Europe
Division III girls championshipBaumholder back in the winners' circle
Stars and Stripes February 21, 2015
WIESBADEN, Germany - Baumholder is back. In their first DODDS European Division-III finals appearance since 2009, the Bucs emerged victorious Saturday, cutting down Sigonella in overtime, 28-24.
Victorious, but only just.
Down by one with 11 seconds the go, the Bucs turned to star shooting guard Eliyah Tillman, who drove down court and scored to put the Bucs ahead by one. The game could have been over right then and there, but a Bucs foul sent Sydney Moore to the line.
Moore’s ensuing free throw gave Sigonella new life as it headed into overtime. But it also gave the Bucs more time to play their style of basketball.
“I was really scared, to be honest,” Tillman said. “But when that buzzer sounded we knew we had four more minutes to put it away.”
Tillman was undeniably the game’s most valuable player. The sophomore shooter racked up 20 of her team’s 28 points, including all four of the team’s points in overtime. She also had 12 rebounds and two blocks. And when the game was on the line – twice – the Bucs looked to her to pull them through.
“There is a little pressure there,” she said. “But you can’t show that as team captain. We rallied together and won as a team.”
The Bucs are no strangers to the finals, having been to the championships six times since 2000, and collecting five first-place trophies along the way.
And now they get to add another championship, thanks in part to some coaching adjustments by Bucs head coach Matthew Martinez. Part of that was adjusting to a shifting Sigonella defense and part of it was finding ways to overcome some loose shooting in the first half.
“We got a lot of shots,” Martinez said. “We missed a lot too, but we made the ones that mattered.”
Sigonella coach Daryl Chandler tried to contain Tillman with some different looks, including having guard Lyda Reed shadow her every step. He said while Tillman is a great player, his team could have won if its execution had been better.
“We came out flat in the first half. We have been averaging around 10 points a quarter” he said. “We scored 7 in the first half. You can’t score 7 points in a half and expect to win.”
Moore scored six points – all on free throws - and pulled down 11 rebounds. She was the only Jaguar with any sort of consistency from the line, as her teammates were 1-for-11.
“Every coach tells their players that the game is won on the free-throw line,” Chandler said, adding: “We’re a young team. Look for us next year.”
The 2015 champion Bucs are also young. Tillman will be back next year and the defensively-minded Karina Inchauregui is only in her freshman year. If the Sigonella Jaguars want revenge next year, Tillman said her squad will be ready and waiting.
“Next year, no mercy,” she said.