AB Contern, now 1st in M-U18 Division 3 Phase 1 after a gain of three places, took a third straight win by edging 3rd-ranked Telstar Hesperange 72-67 in a close game.
Telstar controlled the opening phase well. Hichem El Basri's side led 20-12 after the first quarter and stretched the margin to 27-15 in the second, their biggest lead at 12 points. Grégoire Leclercq (TEL) set the tone early, while Nikola Angelov Mratsenkov (TEL) and Tomás Giordana Pi (TEL) added scoring support. Telstar captain Ceylian Lortilloir committed two fouls in a row in the first quarter, then reached four fouls before halftime, which mattered in the backcourt rotation.
Contern stayed within reach before the break at 33-30, then changed the momentum in the third. Alex Wies (CON) and Damian Ioannis Xirouchakis (17, 1.76m) led an 8-0 surge that turned a 37-36 deficit into a 44-37 lead. Telstar answered strongly: Leclercq drove the response and the home side closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to go back in front, 56-52.
The last quarter stayed tight. Borris Alden (TEL) picked up three fouls in the period, while Contern kept finding answers. Wies scored inside and from three, Xirouchakis added calm late points, and after Leclercq tied it at 67-67, Contern finished the game with the decisive last 5 points: a three by Wies and a final basket by Xirouchakis.
Leclercq and Wies shared game-high honors with 24 points each. For Telstar, Giordana Pi had 14 and Mratsenkov 13. For Contern, Xirouchakis produced 15, while Emil Dostert (15, 1.92m) and Alexandre Lopes Meysembourg each added 10.
(AI generated)