Kordall Steelers edged T71 Dudelange C 66-59 in Rodange after a tense second half that flipped the game twice. KDS opened with a sharp 20-14 first quarter, but T71C seized control before the break with a 20-3 surge to close the second (22-24 at one point to 27-36 at halftime), their largest lead at nine.
The third quarter belonged to KDS. Sparked by Jayson Otiu and captain Mahé Schmitz, the hosts posted a 26-17 frame. Schmitz knocked down two free throws to give KDS their first lead since the opening period (41-40), while Mickael Pereira Briga added key baskets in traffic. The period ended 53-53, setting up a close finish.
In the fourth, T71C briefly went ahead 55-53, but KDS answered. With the score knotted at 59-59, Abriel Adam strung together five straight points for the team (two drives and a free throw), and Pereira Briga sealed it at the line. KDS closed on a 7-0 run and held T71C scoreless down the stretch. Coach Julien Noël Edouard Bordonne's late timeout management contrasted with Ronny Schanen's mid-quarter stop that couldn't halt KDS's momentum.
KDS's balance told: Adam (Season PPG: 21.75) scored 15, Otiu (Season PPG: 3.43) delivered 13 including a pair of steady third-quarter trips to the line, Pereira Briga (Season PPG: 14.50) added 12, and Schmitz (Season PPG: 13.38) had 10. For T71C, Daris Adrovic (14, MNE) and Felix Trierweiler (Season PPG: 3.50) each had 12, Felix Schanen scored 11 and Lou Wampach hit two timely threes (8 points). Late foul trouble hurt T71C: Isaak Dos Santos Luis committed three fouls in the fourth (finishing with four), and Schanen picked up three in the final period to reach four.
From deep, KDS made four threes to T71C's three, and the hosts owned the free-throw column 7-2. With this win, Kordall Steelers move up to 3rd (2-2), while T71C sit 4th (1-3).
(AI generated)