Telstar Hesperange B, now 1st in M-U18 Division 5: Phase finale after a gain of three places, beat Sparta Bertrange C 74-65 in a game with two very different parts. TELB also extended its run to three straight wins, while SPAC suffered a third consecutive defeat despite moving up to 6th.
Coach Uchenna Agada's team imposed the pace early. TELB led 25-13 after the first quarter and created separation with an 11-0 run that turned 5-3 into 16-3. Gabriel Marques dos Ramos (Season PPG: 11.55) and captain Fabio Gilotti Gonzalez (Season PPG: 7.40) set the tone, and at halftime the gap was already 44-24.
The third quarter pushed the game close to a blowout. TELB reached its highest lead at 62-34, with Juan Joyner Lopes da Costa dos S. (Season PPG: 5.87) and Mael Andé Cornou (Season PPG: 5.75) adding important interior scoring. TELB won the first three periods 25-13, 19-11 and 18-10.
SPAC then produced a very strong last quarter, 31-12. Simon Derwael-Thomsin (16, FRA) was the main spark with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and Thomas Boccara (Season PPG: 12.71) added 19. Sparta opened the fourth on a 9-0 run and later scored 11 points in a row to cut the score from 65-47 to 65-58. That turned the finish into a live game again.
TELB still had enough answers in the key moments. Gilotti scored, Cornou added a basket, Lopes da Costa finished inside, and Marques dos Ramos closed the scoring for 74-65. TELB had five players between 6 and 16 points, which gave them more balance than Sparta, whose offense leaned heavily on Derwael-Thomsin and Boccara.
(AI generated)