An opening weekend full of successful and near-miss upset bids didn't quite claim the defending Division I champions.

The reigning Wiesbaden Warriors narrowly avoided meeting the fate that befell divisional archrival Patch, salvaging a two-point victory over Division II upstart Bitburg on Saturday to earn a hard-won doubleheader sweep.

Wiesbaden beat Bitburg 47-32 on Friday, then edged the Barons 39-37 on Saturday.

Rebecca Russell scored a game-high 14 points and reigning Stars and Stripes girls basketball Athlete of the Year Cierra Martin posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double as the Warriors rolled on Friday. Sydney Hill stuffed the stat sheet for six rebounds, seven assists and six steals in the victory.

Undeterred, Bitburg bounced back on Saturday, building a 13-7 lead through the first quarter. But the Warriors were also resilient, holding the Barons to two second-quarter points, pulling ahead by three entering the fourth quarter and holding on for the win.

Martin again had a double-double, this time totaling 12 points and 15 rebounds, and tacked on six steals and four blocked shots.

Saoirse Matthews produced a cumulative 23 points and 18 rebounds for Bitburg, an expected strong contender in the revamped Division II title chase that only raised its profile this weekend.

Black Forest Academy 46/31, Patch 27/21: At Stuttgart, the reigning Division II champion Falcons upended the Division I Panthers twice.

BFA's oppressive defense, which last year routinely held tournament opponents in the teens, proved nearly as effective even against Patch's more accomplished offense. The Panthers posted just one double-digit quarter and managed just four points after halftime Saturday.

Emily Campbell led BFA with 14 points on Friday, while Katie Greathouse went for a game-high 10 on Saturday. The frontcourt pair combined for a total of 38 points on the weekend.

Treshon Jenkins paced the Panthers with a cumulative 21 points in the games.

Naples 40/38, Sigonella 35/33: At Naples, the host Wildcats withstood a pair of upset bids from the Jaguars.

Naples, playing its first regular-season basketball games as a Division I program, needed contributions from every corner of its deep roster to outlast its Division III opponent. Keylee Soto led the Wildcats in both games with 14 and 13 points, respectively, while dishing out a combined nine assists. Jessica Wheeler scored a total of 17 points over the two games.

All-Europe post Sydney Moore carried Sigonella, producing an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double on Friday.

Naples outscored Sigonella by four points in each fourth quarter to secure the consecutive five-point victories.

Lakenheath 47/41, Alconbury 33/30: At Alconbury, the Division I Lancers dispatched the Division III Dragons with two double-digit wins.

Adrianna Ruffin turned in consecutive strong performances. On Friday, the senior standout scored a game-high 19 points with seven rebounds and seven steals; on Saturday, she posted a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double, both representing game-high totals.

Teammate Dejah Quick notched a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double Friday and followed that with 12 points and nine boards the next day.

Jada Griffin-Howard totaled a combined 19 points for Alconbury.

Kaiserslautern 33/36, Vilseck 25/25: At Vilseck, the weekend's only all-Division I matchup saw the Raiders prevail by nearly identical scores.

On Friday, Kaiserslautern erased a two-point deficit through three quarters by pitching a 10-0 shutout in the fourth. Morgan Dozier led the way with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Andrea Fresch took over the lead role in Saturday's sweep-clinching win with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. The Raiders started stronger this time, building a 20-9 halftime lead they never relinquished.

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