Like everything in the year of COVID-19, the 2020 portion of the 2020-2021 basketball season has been a roller coaster.
Games have been postponed, rescheduled or picked up on the fly. Players …
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![Alexis Welch goes up for a tough shot during the Gary Filbert Classic. The Community R6 girls are unbeaten at the break. [Leslie A Meyer Photography]](https://beta.creativecirclecdn.com/mexicoledger/original/20210723-135842-Community%20girls%20BB.jpg)
Like everything in the year of COVID-19, the 2020 portion of the 2020-2021 basketball season has been a roller coaster.
Games have been postponed, rescheduled or picked up on the fly. Players missed games due to health protocols. Practice schedules have been upended. Even The Ledger’s attempt to run a team-by-team season preview went by the wayside when Community R-6 had to cancel most of the schools preseason workouts.
The Van-Far girls squad managed only two games – a win and a loss – before going into lockdown.
It has been a season where the playing arena has expanded. As Mexico’s Isaiah Reams said, “We need to stay safe off the court.”
Still, the Mexico boys and Community girls are unbeaten as of Monday. Even with Alexis Welch missing some playing time, the Trojans are 6-0. Meanwhile, Mexico’s boys entered Tuesday’s road trip to Macon at 5-0, with a make up game at home on tap for today.
“The goal is to win 20 and compete for the conference title,” said Bulldogs head coach Darren Pappas.
Mexico swept the season opening Montgomery County Invitational 3-0 to capture the tournament crown. They drubbed Brookfield and Van-Far, but saw the contest against Hannibal postponed.
The Community girls held off Marion County 47-40 to start the season and just kept winning. The Trojans have taken down Mark Twain, Slater, Wellsville-Middleton, North Shelby and a very strong Harrisburg team, 40-35 at the Gary Filbert Classic in Mexico.
Mexico’s girls are 5-2 on the young season, with both losses against talented opponents. After taking the first two at Montgomery County, the Bulldogs fell to Hermann 49-43. One bad quarter sank their chances against South Boone County, 55-42, at the Gary Filbert.
But they had a signature 52-51 win at Battle. And they play with confidence.
“We have the speed and our defense is strong,” said Mya Miller.
“We build off of that,” added Abby Oetting, the squad’s only senior.
The Community boys have struggled thus far, going 1-7. But they were in striking distance against North Shelby. Their lone win came in the season’s second game at Marion County, 57-25. Meanwhile the Van-Far boys are 2-8, winning one of four at the Monroe City Tournament and knocking off Community last week in Laddonia, 75-42.
The Indians’ Nikos Connaway put 30 on the board in the team’s loss at North Callaway.
