Royals hope to break Panthers’ grip on large-school crown

Stuttgart guard Bella Farias goes for a layup as Kaiserslautern sophomore Olivia Ilkka tries to block it 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 – The Stuttgart Panthers weren’t pleased with the situation at halftime of their Division I semifinal contest with Kaiserslautern on Friday.

At all.

The Panthers had led by 12 points after the first period and seemed to be running away toward another title-game appearance at the 2026 DODEA-Europe Division I championships.

Yet at Wiesbaden High School, that advantage dipped to a single-possession game. The Raiders were winning the contest on the glass as well.

Stuttgart couldn’t let that continue.

“We were slacking on defense. They were outrebounding us at one point,” senior Serenity Sampson said. “We were like, ‘We got to rebound, we got to get in there, we got to play defense because ultimately, we’re trying to win a championship.’”

The self-motivation worked.

Stuttgart exploded in the third quarter and tuned what once was a tight ballgame into a 57-32 rout.

The Panthers used a 19-1 run from the 5-minute, 40-second mark to 1:14 in the third. Sampson sparked the outburst with nine of her 15 points over that span.

Her performance came as the forward picked up four fouls in the first half and zero margin for error in the second.

“I really had to play disciplined,” Sampson said. “That really forced me to move my feet a lot more and ultimately become a lot faster on defense.”

Two other seniors played a role in Stuttgart’s victory.

Guard Bella Farias connected on three shots from beyond the arc over the opening 4 minutes. She dropped 12 of her game-high 19 points over the opening 8 minutes.

Senor small forward Addison Jennings put together a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“That’s huge, especially my seniors stepping in and taking care of business today,” coach Nathan Garrett said of the trio’s performance.

Olivia Illka paced the Raiders with 11 points.

Stuttgart guard Leah Jumaquio dribbles on the fast break as Kaiserslautern forward Hassa Diallo defends 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 forward Olivia Ilkka shoots over Stuttgart’s Alicia Wiggins 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)

In the other semifinal, Ramstein continued to put its disappointing 2025 showing behind it with a 51-24 victory over Vilseck. The Royals led from start to finish, beginning the contest with a 16-3 run.

One year ago, Ramstein didn’t even make the knockout rounds. On Saturday, it will square off with Stuttgart for the Division I crown.

“We were super mad,” said Ramstein junior Jaivonne Jones, who totaled 11 points vs. the Falcons. “We were like, ‘No, we’re not going to lose. We’re going to change this; we’re going to switch this up.’”

It was pretty much smooth sailing for the Royals outside of a nearly 3-minute stretch midway through the second quarter when a 9-2 Falcon run cut the advantage to single digits. Junior guard Lyla Ingram had four of her team-high 11 points over that stretch.

The Royals responded with a 23-2 run that lasted through the end of the third frame.

“I told my kids, ‘You can’t let them back in this game,’” Ramstein coach Christina Hewitt said. “I was proud of the way we were ale to respond and clean up our defense.”

The wins set up a matchup of the top two seeds Saturday at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center on Clay Kaserne. The Royals and Panthers split the season series. And both squads expect it to be a high intensity matchup.

“We’re going to ball,” Jones said. “If Stuttgart isn’t ready, then we’re going to beat them.”

Ramstein’s Amari Keyes goes up for a layup during a Division I semifinal at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships against Vilseck on Feb. 13, 2026, at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ramstein guard Aaryanna Guishard drives on Vilseck senior Ana Switala 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)

Vilseck guard Teagan Mulholland passes the ball against Ramstein guard Breanna Olivas 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)

Vilseck senior Ana Switala dribbles as Ramstein guard Breanna Olivas 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)