Vicenza's Simon Gilbert dunks the ball through the net in the Cougars' 77-54 victory over Naples in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany – The Marymount Royals boys basketball team finds itself living in a Disney-like fairy tale this week.

The Vicenza Cougars hope to put more of a Brothers Grimm spin on it Saturday.

Marymount advanced to DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championship game for the first time in school history by stunning second-ranked Aviano in one semifinal game Friday. Vicenza, the top seed and defending champion, advanced with a victory over Naples.

Patrick Gianni, who led Marymount in scoring with 15 points, will be playing in a DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championship game for the first time after the Royals upended Aviano 48-45 in the semifinals Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Aviano sophomore Bryson Russell shoots from long distance Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in a semifinal game at the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Marymount freshman Gael Grant Rios puts up a shot before Aviano's Nash Stoner can get to him Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Aviano junior Nash Stoner, who led his team with 25 points, puts up a shot Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Aviano's Andrew Walker puts up a shot Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, before Marymount's Patrick Gianni can get to him in the semifinals of the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Marymount 48, Aviano 45: Royals senior Patrick Gianni admitted his team will be underdog in the championship game. But he was conceding nothing Friday.

“You never know,” he said. “We are making a Cinderella run.”

Gianni hadn’t beaten the Saints in three years on the court before Friday’s game.

But he said that’s not unusual for the program, which has not exactly terrified many opponents for years until athletic director Alex Klainos convinced longtime American Overseas School of Rome coach Phil Davis to come out of retirement to coach this season.

“We lost to everybody,” Gianni said.

Friday, the Royals raced out to a 10-2 lead against the Saints and led 15-7. Aviano tied it at 19-19, but then fell behind again at the half, 34-26.

Aviano took its first lead of the game at 40-39 on a basket from Deon Walker with 7 minutes, 53 seconds to play. Walker just had hit three free throws to bring the Saints within one with less than a second left in the third period.

The Saints managed only one more basket over the next four and a half minutes, but that was better than the Royals’ output. Gianni’s basket with 3:23 to play were Marymount’s first points of the quarter. But that started a run of nine straight that ended up being the difference.

Nash Stoner’s halfcourt basket that just beat the buzzer were the only points for the Saints in the last six minutes.

“Turnovers killed us,” Aviano coach Keith Adams said. “We’d make a run and get close, then throw the ball away. When we control the ball, we’re a good team. When we don’t, we’re mediocre. We were mediocre today.”

Davis coached at AOSR for 25 years but hadn’t reached the finals since winning the tournament in 2015. Still, that gives him much more experience on the stage than anyone at the school he’s now coaching.

“I had retired and was OK with that,” Davis said. “But then they called me and I’m so glad they did.”

Stoner finished with a game-high 25 points for the Saints, keeping them in the contest in the first half with 18 points. Deon Walker had 10 and twin brother Andrew seven. Gianni led Marymount with 15, freshman Gael Grant Rios had 14 and junior Lorenzo Tranquilli eight.

Vicenza's Jace Herron had 23 points as the Vicenza Cougars advaned to the championship game of the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball tournament Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Naples’ Jettyn Jones tries to get a shot up before Vicenza’s Simon Gilbert can block it Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in a semifinal game at the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. The 6-foot-8 Gilbert did block it. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Vicenza's Ben Harlow, who led his team with 27 points, pushes the ball towads the basket Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, at the DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships in Vicenza, Italy. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Vicenza coach Jesse Woods shows Naples' Camden Kasparek the way to the basket in a DODEA-Europe Division II boys basketball championships semifinal game Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)

Vicenza 77, Naples 54: The Wildcats’ outside shooting kept them close for most of the first half. But the Cougars pulled away after that.

Three straight three-point shots cut Vicenza’s lead to 29-26 midway through the second period. But Vicenza scored nine straight points and was ahead 38-28 at intermission.

The only real scare for Vicenza in the second half was when 6-foot-8 center Simon Gilbert limped off the court with 6:38 left in the third. But he was back again minutes later after just bumping knees with another player.

Ben Harlow finished with 27 points to lead Vicenza, while Jace Herron scored 23 and Dylan Horrigan 13.

Herron, known mainly for his outside shooting and layups after turnovers, drove into the paint several times against the Wildcats.

“Our bigs are getting good at setting screens, so there were a lot of lanes,” he said.

Those bigs – Gilbert and 6-3 Joe Kelly – fouled out within minutes of each other early in the final quarter. But Vicenza was up by 19 when Gilbert left with 5:50 to play and the lead never really dipped.

Jettyn Jones finished with 21 points for the Wildcats and Jeramiah Robinson had 19.

Vicenza coach Jesse Woods said his team expects a battle from the Royals on Saturday.

“They’re almost as big as we are,’’ he said. “We’ll play our game like we always do. We don’t play half court. We make (opposing teams) play full court.”

“We’re not going to take them lightly,” Herron said.