Stuttgart senior Chris Hess shoots as Lakenheath junior Jayden Sheperd, left, and senior Dante Thompson defend during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany – The Ramstein basketball teams have been on an adventure over the past eight days.
Beginning with a midweek game against Wiesbaden, the Royals boarded a plane to Spain for a pair of games vs. Rota. They returned to Germany 1 a.m. Monday.
Just barely two days later, the Royals were back on the road again, this time for the Division I DODEA European basketball championships in Wiesbaden. And for the girls, it was a particularly quick turnaround, as they had the opening game against the host Warriors at Clay Kaserne’s Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center.
“We really enjoyed that time being together as a family, but it certainly was a challenge getting off the plane and home, and (two days later) getting up at 4 a.m. and making the trek here,” Ramstein coach Christina Hewitt said.
All those miles showed early on Wednesday, but the Royals managed to pull away for a 35-15 opening victory.
With Stuttgart’s 27-26 win over Wiesbaden later in the day, Ramstein and the Panthers have advanced to the semifinals. The two will play Thursday to decide who wins the pool.
The score was 9-9 at the end of the first quarter, and Ramstein scored the lone bucket in the second frame via sophomore guard Aaryanna Guishard to make it a two-point advantage at the break.
In the second half, the Royals exploded offensively. Sophomore forward Felciciana Davis scored seven of her 10 points over the final 14 minutes, and senior guard Bralyn Jones had 10 of her game-high 14 points in the second and third quarters.
Davis posted a double-double with 12 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass. Jones added nine steals in the win.
“I think it definitely showed in the first half,” Jones said of the travel exhaustion. “We were a little sluggish, but we just stayed disciplined. That’s a word that our coach loves to use, and we pulled through in the end.”
Ramstein sophomore Sanai Schneider drives to the bucket as Wiesbaden junior Natalia Bergdorf defends during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein junior Parker Ingram passes against Wiesbaden junior Angelica Shea during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden guard Angelica Shea shoots over Ramstein guard Parker Ingram during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Lakenheath junior Gideon Toure shoots a free throw from a Vilseck technical foul during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck senior Brandon Goins goes up on the drive while Lakenheath guard Gideon Toure defends during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE senior Bela Clobes tries to corral the ball during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships agianst Wiesbaden on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
With the win, the Royals were able to sit back and relax for the rest of the day, watch opponents such as Stuttgart as well as their boys team play a pair of games.
It was a nice respite after a crazy week.
“We just get to chill, get to watch the other teams and cheer on our boys team,” Jones said. “I think we deserve a break after today.”
The boys, meanwhile, took care of business with a 59-27 victory over crosstown rival Kaiserslautern and then a 39-22 win in the night cap over Wiesbaden.
The win over the Warriors was particularly important for coach Brendan Rouse and his squad, as they had lost the week prior. It sounded the alarm that led to Wednesday’s performance.
“That was a massive wake-up call,” Rouse said. “The guys didn’t go at them the way they were supposed to, and we played a different scheme. And it worked.”
As has been the case all season, no single Royal took control of the offense. Instead, they all shared the load.
Against Kaiserslautern, Aarius Guishard totaled 13 points, and the 6-foot sophomore was the only Royal to reach double figures. Against Wiesbaden, no Ramstein player hit double digits, with junior Tyrell Edwards pacing the team with nine points.
“We never put it on one person,” Rouse said. “We continuously pass the ball around until we find the open one.”
Lakenheath junior Solymar Brown shoots over SHAPE senior Jessica Moon during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE guard Jessica Moon dribbles in for a layup during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships against Lakenheath on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
WIesbaden junior Jordan Thibodeaux shoots over SHAPE senior Yanis Anderson during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart senior Macayla Hines loses her balance after bumping into Wiesbaden junior Kariyah Housey, center, as Warriors Katie Shea falls to the ground during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein junior Tyrell Edwards dribbles as Kaiserslautern junior Rueben Todman defends during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
The Ramstein boys haven’t clinched the pool yet, but a win against SHAPE at 3:30 p.m. Thursday would do the trick and avoid any tiebreaker.
Rouse said he hopes the Royals won’t get complacent and complete the job Thursday.
“So far, so good,” Rouse said. “Hopefully we can continue to get better each day.”
Another game of note was the Stuttgart-Wiesbaden girls game, which almost ended in an upset.
The Panthers trailed 26-22 with 1 minute, 31 seconds left in the game before rattling off the final five points. Sophomore guard Hannah Holmes passed to Ella Kirk, who scored the bucket and drew an and-1 to take the lead with 1:01 remaining.
Stuttgart and Ramstein will meet 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
Kaiserslautern freshman Caleb Ringer floats a shot over Ramstein junior Tyrell Edwards during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern senior Emma Arambula grabs an offensive rebound during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships against Lakenheath on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden junior Zion Thompson drives against Ramstein junior Michael Gonzales during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein junior Christian Roy drives in the lane against Wiesbaden forward Zion Thompson during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck junior Jayslin Santellano picks up the ball after getting past Kaiserslautern junior Vernesha Oliver during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships on Feb.14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)