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Boys and girls basketballAnsbach at Bitburg Friday and Saturday The four involved teams in this two-day hoops matchup will arrive with just one win between them. But none is ready to be counted out just yet. The Cougar and Baron boys and girls played a total of 12 games before the winter break. Every one of them was against the likes of Patch, Ramstein and Wiesbaden, comparatively huge Division I programs. This weekend, then, offers the Division II schools a delayed opportunity to compete at their own level. Ansbach in particular will welcome the chance. The school’s combined DODDS-Europe basketball season to date features just four games, all losses to Patch and all coming by at least 30 points. A matchup with similarly-sized Bitburg offers the young Cougar squads a chance to see where they truly stand. The winless Baron boys are in a similar boat after losing handily to Ramstein and Wiesbaden on two occasions apiece. It’s the Bitburg girls that have made the most of this lopsided early schedule. While saddled with a 1-3 record, the Barons, led by guard Alexa Landenberger and forward Saoirse Matthews, have proven themselves a worthy Division II contender with their early play. Bitburg flirted with an upset of defending Division I champion Wiesbaden in a 39-37 loss on Dec. 6, then pulled off a comparable upset in besting Ramstein 53-47 on Dec. 13. The confident Barons will be anxious to extend that momentum and start to bring their record more in line with their apparent skill level.

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