Basket Esch overpowered Arantia Larochette 77-51 in Larochette to open the W-U16 Division 1 Phase 2 championship round. Esch set the tone with a 28-15 first quarter, fuelled by a late burst in which captain Kim Ferron (Season PPG: 16.00) hit three straight mid-range makes to stretch the gap from 20-13 to 26-13. The visitors then opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run, capped by a three from 15-year-old Lys Valentin (Season PPG: 6.60), to reach 38-15 and establish full control. Halftime read 49-33.
Arantia's response came mainly through captain Lucie Rock (Season PPG: 18.60), who stacked 25 points and briefly trimmed the margin with a three and a series of drives in the third. But Lana Clausi (Season PPG: 15.33) seized the period, pouring in 12 points in a personal surge that pushed Esch out to 69-44 after three. The largest lead hit +27 early in the fourth before Esch closed it out, 7-8 in the final quarter.
The numbers underline Esch's interior dominance: 35 two-point field goals (70 points), one triple and four free throws. Clausi finished with 35, Ferron added 20 and Valentin 12. For Arantia, Rock's 25 led the way, supported by Ylvi Lepage Post (Season PPG: 5.80) with 11, Yara Mores (Season PPG: 9.56) with 7, and a triple from Maëly Horta Mascarenhas. Clara Walter (15, DEU) chipped in 4.
Coached by Karim Elbaoune, Esch climbs to second in Phase 2 and extends its winning streak to four. João Pedro Osorio Silva's Arantia drops to third, seeing a four-game winning run snapped.
(AI generated)