Arantia Larochette controlled the key moments to win 63-53 at esch/ho4 against Basket Esch B in the M-U14 Division 3 Phase finale. The hosts surged late in the first quarter with an 8-1 run (from 8-12 to 16-13) behind Gabriel Stefan Kühne Meza and Samuel Vidal Martins, but Arantia closed the period with a 4-0 reply to lead 17-16. The game tilted in the second quarter when Sam Göhlhausen strung together three consecutive baskets for a personal 6-0 that stretched Arantia's cushion to 33-27 at halftime.
After the break, Rui Carlos Silva took over stretches of the third quarter, scoring repeatedly to lift Arantia to 48-37 before Esch trimmed it to 48-41 entering the fourth. Early in the last period, Louis Vaessen added a quick burst with back-to-back makes as the visitors pushed the gap to a game-high +15 (48-63) before Esch scored the final points.
Silva (Season PPG: 14.85) led Arantia with 19 points, supported by Göhlhausen (13; Season PPG: 13.90), captain Finn Brosius (10; Season PPG: 11.50) and Jules Schalbar (9; Season PPG: 12.13). For Esch, Berin Hajdarpasic (Season PPG: 11.81) topped the hosts with 15, Kühne Meza added 11 (Season PPG: 9.13), while Vidal Martins chipped in 7. Esch's Wu Darren Lee N'Goran (13, ITA) battled foul trouble, picking up two quick fouls in the fourth that stalled a potential push.
Coach Pit Hoffmann's side rises to first place (2-1, +4 positions) in the Phase finale standings, while Damien Thill's Esch sits second (1-2, +2). Arantia has now won 11 of its last 12 games. Earlier this season, Arantia had also prevailed in the matchup (89-46), though Esch kept this one more competitive.
(AI generated)