Baumholder’s Jezania Gibson gets through the Spangdahlem defense on her way to the basket in a Division III game at the DODEA-Europe basketball championships in Baumholder, Germany, Feb. 16, 2023.
Welcome to the ball, Brussels and Baumholder

Division III boys tournament going according to form, but girls No. 7 and No. 8 seeds advance to Friday’s semifinals.

Nina Neroni of the American Overseas School of Rome twists away with the ball during a rebound play against the Rota Admirals at the DODEA European Division II basketball championships Feb. 15, 2023, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Rome bested the Admirals 40-17.
Hopes brightened, dimmed for title contenders

Rota boys, Vicenza and AOSR girls clinch spots in Friday’s semifinals, but plenty of other teams still alive for five remaining berths.

Ramstein's Timar Dix goes up for a layup as Stuttgart's Trenton Jackson defends during pool play on Wednesday at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Panthers unbeaten no longer after getting Royal treatment

Ramstein boys win for first time in four meetings with Panthers, but Wiesbaden girls win third straight against Royals in another 1 vs. 2 matchup.

AFNORTHs Nathan Goldsmith, left, and Ronnie Macauley stop Alconburys Bohdan Andres drive to the basket in a D-III game on opening day of the DODEA-Europe basketball finals in Baumholder, Germany, Feb. 15, 2023. The Lions beat the Dragons 66-47.
Top seeds still on course to move on

Top three ranked schools in boys and girls play all go 2-0 on first day of Division III tournament and would advance to semifinals with victories Thursday.

Wiesbaden's McKinley Vines, right, and Ramstein's Alysha Edwards fight for the ball on the baseline during the first quarter of Tuesday's game at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Will fourth time be the charm for Warriors or Royals?

Top two teams in Division I have met two times already this season and could play twice more during season-ending tournament.

Brussels' William Stewart, center, pciks up the ball while Baumholder defenders Damian Jung, left, and Caleb Pigge prepare to trap during a game on Saturday afternoon in the Hall of Champions Fitness Center in Baumholder, Germany. The Buccaneers defeated the Brigands, 47-21.
Do the Bucs stop here? Or does streak continue?

Baumholder seeks fifth straight Division III title, while Division II has a slew of contenders.

Tyler Jackson, center, and Chris Hess, right, defend Nijah Marshall, left during a Jan. 31 practice at Stutgart High School in Stuttgart, Germany. Friends since preschool, the duo reunited in 2017 when the Jackson family returned to Stuttgart, and they have been inseparable snce.
Longtime friends a key for unbeaten Stuttgart

Three Panthers teamed together five years ago to capture under-12 tournament title and now find themselves part of team that’s favored for D-I title.

Players from Bahrain and Spangdahlem battle for a rebound in the opening game of the DODEA-Europe Division III girls basketball tournament Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
2023 DODEA-Europe basketball championships

Stars and Stripes will attempt to provide timely updates from six DODEA-Europe basketball tournaments Wednesday through Saturday at Ramstein Air Base and Baumholder, Germany.

Lakenheath’s Lucius Bowman pulls down Ramstein’s Nathan Rutlege on his way to winning the 157-pound title at the DODEA-Europe wrestling championships, in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 11, 2023.
Ramstein breaks Stuttgart’s title hold on the mat

Wiesbaden has four individual champions to Royals’ three, but depth leads team to runaway victory. Four other schools have individual winners.

Ramstein’s Joshua Conway celebrates after defeating Stuttgart’s Aidan Morgan in the 126-pound final at the DODEA-Europe wrestling championships, in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 11, 2023.
Europe Scoreboard: Feb. 11, 2023
Stuttgart’s Josiah Doughty, top, tries to drive Sigonella’s John Berry to the mat in a first round, 150-pound match at the DODEA-Europe wrestling finals in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 10, 2023.
If you’re on the mat, you’ve got a shot

Plenty of favorites are in good shape of reaching semifinals Saturday, but there are some darkhorses with a shot as well.

Stuttgart’s Alex Samler and Lakenheath Lucius Bowman grapple in a 157-pound match at the DODEA-Europe wrestling finals in Wiesbaden, Germany, Feb. 10, 2023. Bowman went on to win.
Europe Scoreboard: Feb. 10, 2023
Lakenheath’s Gavin Idelman puts the pressure on Ramstein’s Matthew Abel, on his way to taking the 157-pound title at the high school 2022 Wrestling Tournament in Ramstein, Germany, Feb. 12, 2022.
It’s Ramstein vs. Stuttgart again with a long streak on line

Top wrestlers from other schools might weigh in as well on which team comes up with enough points to capture season-ending championship.

Wiesbaden's Gwen Icanberry dribbles as Ramstein's Brayln Jones defends during Tuesday evening's game at Wiesbaden High School in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Warriors won, 48-46.
Urick makes shot that counts in Warriors’ win over Royals

In crunch time, Lyndsey Urick received an inbound pass in the paint and made the game-winning bucket with 8 seconds left in the Warriors’ 48-46 victory over the Royals. 

Kaiserslautern's Daniel Lee wrestles Stuttgart's Payton Kolesnikov during the 120-pound championship match during the DODEA Central scetional wrestling tournament at Ramstein High School on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Lee pinned Kolesnikov at the 2:54 mark.
It’s not all Ramstein-Stuttgart at sectional - but it’s close

Vilseck’s Garrett Hyten, Spangdahlem’s Andrew Molina and Kaiserslautern’s Daniel Lee take titles in qualifying meet dominated by Europe’s two largest schools.

Naples' Lucas Suszko gets set to pin Vicenza's Eric Gastelum at 132 pounds Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, at the DODEA-Europe Southern Europe regional at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
Quick learners from Italy, Spain headed to finals

Wrestlers south of Alps generally don’t have a lot of experience, but that’s not stopping them on the mat.

Jaden Workman of Hohenfels, left, beat Ramstein’s Evan Brooks for the 190-pound title at the high school 2022 Wrestling Tournament in Ramstein, Germany, Feb. 12, 2022.
Europe Scoreboard: Feb. 4, 2023
Spangdahlem's Makario Drummond drives to the basket as Kaiserslautern's Jayden Dayao gets back to defend during a game Friday evening at Kaiserslautern High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany. In the background, from left, are the Raiders' Logan Bell and the Sentinels' Robert Leggett.
Sentinels upend Raiders to build momentum

Spangdahlem will play Baumholder in Division III showdown next weekend just days before championships start.

An MQ-9 Reaper drone with Customs and Border Protection returns from a mission over the U.S.-Mexico border on Nov. 4, 2022, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images/TNS)
General Atomics offers 2 Reaper drones to Ukraine for $1

In a public statement released Wednesday, General Atomics Aeronautical Chief Executive Linden Blue confirmed that the company recently proposed transferring company-owned Reapers — plus the ground control station to operate them — to help Ukraine in its war with Russia.