Nitia Bettembourg B edged Mambra Mamer B 45-42 in a tight M-Division 2 championship-round game in Bettembourg, climbing to first place while Mamer sits second. The evening swung back and forth, with late shot-making deciding it.
Nitia opened 6-2 and 8-2, but Maximilien Tresson (25, FRA) caught fire, pouring in 8 points in a row to flip the score to 8-10 after the first period. Coach Eric Picco's team responded with a strong second quarter (21-10), building the game's largest lead at halftime, 29-20, behind steady scoring from Picco and Noah Horsmans inside, plus useful touches from Anatole Joseph Duban (20, FRA) and Elvin Muhovic.
Mamer regrouped after the break. Buckets from Scharel Geimer, Christophe Ney and Jannik Tuffel (Season PPG: 4.2) dragged the visitors back, tying at 31-31 and then 34-34. Noah Butler's timely three helped Nitia cling to a 35-34 edge entering the last quarter.
The final act was tense. Horsmans pushed Nitia back in front, only for Luc Decker (1.90m) to level it at 39-39. Then came the decisive sequence: Eric Picco (14 points; Season PPG: 9.7) hit a big three and Owen Chen (19, CHN) followed with another from deep for a 6-0 run to 45-39. Decker answered from long range for 45-42, but Nitia managed the final possessions and closed it out. Horsmans navigated four fouls to finish with 10 important points.
Top performers
- Nitia: Eric Picco led with 14 and the go-ahead triple; Horsmans added 10; Wesley Almeida scored 5; Chen chipped in 5 with the late dagger; among the other contributors, Duban (20, FRA) had 4.
- Mamer: Tresson paced the visitors with 12; Tuffel added 8; Decker scored 8 including the last three; Geimer had 5, Ney and Xavier Arnaud Loizeau 4 each.
Form notes: Nitia have now won two in a row; Mamer's two-game winning streak ended.
(AI generated)
Nitia Bettembourg B 
Mambra Mamer B 
