Ramstein guard Christian Roy harries Stuttgart ballhandler Adrian Anglada Paz during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany – The Ramstein boys basketball team already had plenty of motivation against Stuttgart before the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships tipped off.

The Panthers had ended the Royals’ previous two seasons in the Division I championship game. So, Ramstein players had Thursday afternoon’s final pool-play match at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center circled as a chance to avenge those losses.

And the Royals were handed an extra incentive the day before thanks to a loss to SHAPE: A loss to Stuttgart once again would end their season, this time before the knockout stages.

But this year, Ramstein made sure to avoid that fate and instead ended the Panthers’ chances at a three-peat with a 49-32 victory.

“They knew that (it was do or die), that was on their minds, so they left it all on the court,” Ramstein assistant coach Neil Malone said.

The Royals (12-3) smacked the Panthers (12-5) in the mouth early. Ramstein jumped out to a 21-2 advantage 10 minutes into the contest.

Coming out strong was a lesson the Royals learned from the tournament-opening loss to the Spartans.

“The SHAPE game, we knew that we came out flat,” Ramstein senior Michael Gonzales said. “We worked on bringing the intensity up, really thinking about the game in our minds and making sure we got the dub.”

Gonzales played a major part in that opening onslaught.

The 6-foot-5 center blocked three shots in the first half – including two Panther 3-point attempts. He was one of two Royals to reach double figures with 11 points. Teammate Ky’Ron Hall posted a game-high 12.

“He’s an awesome kid on the court, off the court, coachable, does the intangibles,” Malone said about Gonzales. “I’m excited for him.”

The Panthers eventually clawed their way back into the game, cutting the deficit to six points twice in the second half. The last came on a shot from distance by Adrian Anglada-Paz with 5:08 remaining in the game.

The Royals responded, though, finishing the game on a 13-3 run.

“We knew their run was coming, but it’s just about how you bounce back,” Malone said. “When adversity hits, what do you do? You respond, and that’s what we did.”

Ramstein guard Matteo Jones picks up the ball as Stuttgart’s Adrian Anglada-Paz jumps during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Vilseck guard Giselle Villarreal dribbles against Stuttgart guard Eve Henry during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

SHAPE forward Stefan Gacevic goes up for a layup during a Division I pool-play game against Kaiserslautern at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

SHAPE guard Matteo Sanciu shots a corner three-pointer during a Division I pool-play game against Stuttgart at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart guard Kurt Flores shoots a 3-pointer as SHAPE forward Stefan Gacevic lunges out to defend during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The win forced a three-way atop the pool among Ramstein, Stuttgart and SHAPE. The tiebreaker came to point differential in the games involving the three squads.

Ramstein led the way with 11 and won the pool. SHAPE posted a zero after losing to Stuttgart 36-34 on Thursday morning. And Stuttgart had a negative-11 record.

So the Spartans advanced as the second team out of the group. The Panthers, meanwhile, were eliminated.

“We are thrilled to be still alive in the tournament,” SHAPE coach Brant Tryon said. “The guys have been playing extremely well together. They’re playing organized basketball, lots of patience and lots of teamwork.

“I can only say I’m proud as heck because they’re literally putting it all together at the time that we need it most.”

The Spartans face top-seed Wiesbaden, which won its group, in the semifinals. Ramstein, meanwhile, takes on Vilseck.

Tryon mentioned it will tough to beat the Warriors, who are undefeated and swept SHAPE 77-39 and 67-52 during the regular season.

“We know we have a huge team to play (Friday),” Tryon said. “We’re going to come out and go after them as best we can and see what happens.”

The Royals aren’t going to be complacent going against Vilseck, which entered the tournament as the seventh seed.

“Just stay locked in,” Gonzales said. “We know we have the athletic ability. It’s really just a mental game at this point, and we’re going to be the most mentally disciplined team on the court at all times.”

Kaiserslautern center Garrett Vitter reaches over SHAPE forward Keller Schutt but fails to corral the rebound during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden sophomore Keyoni Green fades away from Kaiserslautern forward Haley Richardson for a shot toward the end of a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern forward Hazel Sanders dribbles on the fast break against Wiesbaden senior Kariyah Housey during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden center Natalia Bergdorf tries to reach a loose ball ahead of Ramstein defenders incuding forward McKenzie McLaurin, left, during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden guard Carter Edwards drives against Lakenheath guard Christooher Cabrera during a Division I pool-play game at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein guard Christian Roy shoots a free throw during a Division I pool-play game against Stuttgart at the 2025 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2025, at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Notable games

The Stuttgart girls outlasted Vilseck 23-20 to win their pool. The Panthers (14-2) and Falcons (9-7) went back and forth late before senior forward Jedaiah Quinland stole the ball underneath her opponents’ basket and put in a layup with 1:12 left in the game.

Junior center Hannah Holmes sealed the game with another layup 25 seconds later.

Mia Snyder paced the Panthers with seven points, while Giselle Villarreal scored a game-high 12 points for the Falcons.

The Wiesbaden girls came agonizingly close to pulling off the comeback against Kaiserslautern, losing 30-29.

The Warriors trailed by eight points heading into the fourth quarter before coming back. They also had a chance to tie the game with seconds remaining at the charity stripes, but Keyoni Green split the pair.

Kaiserslautern’s Olivia Illka and Shayla King each scored nine points. Natalia Bergdorf and Brianna Arroyo each recorded seven points for Wiesbaden.