Sparta Bertrange edged AS Soleuvre 61-57 at atert/terrain1 in the M-U14 Division 1 Phase 2 championship round, a game decided in the final minute from the line.
The visitors struck first after Sparta's 7-0 start, flipping the first quarter behind a barrage from Lou Lahure. He buried four triples in the opening frame as Soleuvre closed the period up 23-14, their largest lead of the day (+9). Coach Yann Ewert's side steadied in the second. Petar Kulisic (Season PPG: 26.57) imposed himself with a personal 6-0 run to 27-27, sparked around an unsportsmanlike foul on Lahure that broke Soleuvre's rhythm. Rafael Ferreira (Season PPG: 19.75) added a timely three, and the half closed level at 34-34.
Sparta made their move in the third. Ferreira and Alexander Möller (Season PPG: 14.14) repeatedly found gaps to push the lead as high as +8 (49-41), before Lahure trimmed it to 49-46 with a late three. Early in the fourth, Ferreira drilled another from deep and Jan Rotink scored in traffic for 54-46. Soleuvre replied through Timéo Weber (Season PPG: 15.57), whose consecutive baskets brought it to 58-57 entering the final minute.
A late unsportsmanlike foul on Louis Ferrai gave Sparta the cushion they needed. Kulisic, already prolific all afternoon, calmly hit four late free throws and added a fifth after a Weber foul to close it out. He scored Sparta's last five points and was the game winner in a one-possession contest until the final seconds.
Top performers:
- Sparta: Petar Kulisic 25, Ferreira 21 with three triples, Möller 8; Filip Schumacher 5 (Season PPG: 13.43).
- Soleuvre: Lou Lahure 23 with six made threes (Season PPG: 26.86), Weber 10, Maximilien Edouard Tran Van Mang (13, FRA) 10, Phillipe Vieira Geraldes 10 (Season PPG: 23.00).
In the table, Sparta stay first at 2-0 and extend their streak to six wins. Soleuvre drop to fourth (0-2, -1 place) and are now on a two-game slide after five straight victories earlier. Coach Roland Biever's team led early, but Sparta controlled the final three quarters and the decisive moments.
(AI generated)