Black Lions beat Team Teaching 103-67 in Grimler after a game that was competitive for a period before turning sharply in the second quarter.
The opening quarter stayed lively. Black Lions had early production from Nils Schroeder (BLD) and Denis Wirtz (BLD), while Team Teaching answered through Eric Steffen (TEA), Xavier Engel (TEA) and Michel Kirsch (TEA). Black Lions led only 28-22 after 10 minutes.
The key stretch came in the second quarter. Team Teaching fought back to 36-36, with Steffen and Engel carrying most of the scoring. From there, Black Lions changed the rhythm completely. They closed the half with a 22-2 surge to move to 58-38. Angelo Barnellini (BLD) was the central figure in that sequence, scoring 14 points in a row for his team, including four 3-pointers and one 2-pointer. That run decided the game's direction.
After the break, Black Lions managed the margin well. The third quarter was lower scoring at 14-10, but Team Teaching never got close enough to reopen the contest. Wirtz remained efficient around the basket and Schroeder added steady scoring. In the fourth quarter, Black Lions pushed again, winning it 31-19 and reaching their highest lead at 36 points.
Wirtz led all scorers with 34 points for Black Lions, followed by Schroeder with 25, Schumacher with 19 and Barnellini with 17. For Team Teaching, Steffen scored 25 and Engel 21. A notable detail: all 103 Black Lions points came from their starting five, and the same happened for Team Teaching's 67 points.
There was also a small foul pattern in the first half for Team Teaching, with Philippe Reuter committing two personal fouls in a row during the first quarter. Coach Tom Schroeder's side used its second-quarter scoring burst to take full control, while coach Xavier Engel's team had its best spell before halftime at 36-36.
(AI generated)