AFNORTH’s Madelyne Hatfield gets stuck between the Spangdahlem defense of Kylie McVey and Brooklyn Shakir-Bacchus in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. AFNORTH won the game 39-20 to advance to the division final against Hohenfels. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany – Coach Monique Jones recalled the struggles of her first year in charge at Hohenfels on Friday afternoon at Wiesbaden Middle School.

The Tigers couldn’t have been in a more different place than they are now. Three years ago, they didn’t win a single Division III contest until the tournament, and Jones described their celebration as if they had won a million dollars.

Hohenfels had the same reaction Friday but for a different reason. The Tigers defeated Ansbach 30-20 during a semifinal contest at the 2025 DODEA European championships, punching their ticket into Saturday’s final.

“It’s come full circle for us,” Jones said. “We knew this year with our starting five coming in from last year that this was going to be the season for us, and we just had to believe it. And here we are.”

What made it more meaningful for the Tigers (17-1) was their results the past two seasons.

Hohenfels had failed to advance out of the group stage, despite steadily climbing from the doldrums.

Now, the team sits one game away from doing something the program hasn’t done – bringing home the title.

“For most of the starting five, we’re seniors, so we really want to leave and do something special and make some Hohenfels history,” senior guard Jalissa Jobity said.

After one quarter against Ansbach (12-6), though, it looked as though a chance at history would have to wait.

Spangdahlem's Caleya Morton goes in for a shot against AFNORTH's Clara Pacios in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. AFNORTH won the game 39-20 to advance to the division final against Hohenfels. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH’s Selah Skariah gets past Spangdahlem’s Kylie McVey and Brooklyn Shakir-Bacchus on her way to the hoop in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. AFNORTH won the game 39-20 to advance to the division final against Hohenfels. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Spangdahlem's Miranda Valles take an outside shot over the AFNORTH defense in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. AFNORTH won the game 39-20 to advance to the division final against Hohenfels. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH's Emery Koger drives against Spangdahlem's Caleya Morton in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. AFNORTH won the game 39-20 to advance to the division final against Hohenfels. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Hohenfels' Malea Jobity drives towards the basket against Ansbach's Victoria Ortiz in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. Hohenfels advanced to Saturday's final against AFNORTH with a 30-20 win. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Ansbach’s Victoria Ortiz eyes the basket as she goes in for a layup in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. Hohenfels advanced to Saturday’s final against AFNORTH with a 30-20 win. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Hohenfels' Jalissa Jobity aims for the basket as Ansbach's Bailey Eickmeyer defends. in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. Hohenfels advanced to Saturday's final against AFNORTH with a 30-20 win. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Hohenfels Kariana Jones aims for the basket under pressure from Ansbach's Elizabeth Agudzi-Addo and Kennedy Lange in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. Hohenfels advanced to Saturday's final against AFNORTH with a 30-20 win. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Ansbach's Kennedy Lange tries to get a shot off against Hohenfels defenders Jillian Odhiambo, left, and Jalissa Jobity in a girls Division III semifinal at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 14, 2025. Hohenfels advanced to Saturday's final against AFNORTH with a 30-20 win. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

The Cougars led 7-2 thanks to a six-point first-quarter performance from center Kennedy Lange. That came despite the Tigers deploying a 2-3 zone to try to deny the junior from getting the ball in the low block.

To do so, Hohenfels didn’t play as its usual aggressive self, and it showed by a low turnover rate by the team’s standards of six and a lack of offensive opportunities.

The Tigers switched to their usual style in the second quarter and exploded for 19 points, including the first seven points of the frame. And after Jobity (13 points, 10 rebounds) hit her second three-pointer within a minute-and-a-half span at the 3-minute, 37-second mark to make it 12-9, Hohenfels never looked back.

“One of my captains on the floor, she was like, ‘This is not working. Let’s go back to 3-2 Hohenfels ball,’” Jones said. “It worked better that way because we were able to get more stops, we could see her at the top of the paint and then have a big down low to cover her.”

Jobity’s twin, Malea, added 10 points and seven steals.

Lange paced the Cougars with 10 points, while her teammate Elizabeth Agudzi-Addo corralled 11 rebounds to go with her five points.

Awaiting the Tigers in the championship contest is a team that comes from the exact opposite background.

AFNORTH clinched its fourth consecutive Division III finals appearance with a 39-20 victory over Spangdahlem in the first semifinal.

Maggie Masse and Clara Pacios each scored nine points for the Lions (13-3), who took a 26-point advantage into the fourth quarter before taking their feet off the pedal.

For three players – Selah Skariah, Masse and Shannon O’Connell – this finals appearance means they will have known nothing but title games during their high school careers, something not lost on them Friday.

“I’m super proud of how hard we’ve been working,” Masse said. “It’s not just the returning players. The new players have that motivation and determination.”

Despite losing many key players from last year’s championship squad, O’Connell said AFNORTH picked up right where it had left off.

She said a lot of the team’s success has to do with its attitude.

“As our captain Selah (Skariah) says, it’s just about the physicality and mentality in the team,” O’Connor said. “We focused on that a lot more this year, the mentality part.”

The mentality stemmed from the Lions’ title experience.

The program has won two of its three previous trips. Coach Matthew Wise said that should help when the Lions step onto the floor against Hohenfels.

“We put a lot of emphasis on what we need to do because we have that self-belief that if we do the things that we want to do, we’re pretty hard to beat,” Wise said.

The Tigers, meanwhile, aren’t too concerned about stepping onto a stage on which none of them have played. And considering the two schools split their regular-season series, both sides anticipate another close one in the rubber match.

“It’s going to be a dogfight from the beginning to the end,” Jones said. “It’s going to depend on who wants it more – Hohenfels or AFNORTH. I think we want it more.”