Panthers look to knock Warriors off the throne

Wiesbaden guard Tahj Reche goes for a layup against Ramstein defenders, from left, Jayden Young, Aamari Guishard and Aarius Guishard during a Division I semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany – Prior to Friday’s Division I semifinal game against Ramstein, Wiesbaden coach David Brown asked his players just two questions.

His Warriors were shorthanded as three players – senior Teagan McConville, junior Jordan Palmer and sophomore Michael Tate – picked up injuries late in the season and couldn’t play during the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships’ knockout phase.

So, Brown needed his bench to step up.

“I asked every kid, ‘Do you feel prepared? Do you feel confident?’” Brown said. “To a man, they all said yes. At that point, I’ve got to trust them, and we live with the results.”

The result was a second consecutive title-game appearance, as the Warriors handled their business with a 67-54 win over the Royals.

Top-seeded Wiesbaden needed all nine players who dressed to get the job done against third-seeded Ramstein. Stars such as Joel Idowu and Elijah Kidd (both with 19 points) got into foul trouble, forcing Brown to reach to his bench early and often.

Gunner Blackmon was one Warrior who got some significant minutes Friday, especially early in the game. The senior guard got himself onto the scoresheet with a jumper and a pair of free throws within a minute-and-a-half span midway through the first period.

He finished with seven points.

“Our bench is pretty deep,” he said. “We have a lot of guys that can play their role, and with these injuries, I feel bad for these guys. They want to play, but we just got to get out there and execute with whatever we have right now.”

The Warriors’ execution made it so they never trailed in the contest. Still, they struggled to put away the Royals, who yo-yoed back from two double-digit deficits to keep it a 32-24 game at the break.

Wiesbaden snapped the elastic with an 8-0 run at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. The Royal didn’t get any closer until 55-46 with 4:59 left in regulation on an Aamari Guishard drive to the bucket.

That surge didn’t surprise Brown. Friday was the third matchup between Ramstein and Wiesbaden this season. In the previous two installments, the Royals outplayed the Warriors in the second period, only for Wiesbaden to bounce back in the third.

“If patterns are true, we’ll be fine,” Brown said of the halftime talk. “We really didn’t say much else about the mistakes we were making.”

Carter Edwards chipped in with 15 points.

Guishard had 13 points for the Royals, and Awwab Noble contributed another 12.

Wiesbaden center Joel Idowu throws down a two-handed slam during a Division I semifinal against Ramstein at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein guard Cameron Saunders shoots over Wiesbaden guards Gunner Blackmon, left, and Carter Edwards during a Division I semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein guard Jayden Young dribbles as Wiesbaden guard Gunner Blackmon chases during a Division I semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden’s victory advanced the defending champion to Saturday’s championship bout.

There, the Warriors will take on Stuttgart, which overcame a stiff challenge from Kaiserslautern during a 62-52 victory in the nightcap.

“It’s a dogfight,” Stuttgart senior guard Adrian Anglada Paz said. “It’s Euros. That’s the type of energy everybody brings.”

When the two teams faced off in the regular season, Raider center Garrett Vitter gave the Panthers fits.

Instead of trying to neutralize him, Jackson said he instructed his players to keep the guards from becoming threats.

And it worked like a charm. Vitter had 18 points, but the Raider guards struggled to keep pace.

“In the second half, we intentionally wanted them to get the ball to Vitter because we felt like he couldn’t beat us by himself,” Jackson said. “He was dominant enough for K-Town to keep giving him the ball, which is exactly what we wanted them to do.

“It was his guards that were going to beat us if we were ever going to lose.”

Meanwhile, the Stuttgart guards got hot from beyond the arc.

The Panthers drained nine three-pointers in the game, with Anglada Paz connecting on five of them himself.

“If we shoot the ball that well, I don’t think we can be beat,” Jackson said. “Unfortunately, we play defense so hard that we never have the legs to shoot the ball that well.”

The Panthers are going to need to get their legs back ahead of Saturday’s championship tilt against Wiesbaden at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center.

Jackson praised his opposite counterpart, calling Brown his mentor and one of his favorite coaches.

“I know he’ll have his boys ready, but I think I’ve proven to him over the past several years that I’ll have my boys ready, too,” Jackson said.

Stuttgart guard Anthony Hooks shoots during a Division I semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Stuttgart guard Adrian Anglada Paz beats Kaiserslautern guard B’Angelo Drew Carranza to a loose ball during a Division I semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Kaiserslautern’s Jayden Reid shoots during a Division I semifinal against Stuttgart at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)