Arantia Larochette B edged AS Soleuvre B 72-66 in Zolwer/Scheierhaf after a tense finish. Soleuvre started sharper (19-18, Q1), but the game flipped in the second quarter when Arantia delivered a 12-0 burst from 23-19 to 23-31 and reached halftime up 34-44. The largest gap hovered at +11 for the visitors.
Soleuvre answered right after the break with a 6-0 run to 40-44 and kept chipping away. Early in the fourth, Mathys Ntemo (19) hit from deep for 52-57, and Ibrahim Hasic (19) and Charel Diedenhofen (19, 1.97m) kept the hosts in touch inside. Down 59-68, Soleuvre surged 7-0: Diedenhofen scored twice and Julien Kuhn buried a corner three for 66-68. In the clutch, Arantia held its nerve at the line: Pedro Nunes Jordao (37, 1.82m, Portugal), Malik Wilson (30, 1.85m) and finally Sam Brosius (19) converted free throws for a 4-0 closing run to secure it.
Balanced scoring under coach Rui Nunes Jordao (39, 1.76m, Portugal) was decisive: Wilson and Brosius led with 17 points each, while Rui Nunes Jordao, Pedro Nunes Jordao and Philippe Oly (30, 2.00m) added 12 apiece. Coach Hervé Marie-Rose's SOLB leaned on its frontcourt: Hasic scored 17 and Diedenhofen 16, with Ntemo 11, Tom Lahure 8 and Kuhn 5 (including the late triple).
Game flow mattered: Arantia's second-quarter 12-0 run created the platform; Soleuvre's third-quarter response and the late 7-0 push made it a one-possession game before free throws decided it. Arantia Larochette B, now 2-0, stays atop the MNationale 3 Tour qualificatif, while AS Soleuvre B drops to 1-1 and sits 3rd (1 place). The visitors are on a twogame winning streak.
(AI generated)