Basket Esch won 72-55 at Grimler/Central and climbed two places to 1st in the W-U16 Division 1 Phase finale, while T71 Dudelange dropped one spot to 3rd. It was the fourth meeting of the season between the teams, and the head-to-head now stands at 2-2.
T71 had the better start. Matilde Pego Pinto scored the first 4 points in a row, and later captain Marie Beffort Neuman (Season PPG: 11.00) added 6 consecutive points as T71 led 19-17 after the opening quarter. The second period stayed balanced. Laura Kieffer Richtarik hit a 3 for 22-19, Jana Dos Santos Dramicanin (Season PPG: 11.12) produced 4 straight points for 26-21, but Basket Esch answered with an 11-4 run to move in front. Kim Ferron's 3-pointer was part of that push, and the visitors took a 32-30 lead into halftime. Early in the quarter, Ghalia Hatim also picked up two fouls in a row for T71.
The game turned decisively after the break. Beffort Neuman tied it at 32-32, then Basket Esch went on a 9-0 run and controlled the third quarter 21-5. Ajla Adrovic (Season PPG: 16.64) made the biggest difference, finishing with 33 points, matching her season maximum. She was well supported by Estelle Birnbaum (Season PPG: 16.87) with 14 and Anaïs Gocel (16, FRA, Season PPG: 15.56) with 13. After three quarters, T71 was down 35-53.
T71 tried to respond in the last period through Beffort Neuman and Dos Santos Dramicanin, who finished with 18 and 14 points, but Basket Esch kept control. The visitors' highest lead reached 19 points at 44-63 and again at 53-72. Veena Burgund added a late 5 points for T71, including a 3-pointer, but Basket Esch had already secured the key stretch of the game.
(AI generated)