D-III basketball roundup
Lajes boys trying to show they're a top team
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WIESBADEN, Germany - Things went pretty much as expected Wednesday during opening round Division III action at the 2012 DODDS-Europe basketball championships.
On the boys side, defending D-III champ Rota made quick work of the Brussels Brigands, their sole Wednesday opponent, 61-24.
The Admirals star player and 2011 Stars and Stripes player of the year, Tre’von Owens came out of the gates sluggish, missing his first four shots from the field, but righted the ship when he sunk a three-pointer, made a quick steal on defense and went uncontested for an easy layup. The senior, who has agreed to play for UC-Riverside next year, went on to score 32.
Rota spread the ball around to open up a 42-14 lead at half. Resting most of their starters the rest of the way, the Admirals went on to a 61-24 win.
Owens’ ability to frustrate the opposing defenses by drawing coverage and dishing the ball off to an open teammate was visibly frustrating the Brussels squad.
“If I see somebody open, I’ll give them the ball,” Owens said, adding that he feels Rota is where it needs to be to repeat as champions.
Bamberg, the tournament’s second seed, sent a strong message that they’re ready to contend this year with an opening 34-12 victory over Incirlik.
An up-tempo Barons offense with precision ball movement left the Hodjas defense gasping for breath for most of the game.
“Right now we’re just trying to get through these guys,” said junior forward Anthoney Cortright, who scored 13.
The Barons carried over the momentum, cruising to an easy 59-7 win over Ankara in their second game.
The only lower seeded team to pull off a surprise victory during Wednesday’s first 12 D-III games was the upstart Lajes Falcons, hoping to prove that last year’s third-place finish wasn’t a fluke.
After outlasting a scrappy Menwith Hill squad in their first game, the sixth-seeded Falcons rode aggressive defensive play, forcing turnovers and stealing boards from the third seed Alconbury, en route to a 55-27 upset of the Dragons.
“We were just trying to play the game we know, box out and get the rebounds… defense is what won for us today,” said senior guard DeMarkus Hodge, who finished with 37 points in the Falcons two games.
On the girls side, the top-seeded Lady Admirals got out in front on Alconbury and never looked back, winning 32-15.
“We wanted to get this game, we needed to show we still wanted to be on top,” said senior point guard Yesenia Solis. “All the jitters are out now.”
Defending girls champ Menwith Hill has an uphill climb to repeat this year without one of last year’s stars, Monique McCreary, who graduated. In their first tournament game against Ankara, they showed shades of last year’s championship team, despite coming into this year’s tournament as the sixth seed.
“A lot of the people this year are new, but once we got into the season, we played good,” said junior center Kaia Pierce, who led the Lady Mustangs with 17 points during their 42-21 win over the Ankara Lady Trojans.
This year’s second-seeded Sigonella Lady Jaguars also outlasted Ankara. Despite starting off sluggishly, Sigonella went on to a 42-21 win.
“I think we have a really good chance of winning this year if we can remain focused,” said Sigonella coach Tonya Strobridge. “I tell them one game at a time, focus on the team we’re playing now.”
