Nitia Bettembourg overpowered North Fox 78-48 in the M-U16 Division 6 Phase finale at Bettembourg, breaking open a tight game with a dominant second half. After two balanced quarters (13-11, 19-16) and a 32-27 halftime edge, Nitia unleashed a 31-5 third quarter that decided it. The key stretch was a 23-0 run to close the third: Ewen Man-Fei Leung (13) piled in multiple layups, Gabriel Berteloot hit from deep, and the hosts turned stops into quick points. In the fourth, captain Dinis Jorge Cruz Rica (14, PRT) strung together a personal 7-0 burst to push the lead to a game-high 35.
Leung led the third-quarter surge with five field goals in the period, including a 6-0 personal run, and finished with 17. Cruz Rica (Season PPG: 11.31) added 19 on a mix of drives, free throws and two made threes. Mathis Brochier (Season PPG: 9.30; 16, FRA) contributed 12, and Berteloot (Season PPG: 6.14) scored 11 with a timely three. Nathan Monteiro Delgado chipped in 9. Coach Qassim Sahraoui's group controlled the tempo after the break and punished Fox's drought.
For North Fox, captain Mattis Rob (Season PPG: 22.08) kept his side afloat with 26 points, built on 10 two-point field goals and six free throws. Yannis Ludes (Season PPG: 14.38) added 12. Nick Schmitz (Season PPG: 9.69) had 8 before fouling out in the third quarter, a blow during Nitia's decisive run. Coach Nermin Civic's team could not answer during that long dry spell despite early exchanges that kept the first half within two possessions.
Context matters: Fox had edged the first two meetings by a single point, but Nitia flipped the script emphatically here. In the standings, Nitia climb to 2nd (+2) at 2-1 in the Phase finale, while Fox sit 3rd at 1-2. After a long stretch of defeats earlier in the season, Nitia have now won two of their last three.
(AI generated)
Nitia Bettembourg