Basket Esch C edged US Heffingen 52-45 at esch/ho1 in M-U16 Division 7 (Phase 2), snapping a five-game skid and climbing to 4th (+1). Heffingen's slide continues (now 0-4 in Phase 2, 5th, -1), extending their losing streak to nine.
Esch, under coach Darren Marschal, started sturdily (16-12). Early in the second quarter they ripped an 8-0 burst to the night's largest lead (24-13), but Heffingen, coached by Andrej Gruskovnjak, answered with a 9-0 run across two timeouts to close to 24-22 and trailed just 26-24 at halftime. The third period swung Esch's way: after a 30-30 tie, Redzep Ramovic (Season PPG: 7.0) and Enzo Neves Casemiro (Season PPG: 5.2) pushed the hosts to 42-35.
The final quarter tightened when Jan Vyroubal (Season PPG: 3.25) opened with six straight points and later added two free throws to bring HEF within 43-41. A key moment followed: Diego Vaz Pereira (HEF) picked up three quick fouls in succession and fouled out, and Esch struck with a 7-0 answer Paul Augustine Mendy Cardenas (Season PPG: 3.83) at the line, then Niksa Oroz (14, HRV) and Ennicky Semedo da Veiga (PRT) from the field, capped by another Oroz basket for 52-43. Max Klemann (Season PPG: 10.78) scored late, but the gap held.
Top performers
- Basket Esch C: Oroz 18 points 34.6% of the team's total delivered the clinching stretch; Duarte Gonvalves Ponciano (LALC) 10; Ramovic 9; Neves Casemiro 8.
- US Heffingen: Mett Dostert (Season PPG: 5.33) 10; Vyroubal 10; Klemann 9; Vaz Pereira 8 before disqualification for fouls.
It was a two-point driven game only two made threes all night (Duarte for Esch, Dostert for HEF) with Esch's late 7-0 run deciding a close contest.
(AI generated)