T71 Dudelange edged Etzella Ettelbruck 58-55 in a close Phase finale game, an important result for the team now ranked 5th, with ETZ staying 2nd. After losing the first two meetings this season, Eric Jeitz's side reversed the matchup and is now on a two-game winning run.
The game started with low scoring, then T71 closed the first quarter with an 8-2 push for 12-6. Early in the second, Bo Wagner (Season PPG: 5.36) helped extend the margin to 17-6, the biggest lead of the night at 11 points. Thierry Kremer's team reacted well: ETZ answered with an 11-0 run to level at 17-17, driven by Lou Dos Santos (Season PPG: 5.15), Ben Schock (Season PPG: 16.00) and a free throw from Charel Hilger. ETZ even moved ahead 19-17 before T71 recovered for a 25-22 halftime edge.
T71 again created separation in the third quarter, going up 39-31, but ETZ stayed in contact. An 8-2 finish cut it to 41-39, with Schock and Seid Muratovic heavily involved. The 14-year-old Montenegrin Muratovic (Season PPG: 15.53) then helped ETZ take a 45-43 lead early in the fourth.
The crucial answer came immediately. From 43-45, T71 produced a 9-2 run to reach 52-47, with Tunn Wirion (Season PPG: 16.71) and Finn Dondelinger (Season PPG: 10.38) carrying the offense. ETZ still made it tense, scoring six in a row from 49-56 to 55-56, but late free throws from Max Schartz and Wagner secured the win.
Wirion led T71 with 18 points, Dondelinger added 15 and Wagner 12. For ETZ, Schock scored 17, Muratovic 13 and Dos Santos 11. Mathéo Velnom Mendes, the 15-year-old French player (Season PPG: 4.62), gave T71 an early spark with four straight first-quarter points.
(AI generated)