BBC Dikrich controlled North Fox 76-62 in the M-U16 Division 6 Phase finale opener, building the win on a dominant third quarter. The first half was balanced: FOX briefly led 18-17 late in Q1 after Mattis Rob's inside finish, but Mil Neyens calmly hit two free throws to close the period 21-18. Early Q2, FOX struck a 5-0 burst (Rob and Nick Schmitz) to go 21-23, before Dikrich answered and reached halftime up 40-33, capped by a late triple from Gustavo Alexandre Ferreira.
The game broke open after the break. From 44-38, Dikrich authored an 18-4 run to 62-42, fueled by the relentless captain Farih NURKOVIC and a string of baskets from Braima Barreto Vieira Djau. FOX's timeout in the 7th minute of the quarter couldn't halt the momentum, and the hosts entered Q4 ahead 64-44. FOX rallied through Yannis Ludes and Schmitz to 69-60, but NURKOVIC answered with five straight points (a two and a three) for 74-60, sealing the outcome.
Top performers:
- BBC Dikrich: NURKOVIC Farih (36 pts; Season PPG: 37.33; 15 years old) carried 47% of the scoring and was on a roll in the third. Gustavo Alexandre Ferreira (19 pts; Season PPG: 16.33; Portugal) added timely baskets, with Barreto (8 pts; Season PPG: 5.14) sparking the key run and Neyens (6 pts; Season PPG: 6.44) steady at the line.
- North Fox: Ludes (23 pts; Season PPG: 11.73) led in the lane and late, Rob (18 pts; Season PPG: 20.18) kept FOX close early with three straight free throws in Q1, and Schmitz (13 pts; Season PPG: 10.27) hit from outside and drew contact.
Coach Laszlo Jozsef Hartl's side extends its positive momentum to five wins in a row and sits 2nd (1-0) in the Phase finale. Coach Nermin Civic's FOX, now on a four-game skid, are 3rd (0-1). Captains: NURKOVIC (DIE) and Rob (FOX).
(AI generated)