T71 Dudelange pulled away at Atert to beat Sparta Bertrange 95-78 in the U22 Qualifications. Sparta started brightly and led 21-17 after a Max Hagen triple, but T71 closed the first quarter with a 9-0 burst (extended to 11-0 at the start of Q2) to flip the game, reaching halftime 45-36 ahead.
Sparta briefly cut it to 41-45 early in the third, only for T71 to answer with an 8-0 run to 53-41. From there, Laurent Schmitz's team controlled the tempo and took a 73-56 lead into the fourth. Sparta tried once more back-to-back threes by Théo Mc Leod and Hagen brought it to 77-69 but an unsportsmanlike foul on Diego Maestro Varillas (SPA) and a ruthless T71 18-4 surge stretched the gap to a game-high +22 (95-73) before late Sparta points trimmed the final margin.
T71's balance was decisive: Nils Schroeder (Season PPG: 13.0) scored 20 with timely hits across the third and fourth quarters, while Uros Malesevic (Season PPG: 18.14) added 19, using his 1.95m frame well at both ends. Lenn Dondelinger (Season PPG: 11.25) chipped in 16, and Len Guedes (Season PPG: 8.14) had 12, including four straight free throws in the third. Noah Jeitz (Season PPG: 5.75) closed the game with back-to-back baskets. For Sparta, 17-year-old French guard/forward Théo Mc Leod (Season PPG: 21.67) led all scorers with 26, Hagen (17, 1.89m) hit four threes for 17, Nikolaos Papanikolaou (Season PPG: 9.60) added 15 despite foul trouble, and Ata Tastekin (14, 1.91m, TUR) was effective inside.
In the standings, T71 jumps three places to 5th and is now on a three-game winning streak, while Sparta remains 7th and continues a six-game slide. Coach Georges-Vallery F. Amon-Aka's timeouts steadied Sparta in phases, but T71's late-game runs decided it.
(AI generated)