US Heffingen broke open a tight game after halftime to win 105-80 at Mondercange. BC Mess edged the first quarter 25-24 behind early threes from Cobie Logan Barnes and Bernardo Matos Pinto, and kept the initiative to the break, 47-46. The second period remained balanced, though a mid-quarter unsportsmanlike on Mika Cambiotti gave Heffingen extra free throws in a half defined by small swings and shot-making on both sides.
The game turned decisively in the third. From 58-56 for Mess, Heffingen authored a 17-2 burst sparked by Thomas Killian Quarry's three and relentless interior finishing from Luke Henry Haasl and Austin Parker III, forcing two Mess time-outs. Heffingen won the quarter 31-15 and never looked back, stretching the lead to as many as 29 in the fourth. Deanthony Kendrick McCallum scored six straight points early in the final period to momentarily halt the slide, but a late triple by Robert Brinck and Gerry Schuder Minden kept the gap wide. Mess's captain Fabbri Bruno Zinédine Gauthier was whistled for an unsportsmanlike in the fourth.
Heffingen shot well overall (62% on 2s, 43% on 3s both good), dominated the glass (39-20 rebounds), and moved the ball (17 assists to 7). Quarry (Season PPG: 26.09, RPG: 7.50, AssPG: 2.86) led with 33 points, 11 rebounds and excellent 3-point shooting (6/11). Haasl (Season PPG: 17.91, RPG: 13.14, AssPG: 1.93) added 26 points and 14 boards, the 2.08m center controlling the paint, while Parker III (Season PPG: 16.36, RPG: 7.29, AssPG: 3.07) scored 26.
Among the local contributors, Schuder Minden hit a key three late and Lee Bourgeois and Brinck chipped in at the line and from deep; Jordan Carreira Kreps supplied 7 points and 5 assists.
For Mess, Barnes (Season PPG: 33.00, RPG: 11.73, AssPG: 2.20) scored 28 and McCallum (Season PPG: 25.73, RPG: 4.73, AssPG: 4.87) had 29. Matos Pinto (Season PPG: 9.20, RPG: 2.00, AssPG: 0.67) added 10. Mess shot a good 86% at the line and 54% on 2s, but just 32% from three. Heffingen remain perfect, now on a 10-game winning streak, while Mess slide to back-to-back defeats. Coach Alexis Kreps' side controlled the second half; Stéphane Frentzel's team could not match the rebounding battle.
(AI generated)