Kaiserslautern's Katya von Eicken picks up the ball to go up for a layup on the fast break during a Dec. 14, 2023, game against Ramstein at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Trailing the play are, from left, Royals Bralyn Jones and Sanai Schneider. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Motivation generally isn’t hard to find when Kaiserslautern and Ramstein meet up in sports. The crosstown rivalry is enough.
Yet when Katya von Eicken walked onto the Kaiserslautern High School gymnasium floor on Thursday evening, the Raider senior had a little extra pep in her step. She suited up for Ramstein last season, earning first-team All-European honors as the Royals finished runners-up in Division I.
For her, beating her former team was the only thing on her mind.
“I had to win today,” von Eicken said. “This probably so far is the most important game to me because it was personal. I feel like you could see on the court that it was personal.”
Her performance on Thursday showed that. Von Eicken outscored her opponents herself with a game-high 24 points and collected 12 thefts in a 54-20 win over Ramstein.
The senior guard took a quarter to get into gear, but when she did, von Eicken seemingly couldn’t be stopped. She drove to the basket on the opening possession of the second frame for her first points and proceeded to drop 14 points before halftime. She added four steals in the period.
The outburst sparked a 21-2 run that lasted until 1 minute, 37 seconds were left before the break. Back-to-back 3-pointers following passes from teammate Marisa Branch completed the run and put the Raiders (5-0, 5-0) up 26-10.
Kaiserslautern never looked back.
“This year, she felt like she had to prove something,” Raider coach Natasha Riggins said of von Eicken. “I felt like she did what she had to do.”
Another player with extra motivation, according to her coach, was Hazel Sanders.
The sophomore didn’t get much playing time her freshman campaign, but she has entered this year as a starter.
Sanders has proven her coach correct with the increased role, especially against Ramstein (2-3, 2-3). The forward totaled 15 points and nearly recorded a triple-double, grabbing nine rebounds and picking up eight steals.
Sanders did most of her damage in the third quarter, especially over the final 5:04. She scored five baskets, each through various means – a putback, a drive, a banked shot, a steal and another off a pass from von Eicken on the fast break.
“Hazel is amazing,” Riggins said. “This year, she’s stepping up her game, she’s been really working hard and she felt like she had something to prove as well.”
Raider Marisa Branch shoots from the free-throw line during a Dec. 14, 2023, game against Ramstein at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Raider Katya von Eicken pressures Ramstein's Bralyn Jones during a Dec. 14, 2023, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Also coming to trap Jones is Kaiserslautern's Marisa Branch, left. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Javionne Jones dribbles around Raider Emma Arambula during a Dec. 14, 2023, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Javionne Jones goes up for a shot in the key as Raiders, from left, Katya von Eicken and Hazel Sanders defend during a Dec. 14, 2023, game at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
The fast break proved vital as the Raiders pushed out the lead.
And it all started on defense. Kaiserslautern forced Ramstein into committing 53 turnovers, with 34 of those going down as steals. Along with von Eicken’s and Sanders’ totals, Ryann Phillips chipped in with five thefts.
Phillips was one player who logged significant minutes off the bench as the full-court pressure deployed by the Raiders turned into a double-edged sword. Four starters were in foul trouble in the first half, including Branch and Emma Arambula each with three fouls.
The junior guard and senior post also picked up their fourth fouls early in the third.
The defense didn’t seem to miss a beat as Phillips, Ellie Marriott and Gabby Myrick, among others, came onto the court.
“Our man defense has gotten a lot better,” von Eicken said. “Not a lot of high school teams play man, and I think it’s really effective when it’s played right, and I think we did that today.”
It was a night to forget for the shorthanded Royals, who were missing two key ballhandlers due to injury.
After a 7-0 run to finish the first quarter to take an 8-5 lead into the second period, things went downhill for coach Christina Hewitt’s squad. Senior Jasmine Jones paced the Royals with seven points.
The coach said her team missed the injured players, and the Royals will be using the winter break to get healthy, as well as work on the fundamentals.
“We’re a pretty young team, so when you have two veterans on the bench that are both ballhandlers, it’s going to hurt,” Hewitt said. “It’s still no excuse. We’ve got to handle the ball regardless of who’s in the game.”
Following the holiday break, the Raiders host SHAPE on Jan. 12-13, while the Royals welcome Black Forest Academy to Ramstein that weekend.
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