WIESBADEN, Germany — The Wiesbaden Warriors remained undefeated with a 62-45 victory over the Bitburg Barons in a physical game Saturday at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield Fitness Center.
The Warriors (5-0) used their depth to their advantage, as they combined frequent substitutions and an up-tempo style to jump out to a 43-19 halftime lead.
The scrappy Barons wouldn’t give up and kept eating away at Wiesbaden’s lead in the second half, but the Warriors came up with enough timely shots to fend off Bitburg (2-4).
The Barons also fell to the Warriors, 77-60, Friday night at Wiesbaden High School.
“I saw nothing but intensity from our team,” said Wiesbaden senior guard Antonio Trawick, who had 10 points and five assists Saturday.
Sophomore guard Roscoe Johnson and sophomore Khari Bennet also chipped in 10 points for the Warriors.
Johnson said the Warriors are flying under the radar right now, but the team’s confidence grows with each victory.
“We might really have a chance at Europeans,” said Johnson, who scored a team-high 28 points for the Warriors on Friday.
Wiesbaden coach Carl Johnson said he is pleased with the intensity his team is developing, but cautioned against overconfidence. “We have to remind the kids that it’s just one game,” he said.
Bitburg’s J.B. Tarnate-Johnson, who finished Saturday’s game with 14 points, eight rebounds and five steals, said too many turnovers doomed his team, but that whenever the Barons settled down and ran a play, they could score.
The Baron freshman said his team has a lot of work to do before the championships run around, but playing teams like Division I Wiesbaden helps them develop.
“We have four Division I teams on our schedule, so by the time Europeans come around, we should be ready for Division II teams,” he said.