BC Mess took a valuable 81-64 home win over BBC East Side Pirates in the M-U14 Division 1 phase finale and moved up one place to 3rd. The Pirates stayed 6th and are still looking for their first win in this stage.
The game turned on two strong stretches from Mess. After BEP had answered the 4-0 start and tied at 4-4, the home side produced a 10-0 run to go 14-4 and controlled the first quarter at 23-16. Early in the second period, the Pirates reacted well with 7 straight points to level at 23-23, but that was their best moment. From a narrow 29-28 score, Mess changed the rhythm with a decisive 16-3 sequence to reach 45-31 at halftime.
Fernand Musquar's team kept the pressure on after the break. The lead peaked at 26 points at 63-37 in the third quarter, with Mess getting repeated production inside the arc. They finished with 36 made two-point baskets, led by Eli Nosbusch (Season PPG: 7.67) and Noa Priso Dikoume (Season PPG: 14.20), both on 20 points, while Louis Clemes (Season PPG: 10.00) added 16 and Nils Muller (Season PPG: 18.80) had 14.
For Gilles Poos' side, captain Emil Denter (Season PPG: 27.00) was clearly the standout with 35 points, more than half of BEP's total, despite picking up two fouls in quick succession in the first quarter. Nicolas Nestgen (Season PPG: 18.64) added 11, with Petar Jankovic contributing 9. The Pirates were better in the last quarter, winning it 21-16, but the gap created before that was too large.
(AI generated)