Wiesbaden's Kariyah Housey jumps to swat a layup attempt by Kaiserslautern's Shayla King during a Jan. 14, 2025, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Kaiserslautern coach Aaron Scalise stresses to his girls about being even keeled during games.

Tuesday evening’s 52-33 victory over Wiesbaden at Kaiserslautern High School was a good exercise toward that point.

The Raiders (7-0, 4-0) jumped out to a 15-point advantage by the 2-minute, 24-second mark in the first quarter. Yet one minute into the second half, their lead had evaporated to just two points.

Kaiserslautern managed to turn it on from that point, doubling up the Warriors (4-4, 2-4) the rest of the way, 34-17.

“We’re trying to be a team that doesn’t panic,” Scalise said. “We’re not trying to get too high or too low.

“We made them understand it was four quarters. We didn’t have a good (second) quarter, but we have two quarters after that.”

The Raiders were streaky offensively.

The hosts scored during six of their first eight possessions. The first four baskets were three-point plays: Vernesha Oliver, Elizabeth Marriott and Shayla King connected from beyond the arc over a minute span, and then Oliver drove to the bucket, was fouled and hit the and-1. Marriott added a steal and took it for a layup to make it 14-2 at the 5:41 mark.

After an Oliver three-pointer at the 2:24 mark in the first, though, the Raiders went cold. They missed their next 21 shots and committed seven turnovers.

It took a King free throw at the 7:38 mark in the third quarter to break the drought.

Following that point, Kaiserslautern scored on four straight possessions – starting and ending with Marriott passes to Hazel Sanders for buckets – to push out the lead to double digits.

The Raiders produced another such stretch with four baskets on four consecutive possessions from the 6:26 to 5:11 marks in the fourth quarter. A pair of Oliver drives and layups by Olivia Illka and Sanders powered that run.

“As a team, we collectively came back and fought together,” said Oliver, who totaled a game-high 23 points.

Kaiserslautern's Vernesha Oliver tries to find a way through Wiesbaden's Kariyah Housey, center back, and Natalia Bergdorf, right, during a Jan. 14, 2025, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern's Elizabeth Marriott shoots from beyond the arc as Wiesbaden's Natalia Bergdorg, right, tries to get out to defend during a Jan. 14, 2025, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden's Kariyah Housey shoots as Kaiserslautern's Vernesha Oliver attempts to defend during a Jan. 14, 2025, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden's Natalia Bergdorf and Kaiserslautern's Haley Richardson fight for a rebound during a Jan. 14, 2025, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Despite these streaks of dominance, both Oliver and Scalise didn’t overlook the second quarter, when Kaiserslautern couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn.

Scalise credited Wiesbaden’s 3-2 defensive alignment to which the guests turned midway through the first quarter. It gave the Raiders fits, and it’s something Scalise and the Raiders will focus on going forward.

“We didn’t make the adjustments fast enough,” he said of counteracting Wiesbaden’s 3-2 zone. “So, that hurt us, and then we continued to stay outside instead of running our offense.”

For Wiesbaden coach Kristin Kachmar, the game was another step in the right direction for the team. She said her players just ran out of gas in the second half and couldn’t keep up offensively at the Raiders found their shooting boots again.

Natalia Bergdorf and Katie Shea paced the Warriors with eight points each. Kariyah Housey chipped in with another seven.

“I told (my players) at the end of the game, ‘The first half was Wiesbaden basketball. That’s how I want you to come out, the fire the intensity,’” Kachmar said. “I can’t teach them heart. They just have to have it.”

The Raiders don’t have a lot of time to improve before their next games. Kaiserslautern travels to Stuttgart this weekend for a clash of the unbeatens.

While these games once again will test whether the Raiders can be unflappable, Oliver couldn’t hide her excitement at the top-of-the-standings showdown

“We’re going in with the mindset that we can win every game,” Oliver said. “Just working as a team together, we can win.”