Racing Luxembourg B edged US Heffingen 51-46 in Heffingen to open Phase 2, a game that swung repeatedly. After an early 0-3 start from the line by Henrik Alfred Piirsalu (Season PPG: 13.63), Heffingen answered with an 8-0 burst Mex Steinmetz (Season PPG: 24.2) poured in six straight to lead 10-7. Racing closed the first quarter on an 11-2 response for 12-18, the visitors' biggest cushion.
Heffingen wrestled back momentum in the second period (13-7) behind captain Mett Dostert (Season PPG: 14.4), who scored repeatedly, and a Michael Hostert triple to level it 25-25 at the half. Racing opened the third with a 6-0 spurt to 27-31, but the hosts answered and, with baskets from Dostert and Tim YeongJun Kass (Season PPG: 5.2), led 40-37 entering the last quarter.
Kass split at the line and Steinmetz drilled a three for 44-39 Heffingen's largest lead before coach Christian Frick's team regrouped. After a timeout, Racing finished with an 8-0 run from 46-43 to 46-51, keyed by Piirsalu's goahead layup (46-47), a Jean Georges Pongas (RACB) basket and another Piirsalu finish. Heffingen's captain Dostert picked up his fourth foul in that stretch.
Piirsalu, a 12-year-old from Finland, led all scorers with 23 (9 field goals, 5 free throws). Support came from Nicolas Breistroff (8), Pongas (8), Robert Stapic (6), Simon David Rönnhult (RACB, 4) and Roman Bilousov (RACB, 2). Racing won without a three-pointer, leaning on 22 twopointers and a 7-2 edge at the stripe.
For coach Andrej Gruskovnjak, Steinmetz had 20 and Dostert 18, with Kass adding 5 and Hostert 3. The headtohead is now split 1-1 after Heffingen's onepoint win in Phase 1. The result lifts Racing to first place in Phase 2 (+2), with Heffingen second, and stops Racing's twogame slide.
(AI generated)