Basket Esch controlled the second half to win 84-70 at T71 Dudelange in M-U16 Division 1 (Phase 1). The hosts started sharper (28-24 after 10 minutes), fueled by a hot opening from Matteo Agostinucci (T71), who poured in 8 early points including back-to-back threes. The second quarter stayed balanced with timely scoring from T71's Tunn Wirion and Tim Wagner, but Alexandre Kremer (15) answered repeatedly for Esch, trimming the gap to 48-46 at halftime.
The game turned after the break. Esch strung together a 14-0 run from 48-46 to 48-60, sparked by Faisal Abdirizak Mohamed (14, SOM) and Euricky Semedo da Veiga (13, PRT). T71's timeout couldn't halt the momentum. In that phase, Kremer's captaincy was steady, and Semedo repeatedly found the lane. T71's captain Max Schartz later picked up a technical and eventually fouled out, and Agostinucci also exited on fouls; Esch's Abdirizak Mohamed fouled out late as well. In the third quarter, Finn Dondelinger committed two fouls in a row, adding to T71's issues.
Esch kept control in the fourth. Paul Blettery (15, FRA) delivered three baskets in a row late to push the lead to 16 (68-84), Esch's highest margin, before two free throws closed it at 70-84. Early in the game, Kremer had scored six straight points to put Esch up 6-2; later, Semedo authored multiple buckets in succession during the decisive run.
Top performers
- Basket Esch: Kremer 21; Semedo da Veiga 18; Blettery 18; Edmilson Vieira Miguel 8.
- T71 Dudelange: Wirion 16; Dondelinger 11; Agostinucci 11; Velnom Mendes 10.
Coach Stphane Feller's team is on a two-game winning streak and sits 1st (2-0, +4 places). Coach Eric Jeitz's T71 is 2nd (1-1) after a win followed by this loss.
(AI generated)