Handing Hanau its first defeat took some doing, Heidelberg coach Brad Shahan said after his Lions’ 62-58 victory on Friday.

“We were up by 11 points twice and by as many as 15,” Shahan said Saturday of Division I Heidelberg’s home victory over the D-IV Panthers. “I thought we were going to put the game away, but each time they came up with everything they needed to do — an outside shot or free throw — to get back into it.”

Heidelberg, the defending European D-I champ, was coming off a 37-34 loss to Hanau on Tuesday. Shahan said by telephone that some key personnel absences due to illness and emergency leave didn’t help Heidelberg’s cause on Tuesday, but that his reserves came through on Friday.

“Malcolm Griffin and Shali Thompson (who each scored 12 points Friday to pace the Lions) came off the bench for us last night,” Shahan said.

Hanau, one of the smallest schools in DODDS-Europe and one scheduled to close in June, can only envy Heidelberg its bench strength.

“They only have eight players, and two of them don’t get on the floor,” Shahan said. “The six who play all do positive things for them. I’m very impressed with Hanau.”

Four Panthers reached double figures Friday — Vernon Miles had 15 points, Emanuel Moore 13, and Deandre Holmes and Spencer Miller 11 each.

Hanau’s defeat left only SHAPE and Ramstein unbeaten among DODDS-Europe boys teams.

In other boys games of note:

SHAPE 8, Lakenheath 2: On Saturday at SHAPE, Belgium, the visitors concentrated on keeping the ball out of the hands of their hosts, who had inflicted a 64-24 courtesy-rule defeat on them Friday.

“They didn’t go to the basket,” SHAPE girls coach Sam Ochinang said by telephone Saturday night. “They just dribbled the ball around.”

Ansbach’s girls coach Mick Plummer saw Lakenheath’s deflation game as an effective strategy against a team that has its opponent outgunned. “That’s a way to win against a team you can’t stop,” he said by phone Saturday night. “You’re trying to keep the game close, then take your shot in the final minutes.”

Kelsey Bardell scored a game-high four points in a game contested without a shot clock.

Ramstein 69, Kaiserslautern 43: On Saturday at Ramstein, Scott Sublousky scored 19 points, Brent Schuck 12 and Dillon Wadsack 10 as the Royals continued their unbeaten run through the regular season.

It was the second loss to Ramstein for neighborhood rival Kaiserslautern, which absorbed a 79-39 running-clock shellacking at home on Friday.

“That’s one of the best boys teams I’ve seen over here,” said Ramstein girls coach Kent Grosshuesch, who used to coach the Royals’ boys. “Scott Sublousky didn’t have a very good game on Friday and they still won by 40.”

Ramstein (13-0) closes its regular season at Bitburg on Wednesday.

Mannheim 77, Black Forest Academy 67 (2OT): On Saturday at Mannheim, Black Forest Academy’s 6-foot-7 Eddie Mbanda, who scored 35 points in this Region II game, made a three-pointer with three seconds to play in the first OT to force a second overtime period, according to Mannheim coach John Crockett.

“It was a great high school basketball game,” Crockett said. “The lead went back and forth.”

At least until the second overtime, when Mannheim put the game away with a 14-4 run. Courtney Wicks paced Mannheim with 27 points, 11 rebounds and nine steals.

Naples 71, Sigonella 43: On Saturday, Quamaine Holliman, Dwayne Newby, Fred Hartine and Vince Feazell scored in double figures as host Naples clinched the American Schools in Italy League title with a 6-0 league mark.

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