Spangdahlem's Caleb Jackson gets up a shot despite the defense of AFNORTH's Jackson Lojka at the DODEA-Europe boys Division III basketball championships Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany – The AFNORTH Lions girls basketball team has come out on top of three of the last four DODEA European Division III championships.
And while most will only recall the scores of the final games in each of those years, coach Matt Wise has a sharper memory.
So he wasn’t that surprised at his team’s sluggish start in a 28-18 win over Spangdahlem.
“It seems the first game at Euros is usually the toughest one for us,” he said. “Of course, you don’t want the first game to be your best either.”
Wise said the tournament presents a different atmosphere for teams: more people attending games, earlier start times, a change in schedules for those traveling longer distances.
But whatever the reason, the Lions found themselves only ahead 12-10 in the opening minute of the second half.
Emery Koger’s three-point shot capped a 13-0 third-period run as the Sentinels could only tally one point before the final quarter started.
The only other game in the division couldn’t have been much different.
Top-seeded Ansbach scored the first 30 points in a 42-14 victory over Brussels. The Cougars’ Kennedy Lange had four points in the first 20 seconds – a sign of things to come. She finished with 10 of her team’s 16 first-quarter points and scored a game-high 22 without playing much of the second half.
Baumholder's Artez Williams puts up a shot Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, while defended by Hohenfels' Jacob Berkau at the DODEA-Europe boys Division III basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH's Clara Pacios puts up a quick shot Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe Division III girls basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Hohenfels' Jacob Berkau puts up a quick floater Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe boys Division III basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Ansbach's Kennedy Lange had 22 points as her team rolled past Brussels on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe girls Division III basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
AFNORTH's Philipp Bergmann goes up to shoot before Spangdahlem's Zander Doulder can get there Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe Division III boys basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Spangdahlem's Kylie McVey puts back an offensive rebound Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe girls Division III basketball championships in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
The comeback of the day belonged to AFNORTH, which defeated Spangdahlem 45-42. The Lions outscored the Sentinels 21-10 in the final quarter, paced by guards Jackson Lojka (18) and Stefan Termure (12).
The other two games weren’t so close. Top-seeded Baumholder pulled away from Hohenfels 70-48. The Bucs raced out to an 8-0 lead, but the Tigers only trailed 35-21 at halftime.
The last game of the day was also the most lopsided. Ansbach topped Alconbury 61-22 in a game that ended a bit early in the fourth quarter due to DODEA-Europe’s 39-point mercy rule.
Pool play games will be split Thursday between the Clay Fitness Center and Wiesbaden Middle School, with the top four teams reaching Friday’s semifinals, with the boys playing at Clay and the girls the high school.
