In M-U14 Division 3 Phase 1, Mambra Mamer edged Sparta Bertrange B 78-76 in Mamer and moved up to 1st place with a third straight win. Sparta, after two wins in a row, remains 3rd.
Arnaud Stirn's team controlled most of the first three quarters. MAM started well through Nikolaos Kouvaras (MAM) and Pharrell André Demougin (MAM), took the first quarter 24-14, and still led 43-36 at halftime. The third period looked decisive: Pierre Frieden (MAM) scored inside and from long range, Til Zorz (MAM) added a three, and Mamer reached its biggest lead at 63-48 before going into the last quarter ahead 65-52.
The game then turned sharply. Sparta lifted its output and leaned on Ioannis Paspaltzis (Season PPG: 14.00), who produced a big closing stretch and scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. During Sparta's 20-7 run from 65-52 to 72-72, he hit two threes, and Giovanni Vena (Season PPG: 12.60) then gave SPAB a 74-72 lead.
Mamer answered in the decisive sequence with 6 unanswered points. Tammo Becker (MAM), the 12-year-old captain, tied the game and then put his team back in front at 76-74. Nátán András Szekely (MAM) extended it to 78-74. Becker's late scoring came while he was also in foul trouble, as he committed three fouls in the fourth quarter and eventually fouled out. Paspaltzis made the last two free throws to bring Sparta back within one possession.
Becker led MAM with 20 points. Kouvaras (MAM) and Demougin (MAM) added 14 each, while Frieden (MAM) scored 11. For Sparta, Paspaltzis finished with 25, Vena with 23, and Daniel Maestro Varillas (Season PPG: 10.83) had 14.
(AI generated)