Racing Luxembourg edged BC Mess 80-73 in Mondercan., overturning a 15-point first-quarter deficit and grinding it out late to go 3-0 and move top of the M-U18 Division 2: Phase 1 table (+2 places). Mess slips to 2-1, now third (-1). It is Racing's third straight win.
Mess exploded out of the gate: Jamie Freymann scored the first six points on back-to-back triples, and with Leis Sabotic and Andr' Cristostomo Ribeiro joining in, the hosts surged to 25-10 and closed the first at 25-13. Coach Hristo Stoykov's side flipped the script in the second (9-22), fueled by triples from Pete Rajniak and Louis Cocard; Rajniak's second three and Cocard's deep shot delivered Racing a 34-35 halftime lead.
The third quarter was a shootout. Sabotic answered twice from deep, but threes by Julian Klimkowski and Rajniak kept Racing narrowly in front, 54-57. Early in the fourth, Racing pieced together a 9-2 run (Klimkowski from long range, Cocard five quick points) to 56-65, their largest lead. Mess stayed in touch through Sabotic's relentless scoring and Freymann at the line, but Oskar Berger absorbed three fouls in quick succession without derailing Racing's momentum. Despite Sarunas Sulcas fouling out, the visitors managed the final minutes calmly. A late technical on Pedrito Kemevuako was costly, and Yair Portal Levav's basket sealed it at 73-80.
Scoring profile:
- Mess: 13 free throws, 15 two-pointers, 10 threes.
- Racing: 13 free throws, 17 two-pointers, 11 threes.
Standouts:
- Mess: Leis Sabotic (17, 1.88m, MNE) poured in 34 (5 threes, 8 two-pointers). Freymann added 16 (3 threes, 5 FTs), Kemevuako 14.
- Racing: Louis Cocard (16, 1.89m) had 23, including 10 in the fourth (4 threes, 5 FTs). Stefan Stoykov scored 13, Sulcas 13 before fouling out, Klimkowski 10 with timely threes, and Rajniak (Season PPG: 11.6) hit three triples for 9.
Coach Joao Carlos Santiago Janeiro's team started fast; Racing's depth and perimeter balance carried the middle and closing stretches.
(AI generated)
BC Mess 
Racing Luxembourg 
