Fourth-placed US Heffingen defeated second-placed Gréngewald Hueschtert 76-65 in this Phase finale return game, cutting a season matchup that had previously gone fully to GRE. After losses of 55-60 and 37-67 in the first two meetings, HEF controlled the key stretches this time.
The game turned quickly after GRE's 7-4 start. Heffingen answered with a 19-10 finish to the first quarter for a 23-17 lead. Captain Mett Dostert (Season PPG: 16.56) set the tone early, and HEF kept building inside. Gréngewald reacted well in the second period and came back to 35-32 at halftime, with Jake Jozef Rajniak (Season PPG: 17.60) and Paul Dortschy Boixados (Season PPG: 15.17) keeping the visitors close.
The decisive moment came in the third quarter. GRE erased most of the gap and tied the game at 39-39, but Heffingen then produced the biggest swing of the afternoon: a 23-3 run to close the quarter at 62-42. That sequence decided the game. Mex Steinmetz (Season PPG: 23.53) and Dostert carried that push, while Michael Hostert (Season PPG: 4.18) and Tim Yeong-Jun Kass (Season PPG: 6.64) also gave strong support.
Steinmetz finished with 27 points, all from inside the arc and the line, while Dostert added 24. Léini Dostert contributed 7, and 12-year-old Australian Amelia Morton added 6. Heffingen did not need a three-pointer: its offense came from 33 made two-point baskets and 10 free throws.
For GRE, Rajniak was the leading figure with 31 points, including six free throws and five three-pointers. He got hot again in the fourth quarter and scored 17 points in that period, helping GRE reduce a 26-point deficit to single digits for a moment before HEF settled the finish. Pakasius scored 8 with a three, Hind added 8, and captain Matteo De Castro Christnach had 8. GRE also had several players in foul trouble late, with Dortschy Boixados, Pakasius and De Castro Christnach all on four fouls.
(AI generated)