The duel between the top two in M-U18 Division 1 ended with T71 Dudelange winning 76-53 away and moving up to 1st place, while Sparta Bertrange dropped to 2nd. T71 extended its winning streak to five games; Sparta saw its four-game run stop.
Game evolution mattered. After Sparta's first free throws for a 2-3 score, T71 quickly imposed its rhythm and built the first clear gap, closing the opening quarter 21-12. Tom Kloos (Season PPG: 20.20) and Daris Honsic (Season PPG: 26.60) gave T71 early control, and the visitors kept that momentum in the second period. T71 stretched the margin to 34-16, but Sparta reacted well before halftime with a 10-0 run, powered by Maximiliaan Flechtner (SPA), Ata Tastekin (Season PPG: 13.40) and Thandizo Jon Zulu (Season PPG: 9.20), to get back to 26-34.
That made the third quarter crucial, and Mike Smith's team answered immediately. T71 opened the half with a strong burst, turning 26-34 into 26-44. Honsic was on a roll there, and Kloos added free throws and outside scoring. Sparta still had some good moments through Tastekin, Diego Maestro Varillas (SPA) and Nikolaos Papanikolaou (Season PPG: 9.40), but T71 kept winning the quarter and entered the last period up 59-42.
The final quarter confirmed the away control. Wagner scored first from deep, Kloos kept attacking, and T71 pushed the lead to its highest margin at 27 points, 76-49, before Sparta scored the last four points. Honsic finished with 23 points, Kloos with 16 and Wirion with 14 for the winners. For Sparta, Tastekin led with 14, Flechtner added 10, Maestro Varillas scored 8, and Yann Kunzer da Silva (Season PPG: 6.86) finished strongly late. Ari Marinosson (16, 1.99m) also gave Sparta interior scoring off the bench.
(AI generated)