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From left, Mannheim's Infinity Baisden and Tristan Ledesma fight Erica Nash and Ebony Gilbert of Hohenfels, for the ball in their opening-day Division II game at the DODDS-Europe basketball championship tournament on Wednesday. Mannheim won 29-15.

From left, Mannheim's Infinity Baisden and Tristan Ledesma fight Erica Nash and Ebony Gilbert of Hohenfels, for the ball in their opening-day Division II game at the DODDS-Europe basketball championship tournament on Wednesday. Mannheim won 29-15. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

From left, Mannheim's Infinity Baisden and Tristan Ledesma fight Erica Nash and Ebony Gilbert of Hohenfels, for the ball in their opening-day Division II game at the DODDS-Europe basketball championship tournament on Wednesday. Mannheim won 29-15.

From left, Mannheim's Infinity Baisden and Tristan Ledesma fight Erica Nash and Ebony Gilbert of Hohenfels, for the ball in their opening-day Division II game at the DODDS-Europe basketball championship tournament on Wednesday. Mannheim won 29-15. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

Patch's John Gonzales keeps his eye on the basket despite pressure from SHAPE's Ryan Valentine, back, and Damien Anderson. Patch beat SHAPE 56-21 in opening day Division I action at the DODDS-Europe basketball championships on Wednesday.

Patch's John Gonzales keeps his eye on the basket despite pressure from SHAPE's Ryan Valentine, back, and Damien Anderson. Patch beat SHAPE 56-21 in opening day Division I action at the DODDS-Europe basketball championships on Wednesday. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

Bamberg's Quadell Webb watches his pass fly over the outstretched hand of Marymount's Dusan Micovic, left, in an opening-day Division II game at the DODDS-Europe basketball tournament in Mannheim, Germany, on Wednesday. Bamberg won 55-23.

Bamberg's Quadell Webb watches his pass fly over the outstretched hand of Marymount's Dusan Micovic, left, in an opening-day Division II game at the DODDS-Europe basketball tournament in Mannheim, Germany, on Wednesday. Bamberg won 55-23. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

Wiesbaden's LeAndra Thomas takes a shot over Lucie Wollenstein of International School of Brussels in Wiesbaden's 23-12 win over ISB in opening-day Division I action at the DODDS-Europe basketball championship tournament on Wednesday. At left is Claire Hamblett, at right Elizabeth Hering.

Wiesbaden's LeAndra Thomas takes a shot over Lucie Wollenstein of International School of Brussels in Wiesbaden's 23-12 win over ISB in opening-day Division I action at the DODDS-Europe basketball championship tournament on Wednesday. At left is Claire Hamblett, at right Elizabeth Hering. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

MANNHEIM, Germany — The AFNORTH Lady Lions turned their No. 10 seed into a perfect 10 on Wednesday, the opening day of the four-day DODDS-Europe basketball championship tournament.

“We played as a family,” said AFNORTH guard Mercedes Ash, who contributed 10 points to her team’s 24-22 upset of No. 3 American Overseas School of Rome in a Division II pool-play game. “We just wanted to bring it to them.”

The victory, which came despite a game-high 17 points from AOSR’s Martina Mannozzi, left the Lady Lions 2-0 in their four-team pool and in the driver’s seat for a berth in Friday’s Division II quarterfinals. AFNORTH, which went a mediocre 6-7 during the regular season, downed No. 7 Black Forest Academy 36-28 in their 8 a.m. opener.

“We play Baumholder (0-12 during the season but a narrow 35-32 loser to AOSR on Wednesday) [Thursday],” AFNORTH coach D.C. McDonald said as his jubilant squad left the floor. “Hopefully, I can rest some of my starters before the quarterfinals. We want to get into the semis and then win this thing.”

That idea seems far from far-fetched after the victory over AOSR, the only team to defeat D-II top-seed Aviano this season. AFNORTH led the 28-minute game wire to wire, and was ahead 23-19 with 1:14 to go.

Mannozzi, fouled on a layup, then converted a three-point play to make it 23-22, but AFNORTH held on.

AFNORTH’s ninth-seeded boys were less fortunate in their D-II debut Wednesday, falling 42-36 to Black Forest Academy’s No. 8 Falcons.

AFNORTH’s 6-3 Yanick Hickman, who averaged more than 20 points per game during the season, canned three of his first four field goal tries, but went 2-for-10 from the floor the rest of the way to finish with 10 points.

“We pressured their guards more after halftime,” BFA coach Vince Purpero said in explaining the blanket the Falcons wrapped around Hickman. “In the first half, they were able to lob the ball to him.”

AFNORTH trailed 40-36 in the final minute and was forced to send BFA’s Josiah Kelley to the line for a one-and-one with 12.1 seconds to play. Just as the Lions had hoped, Kelley misfired on his first try, but BFA’s James McClelland darted in to grab the rebound and lay in the insurance bucket.

McClelland, who scored a game-high 17 points, tallied 15 of those in the second half and most of those after BFA anchor Andrew Ingram left with a twisted right ankle.

“I was very disappointed when he went out,” McClelland said. “He’s our most important player.”

Perhaps, but not on Wednesday. BFA remained in control without Ingram, adding even more to the lift McClelland said his team would derive from the opening win.

“This is a good confidence booster,” McClelland said. “We’re known as a team that loses its first game.”

Things went exactly as expected in the upper reaches of the D-II boys field, where No. 1 Aviano overwhelmed Baumholder 68-37 and No. 2 Hohenfels drilled Milan 64-26.

No. 3 Bamberg completed its conquest of two Italy schools with a 60-45 downing of Naples. The Barons opened with a 55-23 conquest of Marymount that could easily have been far more one-sided.

“We just want to win,” said Bamberg’s Quadel Webb afterward. “Last year’s championship game (an 85-59 loss to Aviano) was pretty upsetting.”

The Division II set-tos filled up most of the first-day schedule. With 15 boys teams and 14 girls squads, D-II teams occupied most of the Day 1 court space at Wednesday’s four venues. The tournament adds two gyms Thursday, when the Division III event for the school system’s smallest schools tips off.

There were few surprises in the early big schools games.

Defending D-I girls champion Heidelberg, seeded seventh this year, knocked off No. 6 International School of Brussels 39-24 in its opener, then closed out its Day 1 slate with a 2-0 forfeit victory absent Vilseck.

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