the lead at 71-70 on another Schock three, but Edmilson Vieira Miguel (Season PPG: 10.0) delivered the go-ahead basket for 72-71, and Gabriel Thomas (Season PPG: 9.8) plus Moulai-Souiga added late free throws to close it out.
Top performers:
- Basket Esch: Blettery 20 led all scorers; Miguel 10 and Kremer 8 were decisive late; Euricky Semedo 9. Thomas (4 fouls) still found a crucial point at the line.
- Etzella: Muratovic 18 and Gilles Schock 18 (two 4Q triples); Ben Schock 14 with early perimeter punch; Jahleeon Nascimento Rocha (13) added an 11-point spark off the bench, including a fourth-quarter three.
Coach Thierry Kremer's side showed resilience after the early 0-10, but Esch's composure in the last minute made the difference. Basket Esch has now won six straight and leads the classification; Etzella remains competitive in third.
(AI generated)