Sparta Bertrange pulled away late to win 97-78 at tramsschap/central, climbing to the top of the M-U16 Division 2: Phase 2 table (rank +1), while Racing Luxembourg slipped to second (-1). The game was tight for three quarters (19-21; 41-42; 61-65), then SPA crushed the last period 32-17.
The opening stretch set the tone: Thandizo Jon Zulu (Season PPG: 18.5) strung together three consecutive baskets midway through Q1 for a personal 6-0, but Nick Wallers (Season PPG: 31.10) kept RAC in range with a mix of midrange makes and free throws. At halftime, only a single point separated the teams.
Racing briefly wrestled momentum in Q3 through Elhadj Ibrahima Diallo (Season PPG: 15.00), whose drives and a three-pointer edged RAC in front during mini-runs; SPA answered via Isamu-Vincent Boisclair and Petar Kulisic (SPA). A Q2 unsportsmanlike on Luigi Trapani interrupted a RAC push, yet the scoreboard stayed within one or two possessions into the 4th (68-69 after Wallers' free throws).
From there, SPA sped away. Zulu added two free throws and a layup, and Boisclair, relentless in transition, piled on a string of buckets after the 6th-minute timeout, as SPA closed the night on an 18-6 stretch. Kulisic chipped in late free throws and a basket to seal it.
Top performers
- SPA: Zulu 29, Boisclair 25, Kulisic 19, Olinger 12. Boisclair (15, JPN) was decisive in the fourth with repeated scores, while Zulu balanced drives and foul-line production throughout.
- RAC: Wallers 29 led all for the hosts, repeatedly scoring in sequences across quarters; Diallo added 17, with Auguste Jean Marcou 12 and Martin Cuesta Jaramillo 8.
Coach Christian Michael Wulff's group has now won five straight. Coach Uros Niksic's RAC had strung together four wins earlier in the round, but could not contain Sparta's late surge. Frequent P2 fouls on RAC in the final minutes (Rilak, Diallo, Cuesta Jaramillo) helped SPA control the closing rhythm.
(AI generated)