CFBB U18 won a close game on the road, 64-61, against 2nd-ranked BC Mess and climbed three places to 7th. Coach Denis Toroman's team took control very early. Mess opened with only 7 points in the first quarter and fell behind 3-18, with Jules Reuter (18, 1.94m) and Tom Kloos (17, 1.87m) giving U18 a strong start. The visitors still had a solid 31-21 lead at halftime.
BC Mess reacted after the break. Luke Davis (Season PPG: 17.80) and Keishon Lamont Porter (Season PPG: 27.00) carried the offense, and Porter went on a real roll in the third quarter with 16 points. U18 had been up 34-21, but Mess cut the gap step by step to 40-42 entering the last period.
The fourth quarter stayed tight, but CFBB U18 found another important stretch. Max Flechtner (U18) scored 6 points in a row and helped push the score to 51-42. Mess answered again through Davis, who produced 11 consecutive points for his team and brought the score back to 56-59. U18 still made the key plays in the closing minutes: Louis Cocard (17, 1.89m) hit an important three, Kloos added calm free throws, and the visitors held on despite Mika Cambiotti's late three-pointer.
Davis finished with 24 points and Porter with 23 for Mess, whose four-game winning run stopped. For U18, Kloos led with 16, Reuter added 12, and Flechtner scored 11. Reuter fouled out for CFBB U18, while Porter later also left on fouls after his big third-quarter scoring burst.
(AI generated)