Ramstein’s Parker Ingram battles Stuttgart’s Macayla Hines for the ball in the girls Division I final at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 17, 2024. Stuttgart beat Ramstein 33-26 to take the title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany – Her team was up by only a point with just more than 6 minutes left in the final quarter when Ella Kirk picked up her fifth foul Saturday night.

It might not have boded well for Stuttgart against a fiery Ramstein team that had defeated the Panthers in pool play only a few days earlier.

Kirk, the heart of the Panthers defense and its leading scorer just a day earlier in a semifinal victory over Kaiserslautern, wasn’t concerned, though.

“I was confident,” she said after watching her team defeat the Royals 33-26 for the Division I girls title at the DODEA European Basketball Championships. “Rebounding has been an issue for us. But when I was out and I saw them just take it up, I was good. Well, I was sad fouling out of my last game as a senior and in the championship. But I do like the way it ended.”

Kirk’s Panthers teammates had her back, even after the Royals rallied to take the lead.

Macayla Hines, the smallest player on the court at 5 feet, grabbed a pair of key rebounds and scored six points down the stretch. She was named the tournanment’s most outstanding player. Sophomore Serenity Sampson replaced Kirk in the lineup and secured a key rebound to help keep the Royals a point down and scored a basket. And fellow sophomore Hannah Holmes, who missed much of the season with an ankle injury, had arguably her best game of the season. She had a game-high 14 rebounds including two of the most important of the game.

Stuttgart’s Macayla Hines shoots over Ramstein’s Feliciana Davis in the girls Division I final at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 17, 2024. Stuttgart dropped Ramstein 33-26 for the division title. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein’s Charlotte Rhyne looks for a teammate past Stuttgart’s Mia Snyder in the girls Division I final at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 17, 2024. Stuttgart took the DI title with a 33-26 win. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein’s Jasmine Jones goes to the hoop against Stuttgart in the girls Division I final at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 17, 2024. Stuttgart won the game 33-26. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart’s Mia Snyder drives to the basket against Ramstein’s Bralyn Jones in the girls Division I final at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 17, 2024. Stuttgart beat the Royals 33-26 to take the DI crown. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

The Stuttgart Panthers celebrate their 33-26 win over Ramstein in the girls Division I final at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 17, 2024. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

The first came with her team nursing a three-point lead with 26.6 seconds left. Holmes corralled a missed free throw and put it back for two points. She then came down with a rebound on the defensive end on Ramstein’s next possession.

“I’ve had a lot of very talented teams,” Panthers coach Robin Hess said. “This one had the most heart.

“It’s a very fitting way to end my career,” said Hess, who plans to retire from DODEA following the school year. Stuttgart has won six of the last seven D-I girls titles. The last one had been two years ago with Kirk playing for favored Wiesbaden before she transferred last year to Stuttgart.

“I’m really happy for her, to go out like this,” Kirk said of Hess. “When I came to Stuttgart, I knew I was going to be on a winning program. And I finally won (a title). I’ve wanted it for so long.”

The loss was a tough one for Ramstein, which trailed for most of the game before going ahead with less than 2 minutes to play in the third quarter on back-to-back shots from Feliciana Davis. Two key Royals – Jasmine Jones and Bralyn Jones – were in foul trouble much of a low-scoring affair that didn’t see either team tally double figures in a single quarter until 16 from Stuttgart in the fourth.

“It’s a fun game to play, The environment and both teams playing really hard,” Ramstein coach Christina Hewitt said. “We just came up a few shots too short.”

A’Lydia McNeal led the Royals with 14 points. Hines matched that as the only Panther to reach double figures.