[ad_1]
Ramstein’s Parker Ingram battles for the ball with Stuttgart’s Makayla Hines during the Women’s Division 1 final of the DODEA European Basketball Championship on February 17, 2024 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Stuttgart defeated Ramstein 33-26 to win the championship. (Michael Abrams/The Star-Spangled Banner)
WIESBADEN, Germany – When Ella Kirk picked up her fifth foul Saturday night, her team was trailing by just one point with just over six minutes left in the final quarter.
Facing a fierce Ramstein team that defeated the Panthers in pool play just a few days ago may not have boded well for Stuttgart.
But Kirk, the heart of the Panthers’ defense and leading scorer in the semifinal win over Kaiserslautern the day before, wasn’t worried.
She said she was “confident” after watching her team defeat the Royals 33-26 for the Division I women’s title at the DODEA European Basketball Championship. “Rebounding was an issue for us. But when I went out and saw them picking it up, I was fine. Well, as a senior and last in the championship I had an unfortunate foul out in that game. But I like the way it ended.”
Kirk’s Panthers teammates cheered her on even after the Royals fought back to take the lead.
Makayla Hines, the smallest player on the court at 5 feet tall, grabbed two key rebounds and scored six points in the final minutes. She was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. Sophomore Serenity Sampson replaced Kirk in the lineup and secured a key rebound to keep the Royals within one point and make a basket. And while fellow sophomore Hannah Holmes missed most of the season with her ankle injury, she had arguably her best game of the season. She had a game-high 14 rebounds, including her most important two rebounds of the game.
Stuttgart’s Makayla Hines shoots Ramstein’s Feliciana Davis during the Women’s Division I final of the DODEA European Basketball Championship on February 17, 2024 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Stuttgart defeated Ramstein 33-26 to win the division title. (Michael Abrams/The Star-Spangled Banner)
Ramstein’s Charlotte Lyne looks for a teammate to outplay Stuttgart’s Mia Snyder during the Women’s Division I final of the DODEA European Basketball Championship on February 17, 2024 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Stuttgart won the DI title 33-26. (Michael Abrams/The Star-Spangled Banner)
Ramstein’s Jasmine Jones goes to the hoop against Stuttgart during the Women’s Division I final of the DODEA European Basketball Championship on February 17, 2024 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Stuttgart won the match 33-26. (Michael Abrams/The Star-Spangled Banner)
Stuttgart’s Mia Snyder goes to the basket against Ramstein’s Bralynn Jones during the Women’s Division I final of the DODEA European Basketball Championship in Wiesbaden, Germany, February 17, 2024. Stuttgart defeated the Royals 33-26 to claim the DI crown. (Michael Abrams/The Star-Spangled Banner)
The Stuttgart Panthers celebrate their 33-26 victory over Ramstein in the Women’s Division 1 final of the DODEA European Basketball Championship on February 17, 2024 in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Michael Abrams/The Star-Spangled Banner)
The first came with the team leading by three points with 26.6 seconds left. Holmes recovered the missed free throw and got two points back. She then grabbed a rebound at the defensive end on Ramstein’s next possession.
“We’ve had a lot of very talented teams in the past,” Panthers coach Robin Hess said. “This one had the most heart.
“This is a very fitting way to end my career,” Hess said. Mr. Hess plans to retire from DODEA after the school year. Stuttgart has won six of the last seven DI Girls titles. The last time he played was two years ago, Kirk played for favorites Wiesbaden before moving to Stuttgart last year.
“I’m really happy that she’s out like this,” Kirk said of Hess. She said: “When she came to Stuttgart, she was sure that she would be part of a winning program. And finally she won (the title). She always wanted it.”
The loss was tough for Ramstein, who trailed for much of the game but took the lead on consecutive shots by Feliciana Davis with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. Two of the Royals’ key players, Jasmine Jones and Bralynn Jones, were in foul trouble, and it was a low-scoring game in which neither team reached double-digit points in a quarter until Stuttgart scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. There were many.
“It’s a fun game to play because of the environment and both teams are playing really hard,” Ramstein coach Christina Hewitt said. She was “just a few shots short.”
Alydia McNeil led the Royals with 14 points. Hines matched that as the only Panther to reach double digits.
[ad_2]
Source link
