KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- The Wiesbaden Warriors collected another 'W' Tuesday night at Kaiserslautern High School, fending off the Raiders' furious fourth-quarter rally to earn a tense 57-56 victory. Warriors guard Isaah Negron made a steal and converted a breakaway layup in the final minute to deliver the win. The Raiders misfired on a potential tying free throw and what would have been a game-winning jumper in the waning seconds. The win improved first-place Wiesbaden to 7-1 in Division I while keeping Kaiserslautern winless in divisional play. It also completed a season sweep for the Warriors over the Raiders; Wiesbaden beat Kaiserslautern 67-54 in the teams' previous meeting Jan. 20. While Wiesbaden owns a considerable edge on paper, the gap between the two squads was much less apparent on the court Tuesday. The Raiders played the Warriors to a standstill all evening, taking a one-point halftime lead and erasing an eight-point deficit to tie the game late before falling a single point short. The Raiders' spirited upset bid didn't surprise Warriors coach David Brown in the least. "When we came in here we weren't looking at records," Brown said. "I expected every bit of this." Kaiserslautern forward Marlon Robbins was dominant throughout, scoring 10 of his game-high 23 points in the final quarter. Negron paced the Warriors with 14 points, including four three-pointers. Negron's outside marksmanship largely eluded him in the first half as he converted just one field goal. But his confidence never wavered as he employed what he called a "next-play mentality," quickly deleting the memory of the misses and starting fresh with each flick of the wrist. Negron's approach produced a pair of three-pointers in quick succession to extend Wiesbaden's lead to eight points midway through the fourth quarter. The Warriors plan to apply that same steady confidence as they continue a busy stretch that includes a weekend visit to Lakenheath and a Feb. 7 rematch with Ramstein, the latter of which handed the Warriors their only loss of the Division I season to date. "We still have a long way to go," Negron said. "We just need to keep improving and keep moving forward." Kaiserslautern, though its fortunes have been far different from the Warriors in this frustrating season, are adopting a similar mentality. Though they've yet to win a Division I game, the Raiders believe they'll be able to take advantage of the fresh start afforded by the approaching European tournament. "They're getting better. That's the key," Kaiserslautern coach Corey Sullivan said of his team. "It's fun coaching kids that are never going to stop playing." Robbins, just minutes removed from another defeat, neatly summarized the Raiders' irrepressible brand of optimism. "We're on the come-up," he said. "Don't sleep on K-Town."
At Wiesbaden, meanwhile, the Kaiserslautern girls returned the favor with a 21-20 defeat of the host Warriors. Le'Jhanique Brown scored eight points to lead the way.
Kiana Sterns scored eight points, Amani Robinson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and Corban Jackson made 11 steals to lead Wiesbaden.broome.gregory@stripes.com
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