Subscribe
Bamberg's Rochelle Strecker lets go of the 3-pointer that put the Lady Barons in the lead in their Division II final against Ansbach. They went on to win the game 35-30.

Bamberg's Rochelle Strecker lets go of the 3-pointer that put the Lady Barons in the lead in their Division II final against Ansbach. They went on to win the game 35-30. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

Bamberg's Rochelle Strecker lets go of the 3-pointer that put the Lady Barons in the lead in their Division II final against Ansbach. They went on to win the game 35-30.

Bamberg's Rochelle Strecker lets go of the 3-pointer that put the Lady Barons in the lead in their Division II final against Ansbach. They went on to win the game 35-30. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

The Bamberg Lady Barons celebrate their Division II title after defeating Ansbach 35-30 at the DODDS-Europe basketball championships in Mannheim, Germany, on Saturday. Members of the boys team, which finished third in the boys D-II tournament, joined in the celebration.

The Bamberg Lady Barons celebrate their Division II title after defeating Ansbach 35-30 at the DODDS-Europe basketball championships in Mannheim, Germany, on Saturday. Members of the boys team, which finished third in the boys D-II tournament, joined in the celebration. (Michael Abrams / S&S)

MANNHEIM, Germany — Top-seeded Bamberg fended off feisty Ansbach to pull out a 35-30 victory and capture the DODDS-Europe Division II girls basketball title Saturday.

The Lady Barons looked out of sorts in the first half and were down by 11 points late in the second quarter when Ansbach sophomore forward/guard Naomi Traylor hit a runner for a 21-10 lead. They trailed 23-13 at halftime.

But in the second half, they turned up their defense with some big steals and with 6-foot-1 senior Racquel Davis jumping into the passing lanes to force turnovers. They caught Ansbach, the No. 6 seed and the tournament surprise, in the fourth quarter and then pulled away.

“We just remembered how hard we had to fight,” said Davis, who had a game-high 24 points and double-digit rebounds. “We broke down their speed. We just had to reach deep.”

Bamberg coach Ivey McAllister, who was filling in for his wife, the regular coach, said the team was ecstatic about Bamberg’s first championship in 35 years. He said focusing on that elusive title helped to keep his team’s spirits high, especially after the rocky first half.

“At halftime (the girls) were definitely down,” he said.

This was the third meeting of the season for the two teams. Bamberg easily won the first two during the regular season, 60-28 and 51-39. But this game was different.

The scoring started out slowly with both teams off target. Ansbach found the range first, going up 10-3 first quarter, including a three-pointer by sophomore point guard/forward Tieir Packer. Gabby Wells, who led Ansbach in scoring with 14 points, followed a three by Bamberg sophomore Natesha Godbee with a steal and a layup as Ansbach continue to build its lead.

Ansbach coach Michael Hunt, who was vocal the entire game, urged his players to go for steals, avoid shooting over Davis and to keep the defensive pressure up.

The strategy worked in the first half, but Bamberg came out blazing to start the second half, with sophomore forward Natesha Godbee hitting a quick two from long range to narrow the gap to 23-15 and start Bamberg’s comeback.

The Lady Barons chipped away at the lead, and when senior guard Rochelle Streker hit a three with a little over two minutes left in the game, Bamberg finally passed Ansbach, 32-30.

Davis, who was voted most valuable player in the girls D-II tournament, completed the scoring and sank Ansbach’s hopes of a comeback by draining one of two free throws with 52.9 seconds left.

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now