BBC East Side Pirates earned their first win of the season, 82-71 at Etzella Ettelbruck, breaking a four-game skid and moving to 5th in M-U14 Division 1. Etzella remains winless (0-5, 6th).
Game flow swung sharply in the second quarter. Etzella edged the first, 16-14, behind early touches from Jahleeon Nascimento Rocha Carvalho (31). Then BEP ripped the game open with a 27-10 second period, highlighted by a 15-0 burst from 20-18 down to 20-33. Emil Denter (Season PPG: 26.8) fueled that surge, piling up points in quick succession, including a three, free throws and mid-range finishes. Halftime: 41-26 BEP.
Coach Gilles Poos' side kept control after the break, stretching the gap to +23 at 70-47. Stefan Jankovic (19; 12, SRB) repeatedly scored out of the half-court and in transition, and Nicolas Nestgen (Season PPG: 13.4) added timely threes and drives. Etzella's uphill task grew when Mustafa Yakta Inal (15; 13, TUR) fouled out in the third after a T1, while Lenn Dos Santos (8) also exited late following early foul trouble in Q1 (two quick fouls, then a third).
Coach Jeanine Levooz's team did not fold: Lenny Weber (13) and Rocha Carvalho (13) sparked a 26-point fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 11 at the finish, but the hole from the second and third quarters proved too deep.
Top performers
- BEP: Denter 37 (Season PPG: 26.8), S. Jankovic 19 (Season PPG: 18.6), Nestgen 18.
- ETZ: Rocha Carvalho 31 (13), Weber 13, Inal 15.
Key moments: BEP's 15-0 run in Q2 decided the momentum; highest lead +23 for the Pirates.
(AI generated)