Basket Esch opened the W-U16 Division 1 Phase finale with a 69-59 road win at Contern/Central, repeating its Phase 1 success over AB Contern (80-52). Karim Elbaoune's team set the tone early: after Contern briefly trimmed it to 3-4, Esch exploded to a 27-13 first quarter and a 53-27 halftime lead. Kim Ferron strung together 8 straight points in the first-quarter avalanche, including back-to-back threes, and the visitors' perimeter shooting kept Contern at arm's length.
The gap peaked at +30 (63-33) mid-third, but Dave Schroeder's side reacted. Contern closed Q3 on a 13-2 run, then opened the fourth with six unanswered to reach 54-65. Esch steadied when Ferron hit a free throw and Anna Camara buried a three for 54-69; Contern scored the last five, but the damage from the first half held.
Esch's offense blended inside and outside: 17 two-pointers and 9 threes. Ferron (Season PPG: 18.9) led with 27 points on five triples, while Estelle Birnbaum (Season PPG: 17.5) added 24, mixing six twos and two threes along with trips to the line despite navigating four fouls. Lys Valentin (Season PPG: 6.88) chipped in 11.
For Contern, Emily Quirke (15, IRL; Season PPG: 13.3) powered the comeback with 21 points on nine two-pointers and three free throws. Julie Braun Silva (Season PPG: 23.3) hit three threes en route to 16, and Céline Kerschen (Season PPG: 5.0) added 7. Contern made 6 threes and 9 free throws, but the early deficit proved decisive.
In the new standings, Esch moves to first place (1-0, +1), Contern sits second (0-1, +4).
(AI generated)