BBC East Side Pirates edged Amicale Steesel 68-66 in Steinsel in a close M-U14 Division 2 Phase 2 contest. AMI started fast, riding an 11-1 burst to 18-9 and a 21-16 first-quarter lead. BEP chipped away in Q2: Nicolas Nestgen (Season PPG: 19.13; 12 years old) hit from deep to briefly move BEP ahead 30-32, but AMI still led 36-34 at halftime.
After the break, AMI rebuilt control to 55-48, capped by a Charel Patz triple. BEP then flipped the momentum with a 7-0 run to 55-55, sparked by a Stefan Jankovic three and steady scoring from teammates. The fourth quarter was a tug-of-war: Nestgen drilled two late threes (59-62 and 63-67) to give Pirates their biggest cushion (+4), Patz answered from long range for 66-67, and Dzan Ahmetovic's late free throw set the final margin. AMI's highest lead was +9 (18-9).
Nestgen was the game's standout with 32 points (six threes), repeatedly delivering under pressure. Stefan Jankovic (Season PPG: 19.38) added 21, while Petar Jankovic (Season PPG: 13.92) chipped in 8 despite playing through four fouls. Ahmetovic contributed 5, including the decisive point.
AMI shared the scoring: Aiden Riley Smith (Season PPG: 10.71; 13, CAN) had 12, Levi Lepage Post (Season PPG: 14.67) 11, and Maxime Kapgen (Season PPG: 13.00) 11 with a key third-quarter three; Patz (Season PPG: 7.71) added 10 with two triples, and Phil Linckels (Season PPG: 7.57) 8, including two early threes. A crucial sequence saw Kapgen whistled for two quick fouls in the fourth, limiting AMI's options.
Under coach Gilles Poos, Pirates have found rhythm: they are on a four-game winning streak and climb to 1st in Phase 2 (3-0, ranking gain +1). Thorsten Freiheit's AMI drop to 0-3 in Phase 2 (6th) and suffer a third straight defeat.
(AI generated)