Etzella Ettelbruck edged Racing Luxembourg 91-84 at Deichwisen/Central in the M-U16 Division 1 Phase finale (round-robin). The hosts controlled the early flow and managed the late push from Racing to move to the top of the classification (2-0, 1st), while Racing sits 3rd (0-2).
Game evolution
- ETZ jumped out 6-0 and exploded for an 11-0 burst from 9-8 to 20-8, closing the first quarter 23-14.
- Racing stayed afloat through Nick Wallers' scoring (he produced the team's first eight points), but ETZ still led 41-35 at halftime.
- The third quarter proved decisive: Etzella posted 29 points and built a 70-56 cushion, highlighted by a Seid Muratovic three and a Yona Posing triple.
- Early in the fourth, ETZ reached its highest lead at +17 (78-61). A technical foul on ETZ's Liam Ferreira Capela (15) gave Racing a 4-0 mini-run (80-71), and Doruk Ege Kurtes and Wallers fueled further resistance, but Etzella answered with timely scores to keep the gap in single digits to the end.
Top performers
- Etzella: Seid Muratovic (Season PPG: 16.21) led with 24 points, including three triples; 14-year-old Montenegrin guard Muratovic repeatedly punished close-outs. Gilles Schock (Season PPG: 16.92) added 16 and a key late three. Ben Schock (Season PPG: 14.25) had 15 before fouling out in the fourth, while Posing (Season PPG: 7.77) chipped in 14 with two threes. Bastian Torres (15, FRA) scored 9 and provided steady mid-range answers. Coach Thierry Kremer's balanced rotation produced five players with 9+ points.
- Racing: Nick Wallers (Season PPG: 32.00) erupted for 49, mixing drives, perimeter makes and trips to the line, and kept RAC within reach throughout. Support came from Kurtes (12; Season PPG: 7.14), Martin Cuesta Jaramillo (9; Season PPG: 10.92), Auguste Jean Marcou (7; Season PPG: 4.88) and Bartosz Jan Olejnik (5; Season PPG: 13.23).
Head-to-head note: Etzella has now won both meetings this season (82-76 in Phase 1, 91-84 here). Coach Uros Niksic's side mounted multiple waves late (notably 4-0 and 4-0 bursts), but ETZ's early margin and third-quarter surge held up.
(AI generated)