T71 Dudelange edged Musel Pikes 88-83 at grimler/central in the M-U18 Division 1 Phase finale, taking the season head-to-head 2-1. Under coach Tom Schumacher, T71 built control early: after Musel's opening basket, Daris Honsic strung together six straight points to launch a 9-0 reply and a 22-20 first quarter. The hosts kept their nose in front to halftime (42-37).
The third quarter proved pivotal. A 7-0 burst (free throw by Jesse Papa Müller, then triples by Honsic and Tom Kloos) stretched it to 49-39, and later the gap peaked at 63-49. Musel coach Majdi Anan's team answered in the fourth: captain Omar Youssef Essid posted four points in a row to make it 68-63, and Abram Macalou (16) kept attacking, helped by Geoffrey Schlammes. The visitors closed to 86-83 before Kevin Fernandes Vaz (16, CPV) hit two late free throws to seal it.
Game winners in a tight finish: Honsic (30, Season PPG: 15.62) with five made threes and timely shot-making; Kloos (19) also with five triples; captain Justin Lux (12) adding a late three; and Fernandes Vaz (7) with a clutch three and the last four points from the line. Jonas Lies added 12, and Tunn Wirion (T71) chipped in 5, including a third-quarter three.
For Musel, Macalou poured in 35 and was the offensive engine until fouling out in the fourth quarter, a turning point. Schlammes (16, Season PPG: 19.85) scored regularly, Jules Henri Ghislain Jacquet (15, Season PPG: 15.85) was solid inside, and Ben Schenk (15, DEU) hit from deep. Essid (12, Season PPG: 15.25) had that early fourth-quarter surge but also picked up consecutive personals late in the second.
T71's perimeter volume told: 13 made threes (Honsic 5, Kloos 5, Lux, Wirion, Fernandes Vaz) across the night. In the standings, T71 stay top (1st, 3-0) while Musel slip to 5th (1-2). T71 are now on a three-game winning streak.
(AI generated)