AB Contern edged Basket Esch 51-43 in the M-U14 Division 2 Phase 2 championship round, a close game decided in the final minutes at Contern/Central. Esch started sharper, taking the first quarter 15-11 behind early baskets from Lorenzo Vetro and Mathéo Muratovic. Coach Raouf Riahi's team opened the second period with a 6-1 push to their largest lead at 21-12, and went to halftime up 26-22.
The game turned after the break. Contern, guided by coach Jeff Bevilacqua, flipped the momentum with a 5-0 personal burst from Samuel Bevilacqua to seize a 27-26 lead. From there, 13-year-old Max Muller (Season PPG: 36.13) took control, scoring repeatedly as Contern closed the third quarter ahead 37-34. A key moment arrived early in the third when Muratovic committed two quick personals in a row, limiting Esch's interior presence.
Arthur Colle (Season PPG: 11.25) brought Esch back within one possession with a three for 39-37, and Berin Hajdarpasic tied it at 41-41 midway through the fourth. From that point, Contern produced the decisive 10-2 closing run: Felix Zoller (Season PPG: 10.50) drilled two threes in the quarter and Muller added two more baskets to seal it. Contern's largest lead eight came at the buzzer; Esch's high mark had been nine in the second.
Muller led all scorers with 32 points. Zoller added 7, including the two late triples, and Bevilacqua chipped in 5 all in a row to spark the third-quarter surge. For Esch, Rodrigo Pacheco Reis (Season PPG: 17.11, PRT) scored 12, Vetro 8, Hajdarpasic 7, Muratovic 6, while Colle's five included a key fourth-quarter three.
Contern hit three triples (two by Zoller, one by Bevilacqua) to Esch's two (Micelli, Colle). The result extends Contern's winning streak to seven and lifts them to first place (3-0, ranking gain +1). Esch stays third at 1-2, continuing their alternating win-loss pattern.
(AI generated)