T71 Dudelange edged Racing Luxembourg 71-65 in M-U16 Division 1 (Phase 1) at grimler/central, closing a tight finish after the visitors had tied the game early in the fourth quarter. It is a needed win for T71, ending a run of three defeats; Racing remain winless.
Game evolution
- Racing jumped ahead 9-16 after the first quarter on the back of captain Nick Wallers' hot start. T71 rallied in the second, briefly moving in front 27-21, before Racing answered with a 0-9 burst to 27-30; T71 trimmed it to 29-30 at halftime.
- The third quarter flipped the contest: from 33-33, T71 strung together an 11-1 run (Max Schartz and Mathéo Velnom Mendes from deep) and built the night's largest lead at 55-42 after a Stefan Male eviÄ triple, entering Q4 up 55-45.
- Racing roared back with a 0-10 run to 55-55 (Wallers at the stripe and in traffic, Martín Cuesta Jaramillo inside, Elhadj Ibrahima Diallo free throws). T71 answered immediately: Velnom Mendes' corner three made it 58-55, Wirion added a free throw and Finn Dondelinger finished at the rim. Schartz's late three (68-60) kept the hosts in control to the horn.
Key numbers
- T71: 6 made threes (18 pts) vs. Racing's single triple (3 pts). Inside scoring was close (T71 23 two-pointers; Racing 24). Racing held a clear edge at the line (14 FT points to T71's 7).
- No player fouled out; several navigated four fouls (Wirion, Schartz, Agostinucci; Diallo, Marcou).
Top performers
- T71: Max Schartz 18 (Season PPG: 10.4); Tunn Wirion 11 (Season PPG: 14.8); Matteo Agostinucci 11 (Season PPG: 12.8); Stefan Male eviÄ (T71) added 12 with two threes; Velnom Mendes hit two key triples (8 pts).
- Racing: Nick Wallers 30 (Season PPG: 24.2) carried the offense; Martín Cuesta Jaramillo 15 (Season PPG: 11.0), the 14-year-old Spaniard, complemented inside; Diallo 10 (Season PPG: 12.0) contributed steady drives.
Coaches Eric Jeitz (T71) and Uro Niksic (Racing) traded time-outs around the fourth-quarter runs, but T71's perimeter answers decided the balance.
Standings impact: T71 move to 3rd (2-3), Racing stay 6th (0-5).
(AI generated)