Basket Esch edged Nitia Bettembourg 83-68 after overtime in the M-U14 Division 2 Phase finale round-robin opener, pulling away 18-3 in the extra period after regulation ended 65-65. Coach Raouf Riahi's team sits first at 1-0; Nitia is second at 0-1.
Game evolution
- Q1 was balanced (12-12). Esch created a 33-27 lead at the break, powered by Rodrigo Pacheco Reis (Season PPG: 16.83) and Arthur Léo Pierre Colle (Season PPG: 13.08).
- Nitia flipped the game in Q3 with a 24-14 quarter. Ewen Man-Fei Leung (Season PPG: 35.75) sparked the surge with repeated drives and mid-range finishes, and Nitia led 51-47.
- In Q4, Esch briefly stretched it to 64-55, but Leung strung six consecutive points, and Nitia produced an 8-0 run to 64-63. Free throws from Yohannes Thomas Michael (Season PPG: 16.63) tied it at 65-65.
Overtime
Esch opened OT with calm free throws and a two from Mathéo Muratovic (Season PPG: 17.00), then closed with a decisive stretch: Pacheco Reis, a 13-year-old (PRT), delivered 8 points in OT (free throws plus three field goals), while Colle added 5. The hosts finished on a 10-0 blast to 83-67, their largest lead (+16), before a last Nitia free throw.
Key players
- Esch: Pacheco Reis 25, Colle 19, Muratovic 12, Berin Hajdarpasic (Season PPG: 11.42) 8. Lyan Gomes da Cruz (Season PPG: 6.91) added timely baskets.
- Nitia: Leung 24, Michael 14, Adrian Ion Zianveni (Season PPG: 20.38) 13, Diogo Barbosa Conte (NIT) 11.
Foul trouble influenced the finish. Nitia lost Zianveni to fouls in Q4 and Michael in OT; Esch's Lorenzo Vetro also fouled out, but late-game offense remained steady for the hosts.
Trends and streaks
Esch's win extends their positive run to three straight. Nitia's eight-game winning streak ends here. Coach Jérôme Defer's side showed resilience to force OT, but Esch were the game winners with superior composure and execution in the extra five minutes.
(AI generated)