T71 Dudelange edged Saarlouis 90-84 in a friendly at Grimler/Central, a game with strong swings and a tight finish. T71 blasted out early: from 2-2 they rattled off a 16-2 stretch to 18-4 and peaked at +15 (24-9) in the first quarter, leading 27-21 after 10 minutes and 47-38 at half. Mid-third they were again up 11 (61-50).
Saarlouis rebuilt patiently and opened the fourth with an 11-0 run to 71-71, featuring three straight free throws and a three by Nils Pirek (SRL). Moments later, back-to-back threes by Pirek and Georg Illgren (SRL) even pushed the guests ahead 77-76. The final minutes belonged to T71: Jimmie Taylor (T71) scored the last six points of the night after 84-84 to secure the win.
Taylor was the decisive figure with 37 points, repeatedly scoring in a row at key moments. Support came from Joe Kalmes (T71) with 17 and Mekhi Long (T71) and Jack Christopher (T71) at 11 each; Davide Grun (25, 1.86m) added timely baskets. For Saarlouis, Jorke Aav (SRL) led with 21, Pirek and Ricky Easterling (SRL) had 16 apiece, while Yanis Steger (SRL) scored steadily from the line, including four in a row in the first period. Easterling fouled out late, a blow in a one-possession game phase. Coaches Christophe Ney (T71) and Jakob Burger (SRL) traded timeouts around the 4th-quarter momentum swings, but Taylor's closing burst was the separator.
(AI generated)