AFNORTH makes it tough, but Baumholder dynasty rolls on

Baumholder center Skylar Cooper shoots as AFNORTH small forward Jackson Lojka falls during the Division I boys title game at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany – The Baumholder boys basketball team doesn’t question coach Dewayne Piggé’s orders, no matter how risky.

Take the final 4 minutes of the Buccaneers’ 54-50 victory over AFNORTH in the Division III final of the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Saturday at the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center for example.

Baumholder (16-2) was nursing a two-point lead. The coach called out the spread and stall offense, letting precious seconds tick away and keep the ball away from Lions’ hands.

“We got to trust coach Piggé because he always knows what to do, and as long as we listen to him, take our time, we’re going to come out with the victory,” Baumholder center Skylar Cooper said.

It worked, just as Piggé had hoped. The Lions (14-5) didn’t score a single point after Vincent Sheehan sank two free throws with 3 minutes, 7 seconds left in the game to tie it at 50.

The Buccaneers went to the charity stripe five times over the next 3:00, going 4 of 10. Gregory Makubuya iced the game by splitting a pair with 7.4 seconds left.

Baumholder guard Semaj Stukes goes up for a layup while AFNORTH guard Vincent Sheehan defends during the Division III boys title game at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH guard Davon Jones goes for a shot underneath the basket while Baumholder sophomore Semaj Stukes tries to block it during the Division III boys title game at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH senior Jackson Lojka shoots in the lane against Baumholder senior Skylar Cooper during the Division III boys title game at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Baumholder forward Benaiah Morgan tries to pass the ball as AFNORTH guard Vincent Sheehan defends at the top of the key during the Division III boys title game at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

AFNORTH senior Vincent Sheehan shoots as Baumholder senior Gregory Makubuya converges on him during the Division III boys title game at the 2026 DODEA European basketball championships on Feb. 14, 2026, at Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Just like the players trust Piggé, their coach said he believes in his players.

“Defensive intensity in the second half and just controlling clock, that’s what brought us over the hump,” Piggé said. “We run it so much in practice and trusting in my guys that they’re going to protect the ball and make their free throws.”

With the win, Baumholder continued its stranglehold over the small-school division. The Buccaneers now have won seven of the last eight crowns, all under Piggé’s tutelage.

For the second straight season, their opponents pushed them to the edge. While this year’s game didn’t go to overtime, Makubuya said this one seemed even more difficult.

“Last year was tough – this year was tougher,” the senior guard said. “I’m thankful for my teammates, the brotherhood we have.

“I just love this program.”

Early, the Buccaneers were able to stay afloat thanks to the offensive effort of Cooper.

The 6-foot-6 center scored five of his team’s first seven points as his teammates kept feeding it to him.

And it wasn’t just scoring where Cooper made his mark. The transfer from Vilseck grabbed as many rebounds as points he put through the hoop (16).

“That kid has made so much progress, man,” Piggé said. “The motivation was not there in the beginning, and I just had to mold him into what he needed to be. He took advantage of that. So proud of that kid.”

AFNORTH had a chance late in the third quarter to be in prime position to pull away, leading 41-36 with a minute remaining.

Yet the Buccaneers came roaring back with a 10-0 run over 51 seconds. It began with a pair of putbacks first by Cooper, who was fouled, and then by junior forward Benaiah Morgan after his teammate’s missed free throw.

Guard Artez Williams (11 points) swished a three-pointer off a pass from Makubuya with 9 seconds left to take the lead.

Following a Lion turnover, sophomore guard Semaj Stukes banked in a heave from near the corner of the halfway line at the buzzer.

“That shot he made there was unbelievable,” Piggé said of Stukes. “That really boosted our energy back up. We needed that.”

Although his team came out on the losing end, AFNORTH coach Derek Kujat praised his players’ effort, pushing Baumholder to the edge. Just a few plays here or there could have tipped the game in their favor, he said.

Sheehan, losing in the title game for the second year in a row after playing for Alconbury in last year’s thriller, paced the Lions with a game-high 18 points. Junior guard Stefan Termure chipped in with another 14.

“Nobody even expected us to be in this position,” Kujat said. “They thought Baumholder was going to do what Baumholder does and roll through the competition, but my boys, they played against them tough.”