BAUMHOLDER, Germany – Spangdahlem’s Bella Valenzuela admitted to feeling overwhelmed when she stepped up to the free-throw line with 7.4 seconds left in Friday evening’s game against Baumholder.

The score was tied at the Hall of Champions Physical Fitness Center when the senior guard was fouled after snagging an offensive board. With so little time remaining in regulation, her two shots could have decided the game.

Instead of panicking, Valenzuela took a breath. Then, she sank the first shot.

“It was so much relief,” Valenzuela said of hitting the first freebie. “I felt so much better.”

That first from the charity stripe proved to be the game winner, as the Sentinels pulled out a wild 31-30 victory over the Buccaneers.

Valenzuela missed the second free throw, only for teammate Aniya Robinson to pull down the rebound. The Sentinels (1-0, 1-0) ran out the clock.

Spangdahlem coach Raymond Sigeunza said Valenzuela embodied the message he sent to his ball club prior to its season opener.

“We try to teach our team to stay composed,” he said.

That composure was necessary early in the game, when Spangdahlem struggled offensively.

After the Sentinels scored on their first possession, Baumholder (1-2, 0-1) shut them down the rest of quarter. The Buccaneers used that defensive effort to take an 8-2 advantage out of the period.

The Sentinels ratcheted up the defensive intensity in the second, deploying a 1-3-1 full-court trap. And it worked to near perfection. The Buccaneers committed 49 turnovers – including 22 in the third quarter alone – as they struggled to get into the halfcourt.

Those turnovers opened the Spangdahlem offense. Robinson, who recorded a game-high 11 thefts, got running and totaled 12 points. Forward Summer Mundy came alive in the third quarter, dropping all nine of her points in the frame.

Still, it took until the 4:10 mark in the third quarter to retake the lead, when Alyssa Farmakis stole the ball and passed to Mundy for the bucket. That was the first basket in a 13-2 Spangdahlem run to end the period.

“I let them know, ‘Your first couple of shots are going to be off. Once we get through that mud, we can turn our defensive pressure into offense,’ and that’s exactly what we did,” Sigeunza said.

“Once they saw the ball go through the hoop, that unlocked other features of our offense.”

The Buccaneers seemed dead in the water, only for a 14-3 run over a 5-minute span to tie the game with 39.1 seconds remaining.

Leai Vaisagote led the way with eight of her 12 points during that stretch. The sophomore forward had three putback buckets, including two on the same possession after missing the and-1 free throw on the first basket with just less than 2 minutes left.

Marley Wilson (game-high 15 points) drained a 3-pointer as well to help spark the run.

Baumholder coach Chris Schoonover said the result was another step in the program’s evolution. Sure, the turnovers were an issue, but some of that could be chalked up to the Buccaneers missing their point guard because of another school event.

“Those girls know we can win that game,” Schoonover said. “We have some talented offensive players. We just have to make sure we get into the halfcourt, so we can get it in their hands in the right spots.”

Baumholder 49, Spangdahlem 9: The Baumholder boys basketball team has been flying high in recent seasons, winning six of the last seven Division III European crowns.

And a pair of wins over Division II opposition last weekend in Spain only added to the team’s confidence.

Coach Dewayne Piggé won’t let the Buccaneers rest on their laurels, though.

That showed Friday evening against Spangdahlem. The Buccaneers wasted no time putting the game to bed, scoring the first 32 points.

Baumholder (3-0, 1-0) invoked the mercy rule at the 4:05 mark in the third quarter.

“We can never get comfortable,” Piggé said. “Even if we feel like we’re sitting at the top, there’s always those opponents hungry to bring you down. So, we have to make sure we stay with our foot on the gas.”

The Buccaneers didn’t let up on the Sentinels (0-1, 0-1).

Well known for its full-court defensive pressure, Baumholder forced 34 Spangdahlem turnovers, including 18 in the first frame. The hosts held the visitors scoreless until Zander Doudler connected on a jumper at the 5:33 mark in the second quarter.

The performance highlighted the Buccaneers’ potential, junior guard Artez Williams said.

“This team’s bond is stronger than many other teams,” said Williams, who dropped 25 of his game-high 27 points in the first 8 minutes of the game. “We have a lot of people from last year, so we came with a high morale.

“I feel like we have a lot of potential, even more than last year. We strive to get better every day.”

Skylar Cooper chipped in with 15 points – most of which came in the paint.

The senior center gives something the Buccaneers have lacked since Piggé’s sons Chandler and Caleb suited up for their father: size. Cooper sits at 6 feet, 6 inches.

“I haven’t had size like this since my sons left,” Piggé said. “Now, to have a kid 6-6, it’s very exciting.”

Friday wasn’t the debut Spangdahlem coach Aaron Wells had hoped. He said the players will learn a lot about themselves with how they bounce back Saturday against the Buccaneers.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Wells said. “When you get punched in the face like that, you got to get back up.”