Etzella Ettelbruck won 85-77 at Musel Pikes in a game that stayed open until the closing minutes. Coach Dragana Zoric's side climbed three places to 1st in M-U14 Division 3: Phase finale and has now won five in a row. Musel, coached by Hichem El Basri, remains 3rd after a third straight defeat. The two phase-finale meetings between these teams finished 1-1, and both were won by the road side.
Etzella started sharply with a 6-0 opening behind Lenny Weber, but Musel recovered well and the first quarter ended 17-17. The home team then produced a 7-0 burst early in the second period for 24-17. Etzella answered immediately with a 12-0 run to 29-24, a key swing in the first half. Musel tied it again at 31-31, yet Etzella still went into the break up 35-31.
The third quarter swung back and forth. Etzella reached its biggest lead at 50-39, driven by Jahleeon Nascimento Rocha Carvalho (Season PPG: 28.92) and Weber (Season PPG: 17.61). Musel answered with seven straight points to level at 50-50 and edged in front 55-54 going into the fourth.
It stayed tight at 74-75. That was the decisive stretch: Rocha Carvalho scored Etzella's last 10 points in a row, turning a one-point edge into control. He finished with 40 points, while Weber added 23 and Lenn Dos Santos (Season PPG: 8.50) had 13.
For Musel, Jack Kemmer (Season PPG: 16.93) scored 28, Lex Flies (Season PPG: 14.71) added 16, and Cédric Meyers (Season PPG: 10.94) finished with 12. The 14-year-old Rody Minutella (ITA) contributed 9, but after two quick fouls in the third he eventually fouled out late in the fourth, an important moment in Musel's chase.
(AI generated)