Ankara senior Jaia Kageorge drives to the basketball as Sigonella senior Anabel Vaiciulis 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)
WIESBADEN, Germany – The Ansbach girls basketball team had come so close so many times this season, only to end up just short in the end.
In the opening matchup with Hohenfels during the DODEA European Division III basketball championships Wednesday, it looked like it was going to happen again. The Cougars trailed the Tigers 28-25 heading into the final minute of the game at Clay Kaserne’s Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center.
This time, though, the Cougars cleared the final hurdle. They rattled off the final six points to pull off the upset of the fourth-seeded Tigers 31-28.
“My girls are just resilient,” Ansbach coach Deborah Keller-Mitchell said. “I told them right at the end, ‘You can do it. All you have to do is just believe in yourself. You have to want it more than I want it. So, I need you to go out that and just finish it.’”
The victory comes a week after Ansbach dropped a four-point contest to Hohenfels. The loss proved the Cougars could hang with the Tigers, but the Cougars also didn’t harp on it too much.
“We knew that we could play them,” Ansbach sophomore Lizzy Agudzi-Addo said. “When we came here, we weren’t thinking about the four points that we lost by; we were just thinking about this game.”
The Cougars contended with Hohenfels’ patented face-guarding, ballhandler-harassing, full-court pressure with a new plan, and their coach admitted it was hit or miss on its effectiveness.
Ansbach numerous times threw the ball to the halfway line to either Agudzi-Addo or fellow sophomore Kennedy Lange. When the duo won the ball, it broke the press; when they didn’t, it ended in turnovers.
“Not as effective I would like it to be, but when we have a height differential and they’re willing to go and grab the ball, it worked today,” Keller-Mitchell said. “It was sloppy, but it worked.”
That strategy is how the Cougars rattled off the final six points.
Alconbury senior Julian “JuJu” Brazoban drives toward the basket while AFNORTH’s Nathan Goldsmith 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)
AFNORTH senior Anthony Romar keeps control of the ball as Alconbury’s Alfonso Sanchez, center left, and Vincent Sheehan, right, try to make the steal 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)
Ansbach sophomore Kennedy Lange goes up for a layup as Hohenfels freshman Evelyn Chernock 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)
Ansbach sophomore Elizabeth Agudzi-Addo holds onto the ball under duress from pressure by Hohenfels defenders 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)
Hohenfels junior Malea Jobity dribbles on the fast break as Ansbach junior Abecca Ackles trails the play 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)
Ansbach junior Daevon Browne shoots during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships against Spangdahlem on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Baumholder’s Adabella Anku boxes out AFNORTH’s Finja Liebing 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)
AFNORTH junior Selah Skariah dribbles on the fast break while Baumholder sophomore Kawther Al’Qurashi chases her down 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)
Brussels forward Haley Mitchell and Sigonella guard Ryleigh Denton fight after a loose ball 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)
Agudzi-Addo, who totaled a game-high 18 points, twice muscled off a Tiger defender at halfcourt and found herself with a wide-open floor ahead of her. She drove to the bucket and completed the plays.
The 5-foot-9 Junction City, Kansas, native, then took an inbounds pass and scored with seconds remaining to seal the win.
“Make it,” Agudzi-Addo said of what went through her mind on those press breaks. “If I miss it, it’s going to be bad, so I try my best to make it, maybe an and-1 if possible.”
Baumholder sophomore Gregory Makubuya floats in the air as he goes for a layup during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships against Sigonella on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Sigonella sophomore Jacob Maloney fights through Baumholder defenders Gregory Makubuya, left, and Keryel Badillo 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)
Spangdahlem senior Gabrielle Schmidt lays up a shot in the paint during pool-play action of the DODEA European basketball championships against Alconbury on Feb. 14, 2024, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Alconbury senior Paige Sander drives the baseline against Spangdahlem junior Caleya Morton 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)
Hohenfels junior Theo Reyes shoots a 3-pointer as Brussels’ Asher Jorgensen reaches out to 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)
Brussels senior Damion Rogers drives to the hoop against Hohenfels freshman Joel Idowu 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)
Sigonella junior Ryleigh Denton drives to the bucket on the fast break as Brussels sophomore Haley Mitchell chases 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)
Ankara sophomore Batulla Rakhmetulla lays in a shot as Sigonella senior Jay Reed watches 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)
Spangdahlem sophomore Cameron Lewis drives to the bucket as Ansbach sophomore Ethan Dixon defends during pool-play 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)
Ankara finds fun in openers
The scorelines may have been lopsided, but the Ankara Trojans didn’t care.
At least they were able to get in some games.
Both the boys and girls teams, which returned to the DODEA European championships last year, hadn’t played a single game all season before stepping into the gym at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Wednesday.
They were just happy to be there. And it showed. During the girls’ 44-10 loss to Sigonella, every point was celebrated with gusto, anything positive given a nice applause from the bench as well as the small crowd that stuck around for the last game of the day.
“Every time they score, they don’t care if we’re down by 50,40 – they’re just happy to score,” Trojan girls coach Nigel Lee said. “I’m just happy that they are happy out there.”
The boys got off to a better start than the girls in their 48-20 loss to the Jaguars.
Sophomore forward Batulla Rakhmetulla banked in a 3-pointer to give the Trojans an early lead. Rakhmetulla also scored a bucket to make it 6-5 Sigonella a few minutes later.
After that, though, it was all Sigonella. The Jaguars rattled off 16 consecutive points to end the first period.
“It felt good; I think it got them excited,” Ankara boys coach Rodney Dowell said of the early scoring splurge. “But the other team, give props to them. Once they started to bring a little intensity, I think it caught us off guard.”
Even though the result wasn’t a win, both coaches said the four games guaranteed for the Ankara squads could prove vital in rejuvenating the programs and provide motivation to improve in the future.
“I hate losing, but at the same time, it’s a learning experience,” Dowell said. “I think for these guys, they don’t like losing either and I think it’s going to put pressure on them in the offseason to train and be better.”
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