A win is a win. Especially when it’s over the defending champions.

The host Wiesbaden Warriors defeated the Ramstein Royals 59-44 on Friday night in a season-opening rematch of last year’s Division I European championship game, won by Ramstein on Wiesbaden’s home floor.

Wiesbaden coach David Brown called Friday’s clash a “typical first game of the season,” plagued by fouls, turnovers and general “sloppy” play. But Brown was satisfied that the “ugly basketball” fell in his team’s favor.

Star point guard Tyrese Harris led the way for the Warriors with 17 points, while Caleb Brown scored 11 and Isaiah DeVane added 10 to join him in double figures.

Ramstein’s Jason Jones Jr. matched Harris for game-high scoring honors with 17 of his own, while point guard Jerod Little chipped in 11.

Wiesbaden’s Joshua Osakwe and Ramstein’s Sincere Dudley each grabbed 10 rebounds to pace their respective teams on the glass.

Both teams are in the midst of busy starts to the 2017-18 DODEA-Europe boys basketball season.

Wiesbaden hosts defending Division II champion Black Forest Academy next weekend, then faces Division I rival Kaiserslautern on Dec. 12. Ramstein takes on Kaiserslautern on Tuesday, then travels to Lakenheath next weekend.

Black Forest 61/51, Stuttgart 58/83: At Kandern, Germany, the host Falcons earned a split with the Division I Panthers.

Dillon Priest poured in a game-high 20 points and big man Kaden Proctor contributed 13 points as the reigning Division II champs claimed Friday night’s opener.

Stuttgart answered emphatically on Saturday, shaking off a sizeable early deficit and building their own in its place in a runaway win. Mondwell Buckle scored 23 points, much of it coming off six made three-pointers, to lead the Panthers.

Kaiserslautern 74, Vilseck 57: Saturday at Kaiserslautern, the host Raiders completed a thorough two-day sweep of the overmatched Falcons.

Sophomore Tre Dotson continued to impress with an 18-point outing, a day after his second-quarter slam dunk and all-around strong play set the tone for Friday’s 83-44 season-opening rout. Point guard Isiah Washington scored 17 points for the Raiders, who led by 15 after one quarter and by 26 at halftime.

Vilseck’s Tim Simmons matched Dotson’s scoring output with 18 points to lead the Falcons, while Terron Sizemore added 13 points.

Vicenza splits two: The Vicenza Cougars earned a win and took a loss over their opening weekend, beating the Sigonella Jaguars 68-51 on Friday and losing to the Rota Admirals 49-26 on Saturday.

Abrien Brown scored 29 points on Friday night as the Cougars overcame a 32-point, 13-rebound effort by Sigonella’s Isaac Griswold. But the Vicenza offense struggled the next day, posting just one double-digit quarter in a loss to the Admirals.

After opening against Division III Sigonella and Division II Rota, Vicenza tries its hand against

Division I competition next weekend as Stuttgart, Vilseck and Naples visit for a four-team meet.

Marymount 68/55, Aviano 58/66: At Aviano, a pair of regional and divisional rivals exchanged double-digit decisions.

Visiting Marymount won the Friday opener behind a 35-point effort by Gianmaria Bellucci. The hometown Saints evened the score on Saturday behind matching 23-point efforts by Mason Shine and Traevian Ware.

The two Italian programs are eying a deep tournament run in a division left in flux by the major roster turnover affecting defending champ Black Forest and returning runner-up Rota. Marymount faces another local divisional foe next weekend in American Overseas School of Rome, while Aviano resumes the chase after the holidays.

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